Downtown goes stale for 'Get Fresh!'
By Jason Genegabus POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jul 31, 2009(
THE CHANGES keep coming in Chinatown: After nearly seven years of Friday night parties downtown, the promoters behind Indigo's "Get Fresh!" weekly are calling it quits. "I've been a DJ there for eight years, and 'Get Fresh!' has been there for about seven," said Taharba James, better known to local reggae and bhangra fans as Sovern-T. "It's been both a blessing and a curse. I think it was better back in the day when things were even all month long (in Chinatown)." Ever since the advent of monthly "First Friday" festivities in the neighborhood, some promoters have lamented the difficulty in throwing parties on subsequent weekends -- let alone every week, as James and co-promoter G "G-Spot" Dehnert did at Indigo. "First Friday is great and all, but what about the second, third, fourth and fifth Fridays?" asked James. "Right now, if you're not in on the whole 'First Friday' thing, there's no point." When negotiations to extend "Get Fresh!" appeared to stall earlier this summer, they pulled the plug in order to focus on parties at other venues. "I made that poster before I knew what their decision was," James said about a digital flier this columnist discovered on Facebook. "I have no ill will towards them whatsoever ... (and) I wish all the best to them." Dehnert, who just wrapped up another successful "Love Festival" at Wet 'N Wild, continues to host after-hours events at the Shop on Dillingham Boulevard. James recently launched a new reggae weekly on Saturdays at Tiki's Grill & Bar. Both promoters also have upcoming events planned at the Pipeline Cafe......