Can I cry on your Tiki?

Man, just when things were starting to happen for the Smokin' Menehunes, our ukulele player tells us she has to step aside as our tiki locomotive rolls down the track. (that was a lame analogy).

Last night when Shirley told me, it brought back bitter memories of being dumped after telling an ex-girlfriend I was going out on her years ago (Hey damnit! I do the dumping around here, I replied as she drove off into the sunset).

So at band practice last night, I break the news. Yeah, we went through the motions of practice. You know - tune up, drink, turn the amp on, drink, cry, drink. But something was missing - it was our ukulele player.

What a dumb instrument - the UKULELE! It looks like a stupid shrunken guitar! But jeez, I missed it's STUPID SHRUNKEN UP beautiful sound.

Well, today I placed ads in all the hula halaus in the area. Placed an ad in the recycler, had a sky-writing ad done, and now I'm sitting right by my phone waiting. Wait. Wait. Wait...

I just have to make sure that when a uku player comes over to audition, I don't jump on 'em like a felon would a hooker after being in the slammer for 20 years.

Just take it nice and slow Bong. Just take it nice and slow...

I bet there's 1,000s of ukulele players just waiting to get into the Smokin' Menehunes!

Waiting. Waiting...

"I'm ashamed to be here, but not too ashamed to leave..."

Celebrate 'International Tiki Day' the second Saturday in August - Hau'oli La Tiki!

[ Edited by: Tiki_Bong on 2004-01-27 16:55 ]

I'll be right over Mr. Bong!
Can Patrick play the ice crean moraccas too?
BA HA HA HA HA!!

Tiki font here,

I too, was at practice last night..and altough we sounded good, we really missed Shirley...

Shirley is a great musician, and a very classy dame as well...she knows literally hundreds of songs, right off the top of her head..she will be missed, by all of us!

A word about Bong..and how he runs practice..

I have been in a lot of bands, but Bong is a great bandleader....he runs practice in a supportive and proffessional way, and is a great steel player! Just watch out for the machete and war club..JK!

Anyone joining out little band, will find themselves in very fertile ground indeed...we have many great songs, and I will happily write out charts for all our songs..

I will follow Supreme allied commander Bong into battle anyday!

I would like to add that I hope our new uke player is a great showman (show-person) and has a great sense of humor, like my personal favorite players, King Kukulea and Iuka Grogg..those guys are hands down the best there is.....I would do cartwheels and backflips if we got someone like them!

On 2004-01-27 13:28, tiki mick wrote:
I will happily write out charts for all our songs..
I hope our new uke player is a great showman (show-person) and has a great sense of humor

FREE UKE CHORD FONTS!

hmmm, i wonder if this story will be like what happened to The Temptations. One guy quits...they hit the big time....the guy then sulks in a bar and watches the Temptations on TV instead of bein' on stage with the rest of 'em. Not kidding, this COULD happen. Of course you guys are a far cry from the Temptations. HAHA! i mean your style of course. :music: PAPA WAS A ROLLIN' STONE :music: whereva he laid his hat was his home :music: AND WHEN HE DIED :music:

On 2004-01-27 13:28, tiki mick wrote:
I would like to add that I hope our new uke player is a great showman (show-person) and has a great sense of humor, like my personal favorite players, King Kukulea and Iuka Grogg..those guys are hands down the best there is.....I would do cartwheels and backflips if we got someone like them!

Really, Tiki Mick, I'm blushing. Can't wait to hear the exotica music you've written. We'll talk.

-I. Grogg

Grogg, I saw you and the King performing at international tiki day..and I was flabbergasted, and more then a little jealous...

I doubt anyone has seen a performance duo like you guys did since the golden age of Tiki...

it took me to another time, another place..

Plus, you guys were so at home with your intruments..made it look so effortless and easy...a true Tiki-zen moment for me brah!!

One of the TC'ers is going to make a post to my CD of exotica covers and originals soon..real soon!

GET A ROOM!!!!

Believe me Baxdog, I would..but I doubt my wife would like it much!!!!

