New Exotica Band * Walk The Plank

After YEARS and years of listening to Denny, Baxter, Esquivel, etc. (just like all of you), the 4 of us have joined together and formed Walk The Plank. We would love the input and the critiques.
Check us out at http://www.walktheplanktiki.com from there you can hear our music on myspace/facebook/twitter etc.
Thanks!

Love it!!

you guys rule.

Jeff(btd)

Can you please post a direct link to your myspace? For some reason, your link is not working for me.

Never mind, I got it to work finally.

Well, you want feedback, so I will give it. I think the world needs to come up with a different category of music, to set apart from true exotica. This is very good music, very well done...but in my opinion, it is not "exotica". If I had to label it, I would say it is "exotic surf". More surf then anything else. I think your music will be very well recieved by tiki centralites, and it is enjoyable and pleasant sounding. My issue is that for me, exotica was always jazz based. Denny, Lyman, Baxter...these guys were first and formost jazz musicians. Their music reflects that harmonic complexity inherent in jazz music. To this day, I believe only the Stolen Idols and the martini kings are playing real authentic exotica. The rest of the bands (most of which I enjoy a LOT) are playing a hybrid of exotica and surf, leaning more towards surf. That's not a bad thing, and I think it is actually more appealing to those music fans that grew up on rock, not jazz. So, this is possibly a new category of music. I think the originators of what I would call "exotic surf" might possibly be the Tikiyaki orchestra, as they employ the sound of surf guitar mixed with the birdcalls, percussion and vibraphone tones of true exotica.

I realize there are people that would debate me on this opinion, but I say in response that Martin Denny rarely if ever employed twangy surf guitar in any way. Exotica's main instruments would be piano and vibes/marimba...or in the case of Baxter, lush sounding strings.

That being said, for what you are doing it is really quite good! Please forgive my candor, I am a purist when it comes to tiki culture.

and people call me Eeyore.
ha ha ha.

Jeff(btd)

Martin Denny's version of "The Enchanted Sea" employs surf guitar.

To Me, The Blue Hawaiians are the original purveyors of modern Exotic Surf, pre-dating Tikiyaki by at least a decade.

As for Tikiyaki....I would say that about 15% of our music is surf-based...I can count the songs on one hand.

Mai Tais on the Moon
Black Sand Blue Sea
Makaha

The rest incorporate elements of Jazz (not so much, as I'm not that well versed in it) Latin, lounge, crime jazz (a la Mancini) and random other stuff.

By The Way, Arthur Lyman played alot of popular show tunes, pop tunes, as well as jazz....there was always Pop evident in Exotica....Jazz was just one element of it. Denny was more jazz based, but was all over the map musically too.

The great think about Exotica as a genre...it incorporates many different styles of music. So, it leaves room for lots of innovation.

That's true, Jim, but wouldn't you agree that the latest incarnations of "exotica" based bands feature a predominately "surf" sound? I think that really is the crucial difference between then and now. I had not forgotten about the Blue Hawaiians, but to my ears, they are a surf band. A surf band with a lot of variations in their sound, but still a surf band. I believe Tikiyaki leans more towards the orginal concept of exotica, of course (probably why you are one of my favorite bands in this genre)but you do incorporate surf tones as well. But that's why I cite your band as the originators of this sound. I guess the Blue hawaiians and bands like Ape might also be among the first.

There is a clear delineation in my mind between mid century pop and that music which let's just say started in the early 60s. I am speaking in generalities, of course. Prior to the advent of rock (which includeds surf) the musicians were indeed jazz and classical based, and usually older (say in their 30's) whereas the rock scene and everything that came after was a youth-based music movement, for the most part.

Again, I speak of the harmonic spohistication of certain types of chords that the earlier groups employed. A clear example would be Denny's "stone god". These are chords that few, if any, rock musicans use.

Please understand that I am not making a judgement on the quality of the music. Blues, for example, is 3 chords. The same three chords, yet the music is fullfilling, pleasant and fun to listen to!

I like this new band. As a bass player, the first thing I noticed was the gnarly, growling tone he is using. It sounds killer! The lead guitar also has the surf sound down! The tone is similar to that golden, burnished tone that you use.

I guess where I quibble is with the naming of so many bands as being "exotica", when they clearly lean much more towards surf rock, albeit using vibes and percussion to a greater extent then the average surf band.

