THE NIGHT STUFF
Pussycat Junkies purrs at Compadres

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Guest DJ mei-lwun of San Francisco kept the turntables spinning after midnight for the crowd at a recent Pussycat Junkies party at Compadres Bar & Grill. Photos by Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Mary Jane Jalei of Kahala and Mandy Domaloan of Kaimuki dance it up. The crowd at Pussycat Junkies tends to stick to comfortable casual wear.

Dana Nichols of 'Aina Haina and Paul Pety of Schofield Barracks took advantage of a danceable mix of hip-hop and Top 40 mash-ups.

PUSSYCAT JUNKIES Where: Compadres Bar & Grill, Ward Centre When: 10 p.m.-2 a.m., last Wednesday of the month Age of crowd: 20s-30s; no cover What to wear: Avoid anything seriously dressy. Go comfortably casual. Something with a prominent surf-wear logo wouldn't hurt. The soundtrack: "Tipsy vs. In Da Club" (J-Kwon vs. 50 Cent), "Family Affair" (Mary J. Blige), "Super Freak" (Rick James), "Lean Back" (Terror Squad feat. Fat Joe) Overheard line of the night: "See, my abs are flat! ... And (expletive) tight!" One female to a table of friends, after lifting her shirt and slapping her bare tummy.

It was midnight on April's final Wednesday. Compadres Bar & Grill was crowded with a couple hundred twenty- to thirtysomethings, many of them fashionably dressed-down in tees, tanks and jeans. Hip-hop mash-ups were pulling people from intense mingling on the outside deck and much interior macking to the dance floor.

And a bowl of free condoms placed near the entrance for anyone who, uh, needed 'em on the way out was half-empty. (Or half-full, depending on how you look at these things.)

Pussycat Junkies kicked off with a full house during March's spring break week. The turnout was hardly a surprise considering the party commingled the e-mail lists of promoters Flash Hansen's Pussycat Productions and Russ Inouye's Vertical Junkies. But a solid second-outing crowd last month seemed to signal the party had the weekday claws to pack 'em in through the warm season.

Taking the promoters' "no dress code" policy to heart, club kids sported laid-back logo-wear from every conceivable surf and outdoor brand. Guys went with tees, aloha shirts, jeans and the occasional ball or skull cap. Girls went for snug tanks, camisoles and crochet tops.

"This is my favorite song! I gotta dance!" squealed a female in a seriously low-cut tank and low-slung jeans near our table. Her trio of similarly-dressed friends joined her on the dance floor, grinding to 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" as if they were the evening's entertainment.

The evening's soundtrack — set by residents KSM and racerX — was a nicely free-form mix of current mainstream hip-hop and R&B, with a few interesting surprises. A mashing of the Commodores' '70s salacious "Brick House" with Khia's '00s bedroom-or-parked-car direct "My Neck, My Back," for instance, was sweet. But blending Ciara's "1, 2 Step" with Afrika Bambaataa & SoulSonic Force's still-solid "Planet Rock" beat was funky dance floor genius.

Much of the crowd was too young to enjoy Whale's long lost '90s alterno-club hit "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" as much as I did. But the gathered hit the dance floor en masse for Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl."

"Oooh, I was in elementary school when this came out!" cooed a red-headed female sporting a loose Element shirt, Billabong shorts and pigtails, responding to Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It."

Funny, I was actually still familiar with the concept of having three months of summer off from school when I first heard it, too.

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.

NIGHTSPOTTING:

HOOSIER DADDY

Indianapolis is in the house! The Get Fresh! crew dug deep into America's heartland to bring in turntablist Slater Hogan and his funky, disco house mix for a guest spot tonight. Hogan's house style blends elements of hip-hop, techno, swing, jazz and classic house for an extremely danceable soundtrack. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., at Indigo Eurasian Cuisine. Cover is $8 to $10; 21 and older. Call 591-3500 for information.

NIGHT NOTES

Lucky Tiger, a new weekly at thirtyninehotel, kicks off Saturday night with San Francisco Bay Area-based house turntablist DJ Garth. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. London-based DJ Harvery returns to the hotel for Lucky Tiger No. 2 on May 28 ... DJ IKON celebrates the weekend launch of www.djikon.com at Signals at Wave Waikiki post-midnight on Saturday. Spinning with IKON are G-Spot and Shaun G. from 1:30 to 4 a.m.