RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Secondhand Sin is, from left, Luke Tetrault, J.D. Derrick, "Beek" Vanderbeek, Wilson Crocker and Jason Smith.

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‘We’re all sinners’

While the men of Secondhand Sin prefer to play it down, being naval submarine crewmen based at Pearl Harbor certainly helped them find each other.

Secondhand Sin When: 10 p.m. Saturday Where: Wave Waikiki, 1877 Kalakaua Ave. Admission: $7, 21 and over Call: 941-0424 Note: At www.secondhandsin.com, sign the band's guest list and pay only $1 for Saturday's performance. The band will also play Oct. 15 at the Wave.

Now with drummer Jason Smith and lead guitarist Wilson Crocker finishing a two-month deployment at sea, they can concentrate on more important matters, namely kickstarting the rock band they share with singer Luke Tetrault, guitarist J.D. Derrick and bassist "Beek" Vanderbeek.

Gathered around a darkened table in the downstairs bar at Anna Bannana's last Friday, they say they've found a musical middle ground, bringing their backgrounds in funk, jazz, metal and classic rock to the mix.

And these guys are all business. They have to be, because they're all a long way from home, coming from states such as Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Indiana and Massachusetts.

For the handful of gigs they've played since they came together as a band in May 2004, they've depended on an equal mix of originals and covers.

Derrick and Crocker named the band as a play on the phrase "original sin."

"When all of us go home after playing, we all have the same problems," philosophized Tetrault as he occasionally spits chewing tobacco into his empty beer bottle. "We're all sinners."

Tetrault is the main lyricist, a documentalist, as it were, of the follies of love and lust. Otherwise, "we all write together."

"Luke's a bit of a schizo," Vanderbeek jokingly adds.

Secondhand Sin continues to record in the studio for an upcoming debut album. "It'll define us as a band," said Derrick. "It'll show the different tastes that make up the group."

The guys have noticed, while stationed here, that word gets around quicker here. "Honolulu's a big small town," said Tetrault.

He, Derrick and Vanderbeek have already had a thrilling rock experience while Smith and Crocker were away at sea. The three did a quick, thrown-together acoustic set, opening for former Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, who was in town for a recent benefit.

"We think there's not much competition here compared to other rock bands," Tetrault said, although they have shared gigs with like-minded bands such as Analog and Vertical Charles.

"There's a good underground rock scene here," said Crocker.

"It's hard to compete with reggae, which is so popular here," Derrick added. "But I think the local music scene needs bands like ours, doing straight-ahead rock."

"It's all rock 'n' roll," said Tetrault. "No 'screamo' here."

Smith says that "even though a lot of bands here play good music, we try to put on an actual show. The whole visual aspect is important to us."

"We're classy," chimed in Tetrault.

"And we wear no underwear on stage," said Crocker.

"All that matters is what's inside," said Tetrault, as the rest of the band laughs.