I tend to instantly generalize music into the predominate styles my ear associates them with. I remember when I was a kid, I brought an AC/DC record to my violin teacher (who is a very famous person I don't wish to name). Anyway, after a few seconds of listening, my teacher said "Oh, it's a blues band". I had not thought of it as such. To me, they were a hard rock or heavy metal band. But my teacher instantly identified the hallmarks of the blues. Come to find out later that Angus Young's first musical influence was in fact, the blues.

Therefore, when I hear projects such as Walk The Plank, my ears instantly identify it as surf rock, based on the chord structures and sequence, and the overall tone of the guitar.

oops, double post!

[ Edited by: Lucas Vigor 2010-02-13 13:30 ]

Luke...I agree for the most part with your assessments. I think walk the plank sound great, but I agree, but definitely an "Exotic Surf" band, as opposed to an "Exotica Band"...but, hey, that's a genre that has not really been established yet, so that's a good thing, as it's more groundbreaking. No one has claimed to be an "Exotic Surf" band before. Either way, it's just a label, and labels can be limiting.

If you listen to the Blue Hawaiians "Sway" album, you will hear the clear cut establishment of this style....they're far beyond just being a surf band. I think they really pioneered what can be called an "Exotic Surf" sound.

So, sorry WalkThe Plank guys to derail this thread.....keep on making the great tunes.

Kudos to you guys for writing your own songs and not relying on the standards. Always a good thing in my book.

have fun at Hukilau...we sure did.

On 2010-02-13 11:38, tikiyaki wrote:
Kudos to you guys for writing your own songs and not relying on the standards. Always a good thing in my book.

I agree with this statement!!

Sorry for continuing the derail of this thread.
but...

Lucas, on one had I agree with you about Tikiyaki having surfy elements on some songs. And me being a Surf Nut, and Exotica music fan, I thought that they were an amazing mix of the 2. And its Why I love Tikiyaki so much.

But I think you generalize in saying that all their songs are surf/Exotica.
there are many songs that they do, that Jim, and Brian both play keyboards, and
not their guitars.

go back and listen to both cds.
Hopefully you have them both.

and do a track by track examination of the instrumentation.
All though there may be a few songs with Gary on his Lap Steel,
I would not consider that to lend to the Surf sound, and more towards a Hawaiian sound. So don't confuse that with Surf.

Jeff(btd)

On 2010-02-13 13:26, bigtikidude wrote:
Sorry for continuing the derail of this thread.
but...

Lucas, on one had I agree with you about Tikiyaki having surfy elements on some songs. And me being a Surf Nut, and Exotica music fan, I thought that they were an amazing mix of the 2. And its Why I love Tikiyaki so much.

But I think you generalize in saying that all their songs are surf/Exotica.
there are many songs that they do, that Jim, and Brian both play keyboards, and
not their guitars.

go back and listen to both cds.
Hopefully you have them both.

and do a track by track examination of the instrumentation.
All though there may be a few songs with Gary on his Lap Steel,
I would not consider that to lend to the Surf sound, and more towards a Hawaiian sound. So don't confuse that with Surf.

Jeff(btd)

Right....

Nothing Surf about "Tabu for Two","Ali'i Fire Dance","Poho Moku" , Waikiki Serenade....that shit's dyed in the wool exotica !

As a matter of fact, most of it is...If I play guitar for 40% of the show, that's alot....most of the time it's organ, bongos, guiro...and there's less on the albums.

Remember, classic Exotica culled from songs that were straight ahead major chord themes too...Arthur Lyman's "Yellow Bird" is a perfect example.
Quiet Village too....it's a very pop oriented melody. Then there was the minor key dark stuff, like one of my faves "Tune from Rangoon" or "Black Orchid"....not much jazz in those either. To me, the worst Denny songs were the ones where he went really outside and jazzy....

Then there is the Asian - traditional Chinese/Japanese elements too...nothing jazz about those...and of course, the Latin elements....

I think I know the point you're making....Exotica almost pre-dated rock n roll, hence the musicians were jazz and orchestral players.

Also, none of the bands today calling themselves Exotica have ANY surf elements....

Waitiki - no surf
Tiki Joe's Ocean - No Surf
Don Tiki - No surf
Exotiki - No surf

Just Tikiyaki - some surf...not that much tho' (on CD at least)

No one else is really calling themselves Exotica these days.

Again, sorry for the derail...perhaps we should continue this discussion here....

