MUSIC ROUNDUP

22 Venues Bringing Back Live Music

Finally, live music is back

By Dan Collins

Friday, March 20, 2020, a dark day for Maui restaurateurs and bar owners, as Mayor Mike Victorino announced widespread Covid-related emergency rules that included the indefinite closure of all indoor dining and bar facilities. Maui’s legendary live music scene, with all its vitality and variety, fell silent overnight.

It would be months before any sense of normal life would return to the Valley Isle. And when restaurants were finally allowed to partially reopen, with strict occupancy limits enforced, many opted not to bring back bands since they could draw a virus-spreading crowd.

But necessity is the mother of invention. Maui’s watering holes have employed ingenuity to bring back live music. We are so glad they did: South Maui

Ohana Seafood Bar and Grill, overlooking Kalama Beach Park across busy South Kihei Road, hosts nightly music on their front patio so the celebration spills outside on the street. Music starts at about 6 p.m. and continues until 9:30. It’s often their house band, the Ohana Band, putting on a good show. The scene is casual chaos yet kid-friendly.

Nalu’s South Shore Grill is another popular spot for live music in Kihei, with its open air bar on the makai side of Azeka Shopping Center. Popular acts draw an overflow crowd watching from the parking lot.

Maui Brewing Company’s expansive outdoor patio and breezy dining room at the mauka end of Lipoa Parkway provides one of the most Covid-friendly (or virus-unfriendly?) stages, thanks to vast social distancing made possible by the sheer size of the place. They were among the first local venues to bring back live music after the pandemic shutdown. Music is complimentary (with rare exceptions for well-known acts) and usually runs nightly.

The South Shore Tiki Lounge has a schedule of local artists who perform evenings from 4-6 p.m.

At Pa'ia Bay Coffee's cozy outdoor garden, musicians perform daily, including Randall Rospond.

on their spacious back deck in Kihei’s notorious “triangle.” Practically next door, you’ll find a singer-songwriter strumming away most nights on the front porch at What Ales You. Monkeypod Kitchen in Wailea offers a more typical tourist experience with solo artists providing atmosphere at lunchtime from noon to 2 p.m. and again from 6-8 p.m.

South Kihei residents are excited about a newcomer to the scene that just opened in early November called Da Green Coffee Bar. Located at South Maui Gardens, it’s a sprawling nursery on Auhana Street. The grounds are a blissful oasis of tropical flowers and lush greenery. The house coffee is some of the best on the island. Artisanal breads from the Blue Door Bread Co. nearby and sweet treats from small, local vendors complement the coffee and tea. CBD infusions are also available. While the schedule is still in the works, owners Alison and Keith Barrera plan to host live music and comedy regularly.

Central

One of the first places in Central Maui to bring back live music was Maui Coffee Attic, a cluttered room full of small tables and comfy, wellworn couches that local musicians adore. Early in the pandemic, they began hosting live-streamed virtual concerts periodically to help break up the monotony of life under quarantine.

“Somebody called the cops on us and said we had 50 people in here,” John Henry, owner of the shop said. “When they showed up and there were only eight of us in the whole place, we all had a laugh. Now the cops come in all the time!”

While Kahului isn’t exactly a hotbed of nightlife, music lovers in “Dream City” will be happy to hear that Dairy Road taqueria Piñatas is now hosting “Sunday Sessions at Piñatas,” kicked off Dec. 5 by Andrew and Jay Molina. Owner, John Hargrove, breaks out his smoker and offers a very abbreviated food menu (typically three types of tacos to choose from) as well as his usual beer and wine selections. Tickets are inexpensive, but not free, and the shows typically go from 7-9 p.m.

Hargrove has also turned some vacant offices behind the restaurant into a plush practice and performance space called Backlit Buddha Studios. He and his partners, Tempe and Naor Nave of the band Soul Kitchen are building out an adjacent control room for recording music and video productions. The studio hosts Manao Radio’s free Manao@Home live-streamed virtual concert series. West Side

On the West Side, Fleetwood’s and Down the Hatch, having outdoor stages, were among the first to bring back the bands, with Cool Cat Cafe, Kimo’s, and The Dirty Monkey following suit. Now a drive down Front Street sounds like the perennial party town that tourists long for.

Fleetwood’s rooftop bar, frequented by its namesake owner, Mick Fleetwood, has spectacular ocean views and cool trade winds as well as free musical accompaniment from 7:30-9:30 p.m. daily.

Situated directly across from Lahaina’s famous giant banyan tree, Down the Hatch boasts that they haven’t had to check any vaccination records during the pandemic because their dining room and bar are entirely outdoors. Music starts early there to accompany breakfast from 8-10 a.m. daily and kicks off again from 8-10 p.m. in the evening. Just try not to fall into the water feature if you stay all day.

