Trader Vic's Chicago, live music suspended, :-(

Free live music at Trader Vic's from 7 to 9 p.m. every Wednesday.

First Wednesday of the month: COCKTAIL PREACHERS.

Second Wednesday: THE EXOTICS.
Yes, you read that right - they have reunited!!!

Third Wednesday: TBA (bands are welcome to contact me if interested in filling this slot).

Fourth Wednesday: BIKINI BEACHCOMBERS.

So, the music starts this Wednesday (the 29th of April) with the Bikini Beachcombers, and then moves on to Cocktail Preachers on May 6.

The above schedule will be in place every month until further notice.

Also: Rum Kegs and Scorpion Bowls are discounted!

[ Edited by: tikibars 2009-06-08 11:18 ]

Congrats to the Cocktail Preachers and others for landing this cool gig.
and how cool is that that the Exotics have re-united.

wish I could be there Every Wednesday.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

I gotta get to Chicago more often!!!!

On 2009-04-27 12:39, bigtikidude wrote:
Congrats to the Cocktail Preachers and others for landing this cool gig.
and how cool is that that the Exotics have re-united.

wish I could be there Every Wednesday.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

i don't think they reunited....outside of this trader vics event anyway.....don't expect a tour any time soon so if you wanna see them, it's gonna have to be at the traders.....

Don from Exotics/Bikini Beachcombers/Foundation ba was telling me that the Exotics have done about five one-off gigs over the past decade, since officially disbanding around 1999 or so.

However, they'll be at Vic's monthly, so for all intents and purposes, they are back together.

But yeah, you'll have to ask them about gigs outside of the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor...

bump.

COCKTAIL PREACHERS - tonight, free, Trader Vic's Chicago, 7 p.m.

I hadn't seen the Cocktail Preachers in a while so we decided to go to TV last Wednesday. Outside the entrance, there was a table set up and the woman sitting there asked if we were on the list for the private party that evening. Surprised, I said "No, we just came to hear the Cocktail Preachers." She said they were having a fund raising event for Children's Memorial Hospital and there was a $10 cover which included a drink. Having braved a torrential downpour to get to TV, we decided to stay.

We ordered a Menehune Punch and a Queens Park Swizzle (both $11 drinks) with our free drink tickets so we ended up two dollars ahead of the game and felt good about drinking for charity. Usually the only cause that I drink for is the cause of cirrhosis.

The bar and lounge area were PACKED. I had to do the "suck in your gut, sideways shuffle" through the crowd in the bar to get to the ladies room. Unfortunately, there didn't appear to be many tiki folks in the throng. The Cocktail Preachers were fantastic, as always, however I don't think they received adequate appreciation from the non-tiki crowd.

It was great to see that TV is thriving even in this economy. I don't know if all of the Wednesday night live music events will be "private parties" or whether this was an anomaly, but it would be cool to have a stronger tiki enthusiast presence at these functions. We waited so long for TV to reopen - it would be great if you could come out and show your support when you can!

you missed the tabu tiki nights at the old trader vics, albino.....they were small but always had a decent tiki suporting crowd......maybe the new traders weds. events will eventually grow itself....

...and i just put in my fourth week in a row of clocking overtime at work so i'm not sure which economy you are refering to.. :) ....we've been crazy busy all year here!!

what the hell happened to the exotics???...did i miss their first wednesday at the traders??? did anyone go???.....

Dave, we had a decent crowd for The Exotics.

Too bad you missed them... especially since word came down from the kanes at the top that live music has been suspended at Trader Vic's for the moment.
Effective immediately.

So those of you planning to come out and see Cocktail Preachers this Wednesday or The Exotics next week are out of luck.

I am sure the Trader appreciates the support that so many of you provided over this six-week experiment in sonic goodness.

James,

When I stopped in on Thursday and met the crew there Adam told me they were looking for musicians and also working on a better set of tunes for general background music, especially in the bar/ lounge area.

MAtt

maybe they hate surf music,
wouldnt be the first time a tiki person, didn't get the connection.

:(

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Well, actually they were loving the surf music. All of the employees, the management, and the customers gave the surf bands a big thumbs up.

However, you're right about one thing - no one got the Hawaiian Hapa Haole bands. I was asked to book more surf and less Hapa Haole, which I did, but in the end it didn't matter. :(

And Matt, they are looking for tunes, in fact they asked me to make them some mix CDs. Sad that mix CDs are replacing live music, but the discs will contain local midwest surf - Exotics, Cocktail Preachers, The Real Gone, etc.

No Exotica or Hapa Haole.... but what can I do, I can't force it upon them.

[ Edited by: tikibars 2009-06-09 16:02 ]

this is absolutly ridiculous......a six week experiment is hardly and experiment.....don't those buffoons in the upper management know it takes time for word to get out and to develop a following at trader vics to the point which folks are familiar with wednesday nights and show up frequently???.....once again, corporate impatience wins!!...geez.....what a bunch of cry babies! .....hey trader vic !! sorry we couldn't pack the place in 6 weeks time !!......morons.

granted,,wednesday nights are tough for most folks with day jobs or those of us that live signifigantly far from the place to support it on a regular basis, but being in the area where they are located i know there are plenty of folks with money and time to spend on wednesday nights at vics.....let's face it -they didn't give it a fair chance...

.......next time vics has an event we all better get down there and support it fast cause if there's less than 10 people there they're gonna call it quits!!

.so good i had to post it twice...ha!! sorry.

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-06-09 17:34 ]

looks like the music is back on for wednesdays.....only this time i think it may be rockabilly more than tiki...the "real gone" are playing trader vics the 17th....anyone know what's going on ? is this a one time thing or will there be music every wednesday but not tiki music?? has the traders kicked the tabu tiki nights to the curb for something more upbeat or will it be back later ?? is tikibars still involved with this or has someone else taken the reins....anyone??

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-06-15 22:48 ]

whats funny is I talked to the Guy at the New Downtown LA vics about getting surf bands in there.
he said he was interested, but has never called or e-mailed me,
I think they are prob. more into having the trad. Hawaiian music.
go figure.
sigh......

But Don the Beach comber is going to be having Surf on a regular basis.
on Sat nights.
and its a hell of a lot closer to me.
thumbs up.

Jeff(bigtikidude)