Post #664294 by tiki mick on Wed, Jan 16, 2013 5:53 PM

I wasn't going to respond to Jeff's ludicrous arguments about this event, except to say that while I am not the biggest fan of Slack Key, this event has some actual legends in it. Peter Moon? The man is absolutely fabulous, and while not my style of music, it is a music I have a tremendous respect for.

Now Jeff, I know where you are going with this. You are trying to out me as a hypocrite, because you know how much I love Hawaiian music, and will say that I am all talk because I won't go to this event.

1. I have a very stressful full time job, which is something you don't. You don't really understand what it means to be dog tired, apparently.
2. I already have an orchestra gig that day.
3. As much as I play music, I already take waaaaaaaay too much time from my family to go to additional tiki events, no matter how much fun they are. Have a family, then try and live your type of lifestyle. We don't live the same lifestyle, so quit trying to compare me to you and try to guilt me into going to see bands.
4. I am almost 50 Jeff. I have been to literally 100s of concerts of all types of music since 1979. Believe me, been there and DONE that!
5. You once alluded that the reason people don't support bands I am in is solely because I don't myself go to events...I am calling BS on that, because there are plenty of musicians from tiki central in bands far more popular then mine who also never go to these events unless they are working them. I won't bother saying who they are, but there are many. And their own performances are packed with tiki people.

Jeff, tiki central does not like Hawaiian music for several reasons:

1. Demographics. The average age of a tiki centralite is between 35 and 50. Meaning, the rock generation. These are people who grew up with rock and expect drums and excitement and volume in their music. Basically, everything Hawaiian music is not.
2. The main tiki gurus on this forum, the top dogs, do not support and give their blessing to hawaiian music or the bands that play them. That's why you will never see a Sven Kirsten at a smokin menehunes gig, but you will see him at a tiki joe gig. If people like him did give their blessings, the music might be more popular...based on how influencial people like he is.
3. Copyrights and CD sales. Many bands here do originals, release many CDs, have mug releases here and are friends with many of the artists who create their merchandise. Or they can totally afford to release this stuff themselves, or are themselves artists who can create their own posters (like Spike does). Barring that, releasing a CD of non-originals, the type the SMs play, for example, would be very, very expensive due to having to buy the rights to the music.

I hope this clears up two things, why I don't go to more tiki events, and why Hawaiian music is not popular on this forum.

These are things I have had to accept Jeff, much as I also dislike it. But there is something good that comes out of it anyway. You can be assured the smokin menehunes play the music we play because we LOVE and respect the music. That kind of passion is something you don't always find.