Hey, when's your next luau?

All's well in ukulele-ville! I just knew there were ukulele players out there hiding in the darkness, waiting to come out, just like people with weird sexual fetishes. Got 2 calls from uku players just yesterday.

One guy, I'll call him Randy because that's his name, is also a drummer and want's to buy a set of vibes (I was so over-joyed at that, that I told him I'd prepare his taxes for free, and try to deduct the vibe expense off his taxable income!).

The other kanaka, I'll call him Bill because that is his name, was this ancient Hawaiian-sounding old dude, with pidgion so thick I thought I was going to have to have Gecko translate.

Well, we'll give them a spin to see if they're into our kinda tiki scene, you know, alchohol-fueled , clothing-optional practices with porno playing 24/7.

Oh please be as weird as us!

******* IMPORTANT NOTICE *******

Wow! I just talked with "Bill" (see above post).

This is Bill Tapia, he's in his mid-90's and played with Johnnie Noble on the Grand opening of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.

He knows/knew all the old-timers in Hawaiian Music - Sol Hoopi'i, Gabby Pahinui, King Benny Nawahi etc.

This guy is a Hawaiian music legend.

If he joins our band (and lives) I'll be in heaven!

Read about Bill at this link:

http://www.geocities.com/sptmbrmrn/051902.htm

"I'm ashamed to be here, but not too ashamed to leave..."

Celebrate 'International Tiki Day' the second Saturday in August - Hau'oli La Tiki!

[ Edited by: Tiki_Bong on 2004-01-29 12:12 ]

That's terrific, Bong. Keep us posted and tell us more!

Congrats on the uke responses! Bill Tapia is certainly a legend. Ask him about his days in Hollywood teaching the stars (i.e, Clark Gable) to play ukulele. Vibes is good, too! Sounds like your sound is going to flourish.

-Iuka Grogg

On 2004-01-27 12:18, Tiki_Bong wrote:

What a dumb instrument - the UKULELE! It looks like a stupid shrunken guitar!

Well, then, let's hope Bill Tapia doesn't read Tiki Central! :wink:

Good luck with the auditions!

Wow. Great news.
Start recording your next CD immediately.

Where's the envy emoticon?

I was wondering when you guys will play out. I assume you might not have answers now with searching for a new member and all, but i would like to come out and see the band. Tiki Bird and Utopiandreem had lots of kind words to say about the band when i met with them at the Tonga Hut. Did a search in tiki events to see when you played in the past but the search said there were no results.

TikiTanked,

We think we have a ukulele player as of last night's practice. Shirley, our current uku player is kind enough to get him up to speed.

The only date we have for certain at the moment is Tiki Oasis IV. Shirley said she'd play that gig if the new guy wasn't ready yet.

We sort of spend the Winter month's ramping up for Spring, Summer, Fall.

Thanks for asking!

Sweet Lord, I hope she hangs in until Tiki Oasis. Shirley played again with us last night and for the first time, I really listened to what she was doing on the uke. She is simply amazing at that instrument. She won't just play an 'A, D, E' where it's called for, but puts in all the passing chords that lead you into the next chord. What I'm getting at, is that she is a very educated musician and will be missed greatly. Plus, a super amiable person to be around. It'll be a shame to lose her.

Gosh darn Shirley!!!!!

THIS JUST IN: Bong just called me and told me that Shirley was so stoked about playing lasat night that she's back in. This is a great day in Menehune history.

Okay, now go back to what you were doing.

Shirley's back in! She really didn't want to quit the band, but she's producing a musical she wrote this Summer and didn't know if she could swing both gigs. (And she said she was sad about leaving also!)

I feel like I just got a reprieve on death row.

(Now I'll have to find a band member to break the news to the ex new ukulele player)

Maybe it's a good time to introduce "Dueling Ukeleles" to the world!

Man, that song would sound killer on ukeleles, I think, maybe.

You could add a bunch of Allman Brother's tunes (I could imagine Jessica as a slide based tune with a Hawaiian sound) and maybe Tiki-fied Layla!