Upstairs, Cool Cat Cafe adds music to the mix of their ‘50s-style Front Street diner Thursday through Sunday from 6:30 p.m. until about 8:30 p.m. The Dirty Monkey up the street brings in some talent for happy hour at 3 p.m and again from 7-9 p.m. in the evening, after which a DJ takes over.

Kimo’s isn’t exactly new, and the quality of the food there has varied over the years, but the view from their back deck, built on pilings over the water, is hard to beat. Music, usually by a solo artist, is offered from 6-8 p.m. daily and the sunsets are spectacular.

Similarly, Kimo’s sister restaurant, the Hula Grill in Ka‘anapali’s Whaler’s Village shopping center, offers musical accompaniment at their Barefoot Bar and Grill, where you can kick off your shoes and stick your toes in the warm sand. Live music plays from 2-4 p.m. and 6:309 p.m. daily, and their Thai chicken pizza is a local favorite. Monkeypod’s West Side location, next door, has three performers daily, from 1-3 p.m, 4-6 p.m., and 7-9 p.m.

For a more eclectic, local vibe, hit up Java Jazz and Soup Nutz near the Times Supermarket in Honokawai. This self-described “gallery, boutique, shave ice and bakery” has a cozy, cluttered, fun feel to it and they bring in live music from 7-10 p.m. daily with no cover. But they specify “Maui time” on the schedule, so give or take an hour. North Shore

Over on the North Shore, Pa‘ia Town is still reeling from the demise of the beloved honkytonk, Charley’s Saloon. A victim of entropy as much as Coronavirus, the town’s most famous old haunt shut down for good in July. But you’ll find a few places nearby, trying to pick up the slack.

It’s been six months since Dollies North Shore moved into the Pa‘ia property vacated in July 2020 by the closing of Rock & Brews, Hawai‘i’s only location of the 20-store franchise founded by KISS band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Another victim of the pandemic, the rock n’ roll-themed watering hole closed after six years. Jim Anderson, Dollies’ owner, plans a grand opening ceremony on Jan. 28 to kick off Dollies’ weekly live music schedule, with solo performers and small bands appearing Friday evenings from 5-8 p.m., overlapping with happy hour, which runs from 3 to 6 p.m. and again from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Pa‘ia Bay Coffee has a lovely covered outdoor garden space where musicians perform daily from 5-7 p.m. It’s a bit hard to find, hidden behind surf and bikini shops at the foot of Baldwin Avenue. But the payoff is that they’re not just a coffee shop. (Shhhh!) They have a full bar, too.

At the airport end of Sprecklesville sits Stable Road, where the curious have already discovered a charming farmstand and food truck court situated in a shaded garden just off the Hana Highway. Flags and banners show the way to Taco Loco and Thai Farm Fresh, two food truck vendors permanently located here. Friday nights are the night to come and play, as they rope off part of the (ample) parking area and set up a stage for live music. The bands usually play from 6 p.m until 9 or 9:30, depending on the crowd, and squealing kids frolic under the glow of string lights.

A similar scene manifests weekly at Aloha Aina BBQ, another food truck located on Hana Highway, by mile marker 10.5 just east of Maliko Gulch, further towards Haiku. Chef Chewy Cereceres, who cut his teeth managing Merriman’s kitchen, hires a musician or small band to entertain on Friday or Saturday nights from 5:30-7:30 p.m. while he dishes up delicious grilled and smoked barbecue platters. Pauwela Beverage Company is opening up a kombucha and water kefir shop on site and they plan to stay open for music nights, as well. And yes, permits and licenses are in the works for their locally-brewed hard kombucha.

Haiku Town, proper, has a cool new music venue, too, but it’s not for the local vegans.

Toohey’s Butchery and Bistro is a full-service butcher shop, first and foremost, however, their attached bistro boasts live music every night they’re open, Wednesday through Saturday, from 6-9 p.m. Doobie Brothers’ offspring Pat Simmons Jr. is a regular draw.

In time, as the pandemic restrictions are loosened, other bars, night clubs, and restaurants will have the courage (or the money) to invite musicians back to the stage. But for now, why not take advantage of what’s already out there? Especially if it’s free!

Dan Collins Friday nights at the charming food trucks on Stable Road, performers like Shauna McCoy and Alan Stevens of Awkward Conversations come out to play.

We try our best to be as comprehensive as possible and double checked all information in this featureat press time. But please confirm with these venues before venturing out.

Also, if we missed any places to enjoy live and local music, please let us know.Email your music listings to shan@mauitimes.org