The Booch Bar<\/a> owners Brendan Roberts and Kela Cosgrave were struggling to find space in their 12-year-old restaurant to accommodate live music, despite doubling the space two years ago when they took over the adjacent lease vacated by Bears\u2019 Coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been trying to fit music in some corner of the restaurant for so long,\u201d Cosgrave said. \u201cBut really, there just hasn\u2019t been space to have music and have enough space to properly give to diners.\u201d<\/p>\n But then another neighbor in the century-old Pacific Building in downtown Hilo decided to relocate. The Booch Bar took over another 2,000-square foot space, which had been the home of RK Woods Gallery.<\/p>\n \u201cFinally, we had somewhere to put the music,\u201d Cosgrave said.<\/p>\n The Rainbow Room, the newest live music venue in downtown Hilo, opened on Nov. 5.<\/p>\n Roberts said it \u201ccame down to the wire\u201d to get the final inspection, which was stamped at about 4:30 p.m., just a half hour before the Kalapana String Band was set to open the Rainbow Room for the annual Black and White Night festival. <\/p>\n \u201cWe had already been doing some open mics and things of that nature, but the space was tight,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cSo we decided to take on the space and dial up what we\u2019re doing for entertainment a little bit in hopes of bringing in more evening business. And also because we\u2019re starting to do alcoholic beverages.\u201d<\/p>\n Jahred Darius, a musician with PunaKat and an experienced sound engineer and talent booker, is managing the Rainbow Room. When he first saw the space, it was a \u201cbig empty box.\u201d<\/p>\n Darius said Roberts and Cosgrave got their entrepreneurial start on the Big Island by making kombucha<\/a>, an effervescent, fermented tea. But they also are also music lovers and \u201cdidn\u2019t hold back\u201d with the purchase of stage lighting and the sound system.<\/p>\n \u201cThey went top of the line on everything and took all my suggestions,\u201d Darius said. \u201cWe\u2019re taking music very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n The sound system includes Turbo sound speakers, a Yamaha mixer and drum set, Ampeg bass amp and Shure microphones. Big Island Cymbals<\/a> also is sponsoring the Rainbow Room by providing a full set of custom cymbals.<\/p>\n After that was done, Darius said he told Roberts and Cosgrave they also needed to open the wall up more and add sound paneling.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, yeah, how much is that going to cost?\u2019 But they trust me and they just keep saying yes,\u201d said Darius, who used to run a recording studio in Leilani Estates until much of it was destroyed by the K\u012blauea eruption of 2018.<\/p>\n Roberts said the space renovation, including about $20,000 for the sound system, has cost about $150,000.<\/p>\n The opening also was timed around the temporary closure of the Hilo Town Tavern on Nov. 9. <\/p>\n \u201cWe saw a big opportunity when the tavern shut down,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cWe know it\u2019s going to reopen and we want it to reopen. Of course, we want it to be part of the fabric of this community.<\/p>\n \u201cBut in this little moment when it\u2019s not open, it created a really nice moment for us to get people in that might not have come to see us.\u201d<\/p>\n The closure of the Hilo Town Tavern also changed Roberts\u2019 original plan to \u201climp in\u201d with music two nights a week. <\/p>\n \u201cAll of a sudden, we were getting called by all these musicians that wanted to play as well as all these people who had nowhere to go in the evening,\u201d he said. \u201cSo then we just started doing some more.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, the Rainbow Room has music six days a week<\/a> and last week there was music all seven days. <\/p>\n Darius said his knowledge of most things music includes booking talent stemming from his five years \u201cthrowing a massive festival\u201d in California called the Santa Cruz Rejuvenation Festival. It had five stages and ran from 2011-2015.<\/p>\n At the Rainbow Room, Tuesday nights feature Kanakapila Live! The Hawaiian music and hula were a staple at the Hilo Town Tavern, which is scheduled to reopen in April under the new name Hale Kanakapila, according to its Facebook post.<\/p>\n Wednesday nights are open mic, with children welcome to sing. Thursday nights are \u201cBooch and Beats,\u201d with live DJs. And Friday and Saturday nights are live music. The music runs from 6 to 9 p.m., although hours on some nights may go longer in the near future, Darius said.<\/p>\n There also is a Sunday serenade from 10 a.m. to noon. It usually features Hawaiian music.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been throwing shows in other times, but that\u2019s like our regular schedule,\u201d Darius said.<\/p>\n Future performers coming up for what Darius calls an \u201cepic month\u201d are Mary Isis<\/a> Drew Daniels<\/a> Lopaka Rootz<\/a> Neriah Negus<\/a> Tyler Gibson<\/a> Stan Combis<\/a> Rob Taylor<\/a> Ydine<\/a> Robert Savery<\/a> Angel Kay LeMaster<\/a> Paul Izak<\/a> Sierra Marin<\/a> Jana Moonfire<\/a> and Dennis-Christy Soares<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/cdn.bigislandnow.com\/file\/bigislandnow\/2026\/01\/Rainbow-Room.jpg\")
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