Post #521268 by JOHN-O on Wed, Mar 31, 2010 6:11 PM

The definition of Tiki Music is....

Whatever we want it to be !!

Have we had this discussion before ?? (Sorry, if we have)

OK, TC's own Sperm Whale plays in a Punk Rock band, the Hard Riders. I know he tries to be a good Tiki Central citizen and hesitates in posting his band's upcoming shows in Tiki Events because it's not "Tiki Music".

But what is Tiki Music anyway ?? The definition listed under the Tiki Music forum is:

"Exotica, Lounge, Cocktail, Hawaiian, Vocals & Standards, Bump & Grind, Space-Age, Surf, Rockabilly, Swing"

Where did this definition come from?

I think that most would agree that pre-Martin Denny Exotica as well as Surf, Rockabilly, and Swing were probably NEVER played in a Tiki bar back in the day.

You could make the following arguments:

1. Those were all popular forms of music during the classic Tiki mid-century period. BUT... hey, so was garage rock which was one of Punk Rock's major DIY inspirations.

2. Modern-day Tikiphiles love Surf, Rockabilly, Swing, etc. BUT... hey, has anyone noticed all of the aging 1st and 2nd generation Punkers here who also love Tiki ??

Also if a band is inspired by Tiki to play a genre of music that isn't "Exotica, Lounge, Cocktail, Hawaiian, Vocals & Standards, Bump & Grind, Space-Age, Surf, Rockabilly, or Swing" does that make it Tiki Music ??

What does everyone else think ??

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-03-31 22:02 ]