Gigs

The Daytrippers
Saturday, May 27, 2006
The Fox and Hounds
Waikiki
8:00 - 12:00 p.m.

The Daytrippers
Friday, June 2, 2006
Waikiki Yacht Club
8:00 - 12:00 p.m.

Don't Panic in the Honolulu Weekly

http://honoluluweekly.com/calendar/nightshift/2006/05/half-caf-with-a-twist/

Half-caf with a twist

by Becky Maltby / 05-10-2006



Dark, smoky, boozey, meat markets. Sometimes the prospect of going out seems daunting. This is where Coffee Talk comes in handy. Neither dark nor daunting, the Kaimuki joint allows for unpretentious socializing, where you can have a snack and a jolt of caffeine with the paper or be a loner with others, your laptop and a latte. Play a Megatouch game at the counter. Browse the Internet for 15 cents a minute. Have a meeting of the Society for the Betterment of Dental Floss Utilization. The management recently axed the punk parties brought to you by Unity Crayons but you can still chill to home-grown musical talent on given nights.

Don’t Panic’s once-per-month (on average) gigs are a good choice for a warm and snuggly but don’t let the band’s name fool you. The cello, violin, percussion and acoustic-guitar blend is so soothing and mellow, panicking is the furthest thing from your mind as you sit six inches away with an iced Thai coffee and pesto bagel, the band tucked away on one side of the large room. If you don’t want to immerse yourself in music, no one minds if you’d rather watch a silent ESPN boxing match or Court TV on the mounted television. However, for folks that marvel at the idea of “Helter Skelter” performed by the aforementioned instrumental arrangement, Don’t Panic’s leader Jim Smart and his group try almost anything. Just mention the word “Beatles” and off they go on a rendition of the key-changing “Strawberry Fields,” “A Day in the Life” or “Eleanor Rigby” as a waltz.

“That was different,” Smart says. “That was cool.”

“Waltzes are not good to drum to,” jokes percussionist Jim Skudlarick.

They try a little Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkel or Led Zeppelin and the string players follow the leader whether they’ve ever heard the song or not. It’s sort of the Nike philosophy of gig sets: They just do it, and they make it look so easy. At the end of the evening, Don’t Panic usually throws in a little Monty Python optimism with “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

Coffee Talk is not a place to fade into the blackness. The fluorescent lighting makes it too easy to sit down, throw out requests and be noticed, but you won’t feel out of place without make-up and an opinion. And with Don’t Panic, you can sing along and read the news today, oh boy. The band plays this Friday.

Coffee Talk

3601 Wai‘alae Ave. 737-7444

Hours: Sun–Thu 5am–11pm; Fri & Sat 5am–midnight Getting in: Free as a bird Sightings: The band’s band mates from other bands Dress Code: If you dress up you might look out of place Soundtrack: Anything by the Beatles, some Kinks, Jim Smart originals Signature Drink: Coffe Talk milkshake, $4