TIKI CULTURE

Have Fun At Tiki Oasis 11, August 18-21!

Next weekend the largest and longest running Tiki party in the 48 states kicks off with a Latin twist…This year, the theme is South of the Boarder, A Retro-Tijuana Style Tiki Party!

Ok, many of you are saying, “huh? What the hell does Mexico have to do with Tiki?” Well, the swell kats and kittens at Tiki-O have figured out a way to make it work. After all, the event is held in San Diego…which was once part of Mexico. Throw in some tequila next to the rum, some Los Straitjackets next to King Kukulele and you’ve got a swingin’ Mexi-Tiki event.

There will be all the usual kool stuff: A Tiki marketplace, including the art of Doug Horne, Fez-o-Rama, and South Florida artist DeTiki, an art show, pin-up contest, kids events, live Tiki carvings and a costume contest…plus a kickin’ car show with vintage, customs & rods on Saturday.

Now, living 3000+ miles away and having blown all my bread on The Hukilau, yours truly won’t be attending Tiki-O this year. But if you’re in the are or you’ve got the lettuce, make sure you swing down to the Crowne Plaza in S.D. CA for Tiki Oasis!

Visit the official website for schedule and tickets at www.tikioasis.com/2011.

Here’s a video of the car show from last year:

Delovely, The Story of Cole Porter, 2004 for Noir Movie Monday

A little known and underrated movie for sure, Delovely is the almost fantasy-like tale of the flamboyant (and very private) life of one of the most beloved songwriters to ever grace us with his insurmountable talent, Cole Porter.

With an outstanding performance by Kevin Kline, you’ll believe your actually seeing and hearing Porter himself from first few seconds of the opening scene. An incredible supporting cast includes Ashley Judd, Johnathon Pryce, and a stage-full of cameos by some of the “Biggest Names in Showbiz” including Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Cole…the list goes on.

A portrait of Cole Porter’s life, the story is presented as a fantasy musical biographical stage-show being produced at the end of Porter’s life. He leads “the director” through flashbacks of his colorful life, and we learn about Porter’s previously very secret lifestyle through these scenes…filled, of course, with Porter’s songs woven into the story. The “Show” scenes are very noir, dark, often sad. The “Flashback” scenes are generally uplifting and jubilant. Great juxtaposition adds to the charm.

Diana Krall steals a scene with only a few seconds of on-camera time. She should have been given a LOT more.

I  don’t want to give anything away…it’s fun discovering things about this incredible man and his accomplishments and contributions, his marriage to the love of his life, and the hidden meaning behind some of his very risque lyrics (Let’s just say I’ll never think of “Your the top” and “Blow, Gabriel Blow” the same way again.)

The movie is a perfect little time capsule of 1920s-1950s America and Europe, with exquisite sets, costumes, and storyline that any vintage music lover will instantly love. Unfortunately the movie was not a hit; the box office was disappointing, critics and audiences are split down the middle on whether it’s a masterpiece or a long-winded semi-musical bomb. Who is right? Well, if you’re like me…and if you read this blog you are…then you’ll get it, and you’ll love Delovely.

My only complaint about this flick is that (probably for time constraints) some of the best songs are cut off, or just grace the background of a scene. But don’t worry, the soundtrack is available on Amazon.com.

Sit back with a bottle of champagne, a dinner of Chateaubriand, and if you’re the emotional type, a box of tissues, and enjoy this truly incredible movie.

Here’s the original trailer:

-Tiki Chris, reporting from the sound stage at Star Dust Studios, Florida

Goodbye, Amy Winehouse

A Poem In Alternative Prose

By Darrin C. M. Buckley, Resident Beatnik

Queen of R & B-hive, luscious cracked demon voice wrought from the streets of Foggy town.
Spinning Jazz, riffs with hop and pizazz, soul and roll blended with blues and crushed ice and vodka,
she melded the galaxies of music into one cool and swingin’ universe for all the little kiddies to dig.

Are you hip to this? Can you dig what the chick laid down for the crowds, belting out “Round Midnight” with as much soul as “Rehab”? The utmost chick, the one and only chick, to invent, invoke, infuse, like, wow…yeah. Mind blown, successfully.

What riffs she wrought, what tunes will now not be. What a cosmic waste of a hip life; uptempo, forte, the crescendo now way gone in the past, the coda never to be riffed upon again.

What crazy, mixed-in-the-head juice did this chick chug to cut down such a groovy existence? She did refer to the reefer, but did she chase the dragon, ride the white horse? And why, with so much going on? Who knows, man. Who knows. She knows. We don’t. Heavy.

Goodbye, slick chick Amy Winehouse. Goodbye to you, you beautiful, right-on chick. Goodbye to your silver voice, your kooky hair, your on-stage goofs, your krazy tats. Goodbye to one of the swingingest retro-chicks to go Platinum. May your soul swing high through the cosmos, baby.

You, and what you may have been, will be missed.

