Post #330534 by Mr. Ho on Wed, Sep 5, 2007 6:18 PM

Okonkuluku folks...

So, my take on the TV thing....I've only been to two before that I can recall in the short term (I don't even remember my childhood so I may have been to more but sans cocktails which is like not going at all). Anyhow, enough meta-history on my past. Atlanta is cool ...Phoenix/Scottsdale, well that's home for me even though I live in Boston now. So, I am stoked there is something there besides Drift.

In my experience so far, I think TV corporate and the staff arent the same ; AJ (who is moving to vegas from AZ to manage the new TVLV) is a great guy; when I met him XMAS05 we talked for a long time . Traded a WAITIKI CD for a cocktail and had long conversations that year. Last year, while hanging with TikiTina and her husband, we met eager bar staff who were thrilled to talk to me about ice shells and rum selections and recipes. Hell, I even told them about BeachBum Berry's book and tried to correct a couple recipes we discussed - they were stoked since the whole tiki thing was new to them. I haven't eaten there and yes, scottsdale TV is very modern, in that southwest-not-so-south-pacific way - but it could be worse: there could be NOTHING. and i would rather that the place stay open (even if it means the decor and food has to cater to the local trends). A bunch of closed restaurants doesn't do the tiki community any good. You can tell symbolically this is going to continue probably; the TVs will still more modern; much of the old photography and old tiki stuff now gets "framed" and treated as historical pieces on the walls etc. which represents the company, in my opinion, reflecting on their past as their past, and their future as being more modern.

Music wise...well, representing WAITIKI here, we'd love to play at TV openings and special events. Sent a press kit over a year ago and had first contact about two years ago; so far, beyond brief chats with AJ (who wasn't able to host entertainment inside Scottsdale he said) we have gotten no responses about them being interested in what we do...which seems to be a very good fit given the shortage of exotica bands these days :wink: Nonetheless, we keep trying. I've contacted a few folks between the Press Release and the current website about seeing if they want to do a spectacle (we're good at those) for the opening party. My guess is that management knows what it wants to do, and I agree with the branding thread discussed earlier here; they may see that the tiki community isn't thrilled but unless we seriously represent a large portion of their income each year, I am not surprised if the mainstream wants will determine how they position themselves in the difficult restaurant market.

If you don't like it folks, just have another one! THat's what we do at rehearsals whenever I write another tune in WAITIKI.

haha - by the way, one way we're tackling the shortage of cool tiki places is by making our own experience. In november, waitiki may do a special event with beachbum berry; we've got a restaurant who has agreed to let the Bum come up and bartend (lead the staff) in making several of his classic tiki tropicals along with WAITIKI. When you can't go out for the right drink, just bring it to you! More on this in future WAITIKI newsletters.

Okonkuluku,
Mr. Ho