Michael Doherty's Music Log: Double Naught 3 at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 1-30-26 Concert Review

Saturday, January 31, 2026

Double Naught 3 at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 1-30-26 Concert Review

Double Naught 3 playing "Danger High"

The Maui Sugar Mill Saloon is sort of becoming another home for me at this point. The vibe is good, with crowds that are both relaxed and enthusiastic. And it certainly doesn't hurt that the bartender is from Massachusetts. But of course the real draw is the music. This place books great bands. That's what it's all about. And last night's bill featured a set by Double Naught 3, the group joined by the wonderful Kaitlin Wolfberg on violin, as they were the last time they played this venue.

"The Indian"

These guys were the first of three bands on the bill, taking the stage at nine o'clock, and opening their set with "The Indian," a song from the Western Violence album. In this song, they created a great atmosphere that began to overwhelm us, overtake the room, all over a good, steady beat. I've said this before, but I love music that is able to transport me in some way, and this very first number of the night did that. And at some point it felt like a new day was dawning. You know? The band followed that with another song from Western Violence, "San Paku Pass," a song that Joe Berardi started on drums. And, yeah, this song has a delicious groove and a cool vibe. And last night I especially loved the interactions between Marcus Watkins' guitar and Kaitlin's violin, which was beautiful.

"Danger High"

The moment the band started "Danger High," I could hear people around me getting excited. It's always a fun one, always a crowd favorite, and one the audience can participate in, at least in its final moment. The violin had a wonderful, otherworldly vibe. And the audience called out "Danger high" at the end. That was followed by "Jan-Michael Vincent Rehab.com," another fun number that featured some great drumming. And then for "Deutsch Boy," Joe had a cymbal placed on top of the snare drum, and another on top of the floor tom at the beginnning for a specific sound. But the violin now felt like the heart of the piece, with Kaitlin delivering some excellent work. Of course this song also featured some great stuff on guitar. I always love the humorous touches these guys include in their music. It's one of their many appealing attributes.

"Helicopter"

Marc Doten introduced the band before "The Mooche," a song from Comb In Blue Water, one that featured him delivering some especially cool work on bass. That song led straight into "Macedonia 6-5000," featuring fantastic work on guitar, and that in turn led straight into "Helicopter," a song from Danger High, one that featured more excellent work on bass. This tune was a whole lot of fun last night. They then wrapped up the set with "I Rose In A Field," another song from Comb In Blue Water. Joe had a different cymbal on his snare for this one, for a very cool effect. Everything was working perfectly, and the music built into a great jam. It was an outstanding set, ending at 9:51 p.m.

Set List