Urban renewal
Will the latest resurgence in downtown nightlife last?

Ric Valdez

April 9, 2003

     A sweaty, uproarious crowd of over 300 packed downtown’s Studio 1 last Thursday, April 10, to welcome Steve Kealoha Wong’s first Slam Poetry Competition.
     Poetry groupies and aficionados listened cross-legged on the floor and snapped and clapped for their favorites. A photo exhibit hung in the gallery, ‘Ölelo’s camera rolled, DJ Zita spun soulful interludes while poets waited in the wings. The night showed the promise of an energetic, downtown Honolulu nightlife.
     In other major cities, art galleries, clubs and bars work together to create crowded block parties that make business owners, downtown development boards and scenesters happy. Despite numerous attempts to create a sustainable scene in Honolulu, however, setbacks — like the closing of Havana Cabana’s over two years ago — have kept downtown a sporadic destination for evening festivities.
     Yet, a handful of dedicated people persist in building the foundation of a thriving night life. In recent weeks, organizers have been infusing the 1,700-square-foot Studio 1 (previously Jeremy Harris’ campaign headquarters) space with music and poetry. Since last October, Studio 1, located at the corner of King and Nu‘uanu, has served primarily as an art gallery. Owner Jack Frick now lends the space to event organizers like Honolulu’s two-time Wordstew champ Wong.
     “We want to let poets know that every first Thursday you’ve got a home, a place to display and perform your art,” says Wong. “I think we can grow this into epic proportions.”
     Wong stresses the downtown area’s ripeness and gives props to the proprietors of retired spaces like Hesham’s Brickhouse and the Treehaus.
     “They had artistic integrity,” he says. “It’s not all about commercialism and making money.”
     Last Thursday, one lyrical sister blew some “raw-ass sex.” Another poet held the mic for less than two minutes but his words struck the crowd like bullets. Musician, actor and storyteller James McCarthy, barefoot and just back from L.A., delivered his “crazy jazz” -styled rendition of “Jonah and the Whale.” Climbing the stage on crutches, Selah Geissler read her “Letter to Baby Bush,” a poem that exemplified the slam experience: provocative, funny, poised, rhythmic, wrapped with a significant message.
     When the Slam wrapped up around 10:30 p.m., many folks at Studio 1 strolled around the corner to The Garden bar and restaurant for the second installment of Versatyle Styles’ late-night stimulation. Promoter Taharba James, aka DJ Sovern-T, had DJs spinning hip-hop. The week before featured the live music of Eastside Wrecking Crew.
     “Put away your preconceived notions about the condition of downtown,” says James. “I’ve been living in Chinatown for over four years. It’s been cleaned up. Studio 1 is a testament to the changing face of downtown. Indigo is still here and ARTS at Marks is going strong. The vibe is still alive.”
     Quadraphonix drummer Jonathan Heroux hopes to transform downtown into a bed of creativity. “Where can people plaster art all over, put bed sheets on the roof or create a living art piece out of someone’s establishment?” he says. “Nobody in this town lets you do that. They say, ‘Oh, you can’t move that … you can’t do that.’ So that’s a major obstacle”
     The mindful owners of Studio 1 offered Heroux and his creative circle free reign. April 18 will mark Heroux’s second event with Quadraphonix, along with musicians, poets, storytellers, visual performers and lion dancers.
     Heroux’s collaborative partner Rachel Kaiser explains, “The whole purpose is to create a space where artists can come together, network and really vibe off each other’s energy, and share that energy with the community, too.”
     But downtown revitalization is not as simple as sharing vibes. Rich Richardson of ARTS at Marks Garage, lives downtown and understands what hinders his neighborhood from becoming the thriving art community it should be.
     “With over 75 percent vacancy in this area, the number one problem is the high rent,” he says. “In other cities you see the rent in a depressive area becoming affordable to creative types. And the character of the area will change and become more valuable. That’s the natural order of things in the real-estate world and in urban redevelopment.”
     Richardson adds, “You have people from all different walks of life going to galleries on this particular night per month. It becomes a social event, a good place to meet people and hang out.
     “In the end, if you create a desirable place to live in what is now a very blighted urban center, you hinder urban sprawl and repopulate an infrastructure that is crumbling.”