Crappy Music in Tiki Bars/Restaurants - General Tiki

PP Prikli Pear Tiki Socialite New Braunfels, Texas Joined: Jan 04, 2017 Posts: 1025	PP Prikli Pear Posted posted on Wed, Dec 7, 2022 10:05 AM This is a huge soapbox on mine. An otherwise fine tiki bar near me cough cough Hugman's Oasis cough cough has had issues from day one with music. They keep saying "We get the message" and music improves briefly but then reverts. It comes down to ownership/management not understanding tiki. With Hugman's, the issue lies with the bartenders. When management leaves they put on club mix, etc. They argue "You can't expect us to listen to Martin Denny all night!" No, I don't. There are other genres that are tiki appropriate. "You can't expect us to listen to surf..." That's the response to every type of tiki-adjacent music one suggests. The long and short of it is they want to listen to what they like, everything else be damned. I wonder how it'd go over at Cowboys Dance Hall if they started playing death metal when the managers were away, arguing "You can't expect us to listen to that kikker shit all night!" Tiki is about escapism. A tiki bar does NOT have to play exotica, or hapa haole, or any specific style of music. But it should NOT have a playlist that includes music you can hear at any other club on the strip. After spending $100K or some other absurd amount of money on a tiki buildout you're going to just pull the audio out of you ass? That's insane. I've heard the argument that they have to play what every other bar is playing because "That's what the tourists want." Bullshit. Not a single tourist drawn in by torches and skulls and carved tikis and thatch is going to go, "Yeah, it looked super-cool and the drinks amazing, but damn, they were playing Rat Pack. HARD PASS!" On the other hand, I've seen patrons (myself included) run out of the bar when a cool Los Straightjackets tune ended and some loud, industrial thumping replaced it. It boggles my mind why this is such an issue.

This is a huge soapbox on mine. An otherwise fine tiki bar near me cough cough Hugman's Oasis cough cough has had issues from day one with music. They keep saying "We get the message" and music improves briefly but then reverts.

It comes down to ownership/management not understanding tiki.

With Hugman's, the issue lies with the bartenders. When management leaves they put on club mix, etc. They argue "You can't expect us to listen to Martin Denny all night!" No, I don't. There are other genres that are tiki appropriate. "You can't expect us to listen to surf..." That's the response to every type of tiki-adjacent music one suggests. The long and short of it is they want to listen to what they like, everything else be damned.

I wonder how it'd go over at Cowboys Dance Hall if they started playing death metal when the managers were away, arguing "You can't expect us to listen to that kikker shit all night!"

Tiki is about escapism. A tiki bar does NOT have to play exotica, or hapa haole, or any specific style of music. But it should NOT have a playlist that includes music you can hear at any other club on the strip. After spending $100K or some other absurd amount of money on a tiki buildout you're going to just pull the audio out of you ass? That's insane.

I've heard the argument that they have to play what every other bar is playing because "That's what the tourists want." Bullshit. Not a single tourist drawn in by torches and skulls and carved tikis and thatch is going to go, "Yeah, it looked super-cool and the drinks amazing, but damn, they were playing Rat Pack. HARD PASS!" On the other hand, I've seen patrons (myself included) run out of the bar when a cool Los Straightjackets tune ended and some loud, industrial thumping replaced it. It boggles my mind why this is such an issue.

Post #806795 by Prikli Pear on Wed, Dec 7, 2022 10:05 AM