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=35449&forum=11&17

Believe me, Jeff, I am not confusing genres. And I agree with Jim that labels can be limiting. The reason I like labels at all is simply that when you walked into a record store in the past, you knew in what sections to look for what. Walk the plank is clearly an exotic surf band, but Tikiyaki I believe is harder to categorize. Doesn't matter, of course because the end result is a sound that works exceedingly well, as does this new group, WTP. However, the first thing Martin Denny and Lyman did was to throw out the uke and the steel. Sure, they wanted to be about Hawaii, but not "sound" like Hawaii. One of my own bands, the HGs, really is not playing Hawaiian music either, though the lyrics making many references to the islands. At it's core, it is rockabilly, and if we still had record shops that would be the section I would want our album placed in. Likewise, WTP would be awesome at one of your surf band festivals, but might be out of place at say, lounge-a-palooza. However, if you could bring Martin Denny back, he would fit right in with other lounge bands, his version of exotica having many sophisticated jazz pop elements lacking in most surf bands. It's really a question of the chord sequences being used, Jeff.

I heard the Stolen Idols last June at the Hukilau both on the boat trip and at the Mai Kai. I would agree the Stolen Idols are the most like Denny and Lyman - true Exotica. Hearing the Stolen Idols in the Tahitian room at the Mai Kai was one of the best moments of 2009 for me. I got the latest Tikiyaki CD in that package that they put out with the mug and everything. The Tikiyaki CD played continuously in my van for months. I loved it! Is Tikiyaki as "Exotica" based as the Stolen Idols - maybe not. I'm not an expert. I just know what I like. I call Tikiyaki an Exotica band because I don't know what else to call them. I know I like both the Stolen Idols and the Tikiyaki orchestra. From what I've heard so far of this new band, Walk the Plank, I'm looking forward to hearing them in June at the Hukilau. I bet Walk the Plank puts on some great shows at the Hukilau. The Hukilau is great. Can't wait.

Thanks for everyone's feedback! It is all positive and right on target. It is quite obvious that we have roots in the surf rock realm, and rock in general. The two efforts on Myspace are more of a jumping off point that ended up working, and bang we started a band. Each one of us is very excited about what lays ahead for WTP's musical direction.

If any of you happen to be in the Atlanta area look us up.

your first effort is really good! We are all looking forward to what you come up with next! Keep it up!

I agree, good stuff, keep it up.
and good luck with your Hukilau gig.

Jeff(btd)

Kooper wants to play you on the Cocktail Nation...check your gmail for contact details.
KK

It was nice meeting you guys at the Hukilau. Good luck with exotica and welcome to the genre! Since you're in the Atlanta area, you should look up our friends Tongo-Hiti, and tell Mike we said aloha!

-Randy

I saw these guys at Hukilau 2010 and really liked them - kind of minimalist, understated surf/exotica, very moody, perfect for a David Lynch film.

I especially liked the stuff with the quiet percussion.

Keep up the good work!

LOVING the sounds on the myspace!

This is exactly what I'm talking about.. amazing surf tones, dark vibe, yet still upbeat..

perfect candidate for my Dark & Tiki compilation!

We just want to say thank you to Christie and Brian and everyone else who helped put The Hukilau together this year. We had such an amazing time! From the kickoff party with the Woggles and the weekend with the Intoxicators (along with our James from El capitan at the Mai Kai for 4 songs!), the Neanderthals, Stolen Idols, the amazing Sweet Hollywaiians, Bikini Beachcomers, the DJs, dancers, Evan from Waitiki7, etc. - the entire event was amazing. We got to hang with Shag and Jeff Berry. We could go on and on. We had a blast.
Furthermore, we are in the midst of recording our full length album. Packaged inside of a cook book the currently titled "SURFOTICA" will be a trailblazing adventure of food and music being paired throughout. It will include techniques of cooking instruments, recipes, banter and images both vintage and modern.
Also, (I know we are wearing you all out) Neal Heckner the vice president of programming services of WPBT2 sent us the video montage of the tiki treasures that includes a couple songs from Walk The Plank as well as an interview with King Kukulele. Check it here http://channel2.typepad.com/uvu/2010/06/hukilau-2010.html.
Thanks again for all of the support from all of our new friends and fans we had the pleasure meeting at Hukilau. Keep emailing us! Much love. Mahalo!!!

OnyaBirri: I told my wife the very same thing at the Mai Kai!!!

I've got a demo CD headed my way. Thanks, guys...

On 2010-06-15 10:06, TikiHardBop wrote:
OnyaBirri: I told my wife the very same thing at the Mai Kai!!!

I've got a demo CD headed my way. Thanks, guys...

oooh! I want ins on a Demo CD!

awesome. I like what I hear.