TIKI CULTURE

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.

Space Escapades and More, Cheap on Amazon.com

The groovy kats and kittens at Amazon.com were nice enough to send me a little email blast with some swingin’ deals on swingin’ tunes.

Space Escapades, Les Baxter
CD, 24 New from $10.06

Quiet Village, Martin Denny
CD, 21 New from $8.87

Music for a
Bachelor’s Den Vol. 6,
The Best of Arthur Lyman
CD, 7 New from $6.75

Plus 325 results under the search “Exotica” starting at around six clams, including hard to find stuff by The Waitiki 7, and the ever-elusive Exotica album by Bananarama (wait, what? How did that get in here????)

At prices like these you can afford and extra $15 drink at the Mai Kai!

Of course these are CDs. Old-school Tikiphiles will insist on original vinyl, which is a little harder to come by and a little more expensive. Sometimes people tell me they get lucky finding some original 1950’s Denny or Baxter albums at thrift shops for a buck. Damn, hats off to you kids! I gotta say through all my years of searching through piles of moldy, dusty records, I’ve never gotten that lucky finding a great album. However…you can still catch a break on eBay now and then…

-Tiki Chris reporting from the record store down the street from Pirate’s Cove Tiki Bar, Florida

Looking for a Fun Tiki Party for New Year’s Eve? If you’re in California, go to Don The Beachcomber’s Waitiki!

If I weren’t 3000 miles away at the other end of the country, I’d probably be swinging down to Huntington Beach to

Don the Beachcomber Presents WAITIKI
A Festival of Music and Cocktails
December 29 - 30 - 31, 2010

Being a Floridian, I’ve never been to Don the Beachcomber’s (Haven’t even been to CA yet, can you dig it?) but I can tell you, they come very highly recommended. And with the music of the WAITIKI 7, I have a feeling this is going to be one swingin’ shindig. Here’s the lineup:

Wednesday, December 29
“The Jazz Sides of Exotica”
with the classic WAITIKI Quartet.

Thursday, December 30
“Coronation of the Voodoo Masters”
The WAITIKI 7 with Robert Drasnin & Sherry Shaoling

Friday December 31 New Years’s Eve
“The New Sounds of Exotica”
The WAITIKI 7 with Combustible Edison Alums
Brother Cleve and The Millionaire

You can buy tickets separately for each event. For more info, visit the website at http://donthebeachcomberpresentswaitiki.com/

Here’s the WAITIKI 7 with “Rendezvous in Okonkuluku (a.k.a. ‘Das Knaben Wundertiki’)”

-Tiki Chris Pinto reporting from poolside at Pirate’s Cove Tiki Bar

THE BIG THREE TIKI EVENTS! Hukilau, Ohana & Tiki Oasis are coming up fast

Sure kids, there are dozens of great Tiki events taking place all around the country (and the world), but when it comes to the biggest in the 48 states, none compare to the BIG THREE: The Hukilau in Fort Lauderdale Floirda, Tiki Oasis in San Diego California, and Ohana Luau at the Lake in Lake George New York.

The Hukilau 2010, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
June 10-13

TheHukilau.com

Since I live 15 minutes away from Fort Lauderdale Beach, going to The Hukilau is as easy as sipping a Mai Tai under a palm tree. Four days of Tiki themed parties, drinks, films, art, dining and shows will make you feel like you’re in the South Pacific. And of course, the world famous Mai Kai Polynesian Restaurant & Tiki Bar (The original from 1956) is included as the main attraction on Saturday night, featuring their Polynesian fire dancers and (what I think is) the best PolyPop dining outside of Hawaii.

Entertainment at the Hukilau this year includes King Kukulele, The Woggles, Neanderthals, Sweet Hollywaiians, Intoxicators!, Stolen Idols, The Bikini Beachcombers, Walk The Plank, Elena -Hula Hooper Extraordinaire!, Candy Del Rio, Reverend Valentine and South Florida’s own Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid.

In between the drinks, music and dancing will be specials guests: Shag - Josh Agle, a book signing by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, Lu Vickers - The History of Weeki Wachee, DVD of Tiki WORLD PREMIERE - Paradise Lost, Duda Leit Tikimentary - In Search of the Lost Paradise, Art from Harold Golen Gallery of Miami, and Sarong-O-Rama fashion show with Tiki Bree & Sandra Carr. Add to that the room crawl, Tiki Treasure Bazaar and the Master Mixologist Cocktail Challenge and you’ve got one hell of swingin’ Tiki bar party! We’ll be there for the big event on Friday night, all day Saturday and Saturday night for dinner and the Polynesian show at the Mai Kai.

Ohana Luau at the Lake
Lake George Village, New York
June 25-27

LuauAtTheLake.com

Luau at the Lake takes place each year in one of my favorite vacation spots, Lake George, New York at the fantabulous Tiki Motor Inn, a throwback to the golden years of Poly Pop. Lake George Village itself has a very ’50s vibe to it, and it’s not unusual to catch a ’57 Chevy or ’50 Merc cruising the strip on a Saturday night. This year’s Ohana features some great music from Granite Tiki, Bamboo Saxotica, 9th Wave, The Ghosts, Pablus, Waitiki, Fisherman, Jimmy Virani, Francis LLacuna and more.

Room crawls and outdoor movies viewable from the pool add to the fun. There’s also going to be a cocktail contest, a mini golf tournament and the Luau Under The Stars…featuring a pig roast, traditional hula and the fire knife dance. And of course there will be a section of Tikirific vendors to grab some hip souvenirs from!

And Last but certainly not least…

Tiki Oaisis
San Diego, California
August 19-21

http://tikioasis.org

According to the people who run Tiki Oasis, Tiki Oasis is “the largest and longest running Tiki Event on planet earth.” Here at Tiki Lounge Talk we have no reason to doubt the authenticity of that statement. One of the longest running Tiki parties, Tiki Oasis is set in the heart of what most people consider the home of the Tiki Culture rebirth, Southern California. (Of course some of us never noticed a rebirth because we’ve been swiggin’ rum at the Tiki bar all our lives)

Entertainment is wall to wall featuring King Kukulele, The Tikiyaki Orchestra, APE, The Martini Kings, Mimi Le Meaux, Clouseaux, Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid, The Maikai Gents, Lushy, Tana the Tattooed Lady, Project: Pimento, The Hula Girls, Lady Borgia, Thee Swank Bastards, Megan Mayhem, Violetta Beretta and Sultry Savage Burlesque, and Martin Cate. The schedule hasn’t been posted on the website yet, so it’s a sure bet there will be more stuff added to the event.

The bad news: These events are almost sold out for 2010. Rooms are totally booked and the goodies like commemorative Tiki Mugs are either gone or almost gone. So why am I posting this now? So you don’t forget to plan for next year, that’s why.

No kidding kids, if you can’t get into one of these events this year, start getting the luggage & cab fare  together for next year. These things sell out QUICK! In fact, the hotel rooms at Bahia Cabana (the host hotel for The Hukilau) sold out about a week after they announced it, if I remember right. So put it on the books, jump in your jalopy and make tracks!

Hope to see some of you at The Hukilau! I’ll be the guy in the Hawaiian shirt.

-Tiki Chris reporting from the cabana on the beach, under the hot Florida sun.

Tiki Lounge Talk is the place where mellow Tikiphiles meet swingin’ kats and kittens. Pull up a cocktail, lay a Les Baxter platter on the hi-fi and get into Retro & Tiki Culture and swing with kool kids! Ker-razy, man!