With all of the hassle from The Man, it's getting increasingly harder to have fun on the Hill. But until we can elect a more nightlife-supportive administration, we're forced to work around the limitations it presents. Shameless has found a solution that requires neither trekking across the city nor partying in some shady space. Instead, Shameless's newest monthly venture (with the Naha Army) aspires to be a balls-out party, appropriately titled Balls Out, and it's found the right venue for that to occur without any hassles.
"It feels like we're in the movie Footloose," says Shameless's DJ Recess about the current nightlife environment, which has recently seen both Neumo's and Chop Suey under constant scrutiny from law enforcement and liquor control. Shameless's Menami adds, "No one wants to come to a party with cops outside. We're not the only promoters that have had to deal with the draconian noise situation."
To combat that concern, Shameless is throwing Balls Out at Re-bar. Host to Shameless's My Bloody Valentine parties, Re-bar has remained off law enforcement's radar, due in large part to its relatively isolated location. "Re-bar's always been a red-headed stepchild [of a club], but now we can use that to our advantage," says Menami.
Shameless is bringing in more than just a truckload of extra sound for the night. Fourthcity's Kinoko will be curating live art performances for the event, and there's going to be a "hipster dunk tank." Don't worry, it's all in good fun. "It's not about making fun of hipsters; it's about making fun of ourselves. What does 'hipster' even mean these days?" says Recess. For the inauguration of the night, ex-hardcore DJ AC Slater is flying in; he's a rave favorite who's successfully transitioned to more contemporary bassline and electro, a favorite of the Palms Out Sounds blog.
Shameless promoters are optimistic that they'll be able to keep having events on the Hill, like Broken Disco, the collaborative monthly they helped throw at the troubled Chop Suey. "We really want to come back strong with Broken Disco, but in the meantime, we're going to see what we can get away with at Balls Out."
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For another all-out aural assault, you'll want to check out Harshfest, occurring over two days this weekend. Since the demise of the regular night, the Harsh! crew has been focusing their attention on one-off shows, and this weekend is them going big. Harshfest is spread over two days, Friday having the benefit of being all ages. The music will be pleasantly abrasive, running the gamut through electro, glitch, hardcore, and abstract noise. 
The inaugural Balls Out is Fri Aug 8, Re-bar, doors 9 pm, $10 w/RSVP, 21+.
Harshfest is Fri Aug 8, Hanta Haus (4750 Airport Way S), doors 7 pm, all ages, and Sat Aug 9, Marsbar, doors 8 pm, 21+. Each night $5.
