Oceanic VIP Music Hall

Imagine sitting on comfy couches & cushy ottomans in a spacious living room complete with a music stage setup fronting a lit up wall. It’s exactly like that at Oceanic VIP Music Hall, but add in a band playing their songs to just 30 people in the room. Real up close & personal, don’t you think?
I’ve been lucky enough to score tickets twice in high school via Star 101.9’s email list when it was still called Road Runner Music Hall. I got to take selfies with the lead singer of Boys Like Girls whose name I don’t recall, but the band was popular back when «emo» was the trend in school. I was most star stuck as Hoobastank serenaded the crowd with their acoustic sounds. It’s just a whole other level when you’re right there in the moment, just cozying it up on a couch listening to live music.
When Emi sent out an Elite-​only email mentioning first come, first serve tickets available for Unilocalers to watch a local band perform at Oceanic VIP Music Hall I jumped on the opportunity to walk the halls once more. Parking was available at Dole Cannery Theatre with free validated tickets courtesy of the Hall. We met up by the elevators of the Castle & Cook Building across from the theatre where the employees assisted us up the elevator & through a maze of a hallway lined with autographed posters. We were warmly greeted by the employees & directed to free pupus at the bar.
Part reggae, part rock & putting their own twist on covers from Prince to Imagine Dragons, local «rock steady» band HiRiz put on an energetic performance complete with intermittent band trivia, fancy vocal effects (I’m not talking about auto-​tune) & solid guitar riffs. No need for hardcore headbanging here; the lead singer had a floor fan ready to blow his wild mane out like a rock star. At the end of the night there was a meet & greet where photo ops, band CDs & free autographed posters were available. If you ever get the opportunity to experience an intimate music performance here don’t hesitate to go!

The Music Industry is pretty hard to break into in general.
How do you break the ’ I only play for my friends’ into I have changed from being amateur to taking my music serious enough that I am a professional?
Well– there are a few steps. Practice, Practice, Practice, and then get to work on releasing a CD.
OK– ready to release a CD, what do I do to launch a CD?
Work on getting into the Oceanic VIP Music Hall and put on a show!
Music –wise Oceanic VIP Music Hall offers a wealth of support for new musicians. What do they do? First they get a band into the conversations that they need to get into to be better musicians. Nothing beats live music like live music. Live music has the feed-​back instead of thinking I or anyone is so great like the reactions of American Idol auditions that they think they are so great– without ever seeing real reactions.
Oceanic supports the band right then and there by plugging them on the radio station! The website points people to their music and gives enough ‘where do I go next’ for bands that need that vital exposure.
Oceanic VIP Music Hall records the performance and throws it up on the web– steaming and then Youtube for all to see. Highly important for new bands that would maybe have to pay thousands of dollars for if they did it on their own for a live performance to get a good enough quality that would be web worthy of people watching.
Real Fans. Nothing brings a band loyal fans like a real live performance. Side note– selling CDs right then and there.
If you ever wonder what it would be like to give to a Kickstarter like website and give enough to have the band give a live performance in your home– it will be exactly like Oceanic VIP Music Hall. You are more than just a VIP– you have a front row seat with great acoustics.
The hardest part about Oceanic VIP Music Hall is getting tickets. I have tried for years on my own– entering contests, raffles, and other less helpful ways. If you don’t know someone or are like me and unlucky for a long time, know that it is a privilege to get into one of these very exclusive showings.
Good luck also trying to get in– and I hope to be sitting next to you when you are there enjoying the live music along with just a few good friends!

Mahalo to Emi and Unilocal Hawaii for another unique and educational experience! My +1 and I had a chance to go to the Oceanic VIP Music Hall to see Ka’imi Hanano’eau who is the lead singer and guitarist for the band, HiRiZ.
We got free validated parking across the street at the Dole Cannery parking structure! We waited in the lobby of the Castle & Cooke Building where our Escort checked our names off the list and led us to the 4^th Floor. Along the way, the walls were filled with portraits of previous performers such as Jim Brickman and Na Leo Pilimehana. Impressive!
After walking around to what seemed to be the back of the building, we entered a large living room full of sofas, ottomans, barstools and tables. We were warmly greeted and invited to partake in refreshments of shrimp platter, croissant sandwiches, fresh fruit, pasta salad and bottled water.
The Emcee, Kevin Jones of Star 101.9, kept things lively by introducing the band members, asking engaging questions, and adding interesting trivia. He really helped make this event a more comfortable and intimate one.
My friends and I sat in the first row where we could check out the jewelry and shoes (and bare feet) of the band. We enjoyed watching them communicate through gestures and eye contact and how they pressed the buttons of the amplifiers with their feet! I truly enjoyed watching Ka’imi’s fingers glide over the frets of his guitar so effortlessly. .He’s a very talented songwriter even though he sang songs from the Doobie Brothers, Prince, and the Pixies, too. I was also amused by his playfulness as he approached the electric fan which blew his long hair wildly around his face!
We’re grateful to be invited to the Oceanic VIP Music Hall. It’s a very special place! Hope to get another chance to return!

