DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM From left, Louis Rich, Donny Hiltz and Jennifer Messisio drove all the way from the North Shore to listen to the music at Auntie Pasto's. The restaurant turns into a nightclub after dining hours.

Auntie Pasto’s provides
open mic for performers

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By Shawn "Speedy" Lopes
slopes@starbulletin.com

It's just past 11 on a Wednesday night at Auntie Pasto's on Kapahulu Avenue, and a young barfly in a pint-size cowboy hat and droopy slacks is already sky high off the invisible fumes generated by the smoking blues-rock rhythm section on stage. Head lowered and arms flailing, he carves out his own personal space on the restaurant's dance floor with a bizarre improvisational dance that suggests a cross between poplocking and the Watusi.

"Let's hear it for Cowboy Hat," announces Christian Bowman, the evening's host and originator of the live-band showcase and open-mic night.

Bowman is immediately set straight by the mystery dancer: "It's a stripper's hat," exclaims the urban cowpoke, seizing the microphone and bestowing a rambling on-the-spot poem to the crowd on hand.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Christian Bowman at home with some of his instruments he's bravely loaning to Auntie Pasto's for open mic night.

If there is a theme to this spectacle, it's "Expect the Unexpected." A curious mishmash of a dozen-plus musical acts, from pop to rock, fusion and beyond, have signed up to perform this evening, and more are waiting to be added to next week's list. The surprising turnout for Bowman's first go-around as a promoter validates his long-standing belief that Honolulu musicians are desperate to be heard.

"I think we'll be seeing a lot more bands emerge soon," he ventures.

It was during a brief stay in the performer's paradise of Austin, Texas, several years ago that Bowman found the inspiration to help further the ambitions of local musicians.

"Austin is the live-music capital of the world," he explains. "Every bar, restaurant and club has live music. Yet if there's a deejay (playing), no one's going."

By contrast, Bowman saw many new venues for deejay-based music sprouting up around Honolulu, but apart from a handful of nightclubs, there were few outlets for live pop and indie-rock bands. While music scenes across the continental United States are constantly energized by a steady flow of touring ensembles, Hawaii's geographic isolation has meant a serious dearth of live bands passing through our corner of the world.

As a result, uninspired cover bands have staked their claim on the city's mainstream nightclubs, while come-and-go punk-rock outfits and hip-hop and electronica deejays have scrambled to find their own out-of-the-way venues.

Open Mic Night Where: Auntie Pasto's, 559 Kapahulu Ave. When: 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesdays Admission: $3; free for performers Call: 951-9026

"Honolulu probably has the largest amount of musicians per capita than any other (American) city," Bowman says. "And while Hawaiian music is fantastic, if you're not playing Hawaiian music or Jawaiian reggae, you're almost guaranteed not to get a gig here."

The solution, he believed, was to bring a touch of Austin to the islands. With the blessing of the management at Auntie Pasto's (where he also tends bar several nights a week), Bowman loans his own instruments -- guitars, drum kit and keyboards -- once a week during his events.

"I'm putting all of my own instruments on the line in an effort to reach those musicians and kind of see what blossoms," Bowman says. "Everyone has a different musical language, and when everybody starts speaking it at the same time, sometimes really beautiful things can happen."

He hopes his music showcase and open mic can be a springboard for performers who are starting out or don't have a large enough repertoire to land a paying gig.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@ STARBULLETIN.COM Halla Asi, left, and Eric Gamundoy get into the act at Auntie Pasto's openmic night. The restaurant turns into a nightclub after dining hours.

"There's a Catch-22 on the island," Bowman explains. "A house will not hire a band unless they have a draw, but a band can't build a following unless they have stage time."

With a bounty of prizes on hand (Auntie Pasto's gift certificates and various promotional items are up for grabs), performers are encouraged to meet, network and showcase their talents at the restaurant. There is no entry fee for those who take the stage, and an outstanding act could even earn themselves a regular gig at Auntie Pasto's.

"If you get up with even a one-line joke, you get your cover back," promises Bowman, who encourages performers to reserve stage time by contacting him at 951-9026. "I'd like to not rely so heavily on the fact that we're missing the touring acts that are happening on the mainland to build a live-music scene," he says. "We can build our own scene right here."

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