Tex Mex Nite at Conga Lounge 9/13

Our Thrillville Elvis D Day "Blue Hawaii" Tiki Party last night was so much fun and so successful we've decided to team up and throw theme parties the second Saturday of every month at the Conga Lounge in Oakland (www.caferustica.com), no cover, complimentary buffet. Next month, on Saturday September 13, from 9PM-whenever, it's TIKI TEX MEX NITE, featuring classic Sergio Leone and other spaghetti westerns on the bar TV, vintage country tunes, spaghetti meals, and lots of exotic drinks. Other themes lined are a Tiki Halloween in October, a Vegas night in November, and then of course in December, a Tiki Christmas. Details to come. And don't forget: Otto begins DJing at the Conga the last Saturday of every month starting August 30 (with live hula dancers), but I'll let him post the details. The Conga is swingin', baby! (Another) Great reason to come to Oakland, home of the Mai Tai.

Hey, what time did the Elvis party get going? And don't say 9 o'clock-I was there. I mean when did the party really start? I didn't see any Centralites there, so we blew the joint earlier than we originally planned.

Anyone planning on the Spaghetti Western night? If I'm not in NY I want to go! Gotta figure out how to work tiki into my western attire......

:drink:

Tacky

The Conga Lounge provides all the tikis, which never leave (unless some yahoo steals 'em). Just bring your cowboy hat, hombre. The theme nights are conceptualized (uh, is that a word? I don't stand by it, but you get my drift) as combining different pop culture themes within a tiki context - as many artists from Shag to Mitch O'Connell do. For this one, imagine Eastwood's Man With No Name walking into a tiki saloon....I mean, what the hell, it's just an excuse to drink, eat and meet, anyway. For our Tiki Halloween (when we actually plan to show films in 16mm projected on the wall, like "Horror of Party Beach" and "Plan 9 From Outer Space") imagine a tiki pumpkin! Or pumpkin tiki. Or whatever.

Just a reminder, this will be a heck of a fun evening, and an impromptu tribute to the late Johnny Cash as well. We have three DJs spinning ultra rare country western and Tex Mex along with Morricone, etc, plus FREE spaghetti buffet and special drinks like "A Fistful of Vodka" and "The Drink with No Name" and "Bananaza!"

Some in the tiki community are pretty orthodox in their appreciation of Tiki Culture and prefer to induldge it unadulterated by other retro-pop sensibilities. That's fine. But as for myself, like Shag and others demonstrate in their artwork, I see nothing wrong in imposing tiki onto other fun pop subcultures and vice versa, the best way to preach the exotica gospel to a broader audience in this post-post-postmodern world anyway. At its core, Tiki is Tiki, but isn't it fun to experiment with different cocktail recipes now and then, adding outre elements to the usual ingredients and seeing what it tastes like? I think the Conga Lounge is smart to host these monthly theme nights (co-presented by Thrillville) because by broadening your agenda you can also expand your audience, and staying alive without compromising (no one's going to here techno here, ever) your basic credo is the name of the game. And Otto's Forbidden Island the last Sat of every month is pure Polynesian Pop. Our next theme night, of course, is a Tiki Halloween. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TIKI BAR (and don't nitpick so much!) Happy trails, cowboys and cowgals.

Thanks for your support, Aquazombie.
As I always tell our patrons, the Conga Lounge is not only a celebration of Tiki, but a celebration of all things retro - from Denny to Presley, Lounge to Mod.
We will definately be remembering Johnny amid the festivities of our Spaghetti Western event tomorrow night. Please join us.
9pm-2am
Conga Lounge
5422 College Ave, Rockridge, Oakland
(510)463-2681