Post #605470 by JOHN-O on Sun, Sep 4, 2011 4:51 PM

I loved the vending...

I found 2 things that had been on my wish list for the longest time...

1. A DVD copy of "Hell's Half Acre". A 1954 Film Noir filmed on location in Hawaii, featuring the Waikiki Don the Beachcomber. (Also I'm a Marie Windsor completist.)

2. Bas Sheva's "The Passions", produced by Les Baxter. I found and purchased it on CD and in vinyl BOTH (!!).

Not to mention a bunch of vintage abstract-design barkcloth Aloha shirts. Tiki Oasis was one-stop Tiki shopping for sure. :)

The room parties were GREAT. The Ding Dong Devils were rockin' as always and I was really impressed by Kick the Reverb's band, The Sand Devils. Their new CD has been in heavy rotation. And The Hula Girls were great in the car show setting. The outdoor acoustics really suited their music.

I spent so much time in the room parties that I missed all of the "official" entertainment that I bought the wristband for. How ironic. :D

And Swanky's Mai Kai seminar was excellent !!

Oasis had a very unique vibe compared to Mojave, Caliente, and Hukilau. It was less an intimate classic Tiki-style affair and more a surreal Mid-century pop culture carnival that I enjoyed very much. I like where it's going with the themes.

I'll be back in 2012.