I have mostly played on the Waikiki strip in this first year of my musical journey. But I have some spots around the island that I really love playing at. I figured I'd share my thoughts on some of these places just in case another person stumbles upon the blog looking for fun places to get their performing chops on or if someone is looking for a place to see and hear some independent up and comers do their thing. It's a great way to meet local musicians and make friends with people with similar interests and passion.
The Station Bar and Lounge ***Monday Nights***
I found out about Station while checking out other open mics. My first night there, I really felt like it was a place I would keep coming back to. The venue itself is awesome. Its on the smaller side, and has a real underground feel, like you've discovered some secret music batcave in the city. The sound system is great, and the employees are friendly and welcoming. They have open mic every Monday night and events through out the week. If you follow them on social media you'll get frequent updates on the happenings and special events. I have also had the privilege of playing several shows there. Blane has always been on top of getting info out to all the musicians and keeps everything flowing smooth throughout the shows. They are a huge supporter and promoter of live local music in Hawaii. They rock.
OnStage Drinks and Grinds ***Tuesday Nights***
I started checking out the open mic nights at OnStage when I learned my first four chords on guitar, literally. I started going there playing as many songs as they would let me, strumming though G D Em C the whole time. They were friendly and I was horrible. Jet runs the show and the bar there and he's a great guy. He really loves music and it shows in the way he welcomes and interacts with the performers that come through. This is a great place to get on stage and improve your public performing and meet a lot of cool people while you're at it. I have also gotten to play shows here. The shows I played here were organized by Jesse Valor
Surfers Coffe Bar ***Wednesday Night***
Surfers Coffee Bar has a vibe like no other. There are surfboards on the walls and the place feels like a huge living room of a surfer. I haven't been to an open mic there in a long time but there was always a great atmosphere and the coffee, acai bowls, and chai were always on point. They have a decent sound system, certainly more than adequate for the person just singing with a guitar or keyboard.
Surfer the Bar ***Thursday Nights***
This is by far the nicest/classiest place to play open mic at on the island. Its at one of the nicest resorts on the island so that adds to the feel. The stage is amazing, lighting and a huge screen behind the performers that can display videos in the background or images of the performer while they're jamming. The sound is professional. They always have great techs running the board, if you sound bad there, it's pretty much your fault. Another cool twist about their open mics is that its also a friendly competition. At the end of open mic the employees vote on their favorite act and theyre invited back at the end of the year for a battle of the favorites. The "Kanikapila Contest" that I got to compete in last year for them was amazing. There were so many talented musicians it was a blast.
Those are my favorite spots for open mic but there are others that I know of that are fun and I'm sure there are a bunch I don't know about.
Other great open mic options on Oahu:
Monday: Hulas
Tuesday: Da Spot
Thursday: Fresh Cafe Downtown
Thursday: Boardriders Kailua