Wow, the Oceanic VIP Music Hall really is a VIP Music Hall! We were greeted in front of the main elevator and then escorted through a back maze of hallways past a black curtain into a large room with many couches and cocktail tables. There were refreshments such as croissant sandwiches, chicken pasta salad, fruits, chilled shrimp and bottled water. This venue seats only about 30 people so it really is was a VIP concert.
I was extremely fortunate to be invited to a private showcase featuring musician, Ka’imi Hanano’eau and HiRiZ. It was wonderful to be in such an intimate setting where you could meet the entertainer and host in a relaxed setting. It was like a private performance for just over an hour.
If you ever have the chance to go, definitely do not turn it down. It’s a fantastic venue, like having a performance in your living room. Thank you so much Unilocal Hawaii and Emi for this wonderful opportunity to visit the oceanic VIP Music Hall!
See my many pictures! #400 Review on Unilocal!

I worked as an intern and later employee for Clear Channel Hawaii. The Hall was definitely my second home. Great place to watch local and national acts with killer sound in a very intimate setting. Even had a chance to play on stage — an experience I will always remember.

Ah the Road Runner Music Hall, they renamed it, it’s now called the Oceanic VIP Music Hall! Yeah different but i guess Road Runner wasn’t fast enough.
This has to be my FAVORITE part of Clear Channel!
Posters on the wall from previous artists that have performed to the couches you can chill on, how can anyone not like it here?
Sometimes it can get cold, it just depends.
I don’t know what else to say, if I had to pick watching an artist at the music hall or at a venue, I’d rather it be here. It’s just cool like that.

I love being here. It means I’m having a private concern for me and my closest 30 friends. Well, there not my closest friends. Okay, okay. You twisted my arm. I don’t even know them. But it’s still so awesome to share a private concern of the best headliners here, right here. Cheehuuu!

Down the river and through the woods… just kidding… but down a hall, hang a right and then a left and then… you enter a lounge like setting with a cool, hip vibe called the Road Runner Music Hall.
I attended a mahalo event at this cool little joint that has housed the talents of some of my all-​time fave artists including Bruno Mars, Jason Mraz, Matt Costa, Jack Johnson and the list goes on and on.
We had a chance to listen to the musical stylings of Jeff Pedersen who is up for two Grammy awards-​awesome!
I definitely want to come back to enjoy more music at this awesome venue!

So a friend of mine won tix from 98.5 to see local band «cease fyah» for the reggae café. While I ended up passing up a good surfing day to attend the lunchtime show, it was absolutely worth it. You mean my friend and I get to hear cool music in a small, great sounding studio with the band about 10 feet away? And there’s roughly 25 people total in the audience? Yes please! And than you also want all of us to mingle with the band and have a casual lunch with them after the show? OK!
As a big fan of live music, this proved to be a very enjoyable experience. I also like the fact that RR Music Hall welcomes both national talent (Bruno Mars, Jason Mraz, etc.) as well as local talent (Kawao, Cease Fyah, etc.)

So you’re probably wondering? Where the heck is this place and why have I never heard of it? Well friends and friends of friends, I am going to give you the lowdown on the very best concert venue in Honolulu. Why is it the best? Because it only fits about 30 people and you have either know someone to get in or you have to win your way in via the radio station.
Located in the Clear Channel radio station offices at the Dole Cannery, the Road Runner Music Hall is a venue where artists play for small select audiences when they come into town. It’s a pre-​concert venue where artists usually do acoustic sets. If you’re a music lover (like me!) you too love acoustic versions of your favorite songs. I just like to hear what an artist sounds like acoustic because that’s like seeing someone naked. There are no studio bells and whistles to hide the flaws and imperfections and either I’ll love you more or throw away your music afterwards. I hate when people are plastic artists because if you’re going to be on the Billboard 100 and I’m going to legally download your music off of iTunes then you’d sure as hell had better be able to play in my living room naked! Okay you can wear clothes but please I’m expecting you to rock it! Technology is awesome for artists because there are so many layering features to soften and create interesting textures. Technology sucks because now they can make Ashley Simpson into a megastar! Girl, that was Saturday Night LIVE! Did you forget the LIVE?!
Back to the venue, I’ve heard a few people at the Roadrunner Music Hall, Plain White Tees, Bruno Mars and a few others that aren’t really worth mentioning but it’s very cool because it’s so tiny and unlike a massive venue, you really get an up close and personal experience. My girlfriend got to meet John Legend and I asked her if she licked his face. She said no, but that she regrets it every single day of her life. I shook my head and said «But you could have given him the green light!!!» Make friends with radio people (thanks brother!), make friends with corporate sponsors (thanks Leena!), make friends with Road Runner marketing people (don’t know any of them but you are on my list), win tickets on the radio (hey Hudson & Scotty!). Whatever you do, when your fave artist comes to Honolulu and is in the Road Runner Music Hall, make sure you’re sitting right in front of them on the black Inspirations couch!