[ Edited by: Geeky Tiki on 2004-02-03 15:15 ]

Quit looking at me, Bong. I don't even know the guy. Plus, he could still work as a percussionist.

Spike, I don't mind telling the new guy to go!!! I like doing that kind of stuff....I am always getting fired myself, so it would be nice to be the hatchet-man this time!!

In the first gulf war, I was one of the guys that volunteered to shoot wounded enemy soldiers!

Just kidding, of course!!!!

I am just sooooooo happy to have shirley back...I am giddy like a schoolgirl!!!!!

Seriously, I like playing in huge bands...so get as many new recruits as possible, I say!

Two/three Uke players and a percussion player....and we are ready for TIKIPALOOZA '04!!!!!!!!!

Shirley rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey guys, if you want, I can tell him. And when he has that puzzled look on his face wondering, "but that dude's not even in the band." I can reply with, "get lost - I'm the conch player...."

J/K....

On a serious note, is there a way he can be worked into the band? The Doobie Brothers did it with like 18 guitar players....

Poly, you da KIND conch player brah!!!

Man this post has more twist than a pretzel factory. I laughed, I cried, I read it again and again.
Seriously though, I am stoked to hear Shirley is still the strummer.
Still waiting to hear the new stuff with Mick in it.
P-pop are you on the new CD too? :wink:

Chongolio

-- I believe that our Heavenly Father invented the monkey because he was disappointed in man."
... Mark Twain

Come explore http://www.lost-isle.com

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2004-02-04 10:54 ]

Oh, the poor new guy. What a disappointment for him! I'm so glad to hear you'll be able to keep the original winning combination, tho... Shirley is a devil of a player, that's for sure.

On 2004-02-03 14:11, Tiki_Bong wrote:

(Now I'll have to find a band member to break the news to the ex new ukulele player)

I think it would be much more respectful if the governor of California gave the news.
And the best part is , you can email it to em.

http://www.jeje.nu/arnold/t2/hasta.wav

Tiki_Bong wrote:
Shirley's back in! She really didn't want to quit the band, but she's producing a musical she wrote this Summer and didn't know if she could swing both gigs...

That's great! I was at Shirley's shop the other week and we sat and listened to the music she wrote and recorded for that upcoming musical. I was pretty blown away. I have worked with quite a few different talented people in the recording industry, and I do have to say that her musical writing and arranging skills are truly top notch.

On 2004-02-04 00:17, SugarCaddyDaddy wrote:

Tiki_Bong wrote:
Shirley's back in! She really didn't want to quit the band, but she's producing a musical she wrote this Summer and didn't know if she could swing both gigs...

That's great! I was at Shirley's shop the other week and we sat and listened to the music she wrote and recorded for that upcoming musical. I was pretty blown away. I have worked with quite a few different talented people in the recording industry, and I do have to say that her musical writing and arranging skills are truly top notch.

You guys are killing me!! I don't know whether to laugh or cry! I think I may have figured out how to use this message board, but am not sure. I DID, however read all your messages, both hysterical AND poignant. (Not pregnant, you idiot!)
I am truly touched that all of you speak so well of me and I really AM the Ukulelegirl, (well, maybe old lady) of The Smokin' Menehunes, shortly to take Orange County by Storm, or bankruptcy whichever comes first.
I love to play ukulele, I love the gang at Tiki Central. You are a bunch of Wild and Crazy guys and girls who KNOW how to have a good time, barring that jail stint. (I hate having the word felon attached to my name)......................(it's a joke)
I am glad to continue with the Menehunes and will do the best I can for them. Bong, Spike and Tiki Mick are fine musicians and to borrow a line from the Beach Boys...Fun, Fun, Fun! Love you all, Shirley...... (Ukulelegirl)

Aloha, Shirley!

Welcome to Tiki Central! So glad you're back in the band. The Menehunes just wouldn't be The Menehunes without the original Ukulele Girl. We can't wait for the All-Star Ukulele Jam at Tiki Oasis in May.

-Iuka