It’s hard to imagine what Chinatown would be like without the many contributions of Daniel Gray.
The 32-year-old Kauai native has been part of the food and beverage industry on Oahu for more than a decade, including stints at Bedroq Bar & Grill (now Rock Bottom Sports Bar and Grill) near the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the former Detox Lounge on Alakea Street.
When Detox reopened as Sound|House in 2007, Gray helped owner Titan Burns establish the bar as a haven for local indie, punk and hip-hop acts that couldn’t (or didn’t want to) get stage time at the more mainstream venues that were flourishing a few blocks away on Hotel Street.
Within a few months, however, the two ended up closing that club and partnering on what would become LOFT Gallery and Lounge in the former Wo Fat restaurant space. Two years after that, Gray made the leap into club ownership by working with investors to open SoHo Mixed Media Bar on Pauahi Street.
Following nearly four years at SoHo, he was forced to vacate the club last March when an original investor left and Gray’s attempt to secure a new backer fell through. He eventually reopened Chinatown favorite NextDoor in August with partners Kanoa Bristol, Mark Robinson, Marty Simjian and Kenneth May.
But before he could settle into his new job, Gray began to suffer from painful headaches. Medical tests showed a malignant mass in his head the size of a golf ball. Gray was scheduled to begin chemotherapy and radiation treatment this week.
"If it hasn’t spread, we’re in good shape to beat this," said Mark Becker, Gray’s close friend and former business partner at SoHo. "He’s on a lot of medication to numb the pain. … It’s hard for someone as vibrant as him to feel so crappy."
Becker and a small crew have stepped in to help care for Gray, establishing a website to collect donations and setting into motion the first of what are expected to be multiple fundraisers to help offset his medical bills and living expenses while he recovers. As of last week about $5,000 had been raised.
On Wednesday the "Rage 4 Daniel" campaign officially kicks off at NextDoor, 43 N. Hotel St. Doors open at 7 p.m., with a program at 8 p.m. And because Gray would urge his friends to party on, "Rage 4 Daniel" will include DJs and dancing until 2 a.m.
Tickets for the "Rage 4 Daniel" kickoff event are $25 in advance, with $500 and $1,000 VIP packages available.
"We’ve gotten tons of great feedback already," Becker said. "There are people who want to donate the cover charge from their events and do fundraisers of their own. We wanted to get this first one done, then hand off the planning for others to those who want to step up and help.
"There’s nothing concrete yet, but everybody wants to get involved. There’s been a great response so far. People love Daniel."