- Darrin C. M. Buckley

(Darrin C. M. Buckley is a guest writer for Tiki Lounge Talk and appears courtesy of Star Dust Productions)

Music Lovers: Check Out “This is Vintage Now”!

This is Vintage Now

There’s a kool kat out there who is devoting his life to bringing some of the swingin’est, jumpin’est and absolutely best music of the past and present to the masses. His name is David Gasten, and he’s just produced an album of tunes from some very hep kats and kittens.

“This is Vintage Now” is a collection of ten tunes geared toward today’s retro lovers…a GREAT combination of easy swing, jump blues, Exotica, bachelor pad and hard rockin’ blues. The tunes span the decades from the 1950s through today, with some artists you probably know well (Waitiki 7, Big Jay McNeely) and others you may not (Beverly Kenney, with a sweet voice that would have made her a star to this day had she lived past 1960).

This quote from the website really says it all: “THIS IS VINTAGE NOW introduces Vintage Music as a thriving, forward-moving musical movement. The musicians on This is Vintage Now tap
into the spirit of the original Vintage period, and bring its
“anything can happen” excitement forward to today’s listeners.”

Ilana Charnelle, one of the artists on This is Vintage Now. Photo by Sarah Walker.

This is the kind of album that serves a dual purpose. For retro lovers, it’s a great combination of rarely heard old tunes and new tunes that fit that elusive retro mood. For people who don’t dig the retro scene but want to get into it, it’s got the perfect mix of tunes both old and new, just right to ease into the scene.

The artists on this album are all top notch. Gasten himself even plays one of the tunes with his band David Gasten and The City Kids, a hard-swingin’ bluesy riff entitled “The Deacon Don’t Like It”. Gasten calls the style “Heavy Jump Blues”, and indeed it is the kind of music you’d want to hear at a smokey club in Memphis, while drinking Wild Turkey neat while sitting across from your tattooed, ex-stripper girlfriend.

One of the best parts about this album, besides of course the kool music, is the website that goes along with it. Gasten obviously spent a long time researching each of these artists and the tunes before laying the tracks down, and a lot of what he’s learned has gone into info pages on his site. I had some fun going through the pages, and was surprised by some of what I learned. (For instance, being an old jazz and swing musician, I always heard the style of music he calls “jump blues” as either “jump tunes” or boogie woogie. I looked up the term, and today even bands like Louis Jordan’s Tympany 5 are referred to as “jump blues”. Learn something new every day.)

David Gasten, Producer & Artist, This is Vintage Now. Photo by Bryce Boyer.

The album, which is currently available only as instant download from the site, is only $9.77, and will include two bonus tracks for a limited time. You can listen to each of the songs on the site to make sure you dig it…but I’m sure you will. Here’s the info:

This is Vintage Now Homepage (and purchase info)

The Artists:

Beverly Kenney
Big Jay McNeely
Caro Emeral
Ilana Charnelle
The Pharohs
The Waitiki 7
David Gasten & The City Kids
Carole Creveling
Blake Jones & the Trike Shop
The Necro Tonz

So if you dig vintage tunes mixed in with some swingin’ new riffs, check out This is Vintage Now. I think you’ll flip for it, kids. I sure give it Five Coconuts!

-Tiki Chris P. reporting from the music room at Tiki Lounge Talk, the place for Tiki news, events, music and more from South Florida & beyond.

Your Weekend Tiki Cocktail: Lots of Rum, and a fun video

Sometimes just throwing together some stuff can be a really good thing. This week we are featuring a rum drink that came about by literally throwing five rums together with coke and lime. There’s probably a drink out there with the same ingredients, but I’ve already had two of these so I’m making up a name myself, which alzo acounts for any typos, dammit…

Five Rums Named Moe

Get it? Like the old song? Ok, anyway, I came up with this because I have been building a nice collection of rums over the last year, and was too lazy to mix something difficult this afternooon. Soooo, here’s what I did…

1/2 oz each of:

Seven Tiki Rum
Eldorado Dememara Rum
Appleton Estate
Meyers Dark
Ten Cane

Throw all the rum together in a shaker with ice and shakkkke. strain ovEr rice in a large Tiki mug, and fill with Coke. Thenn add about 2-3 teasppons of fresh lime juice an stir. MMMm. Strong stufff.

I’m sure some of yoos guys will want to play around with the amounts of each rum to get the flavor just right. Me, I just want to go float in the pool. Somebody bring me some sunshine…

Bring Me Sunshine
by The Jive Aces with Ian Clarkson on vocals (and Ukulele)

If this video doesn’t make you smile, Jack you’re dead.

I would also like to thank Kelly Camille Patterson of The Velveteen Kitsch-en for the kookie cocktail stirrers. They’re tops! Look for a fun post on this crazy chick next week.

Have a Great Memorial Day Weekend! And to all the soldiers who are being remembered on this weekend, I tip my hat to you, where ever you are.

-Tiki Chris reporting from poolside at Tiki Island Resort