Exotica!!

Aloha!

I am still looking for musicians in the SoCal area, to start a real live exotica group a la Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Les Baxter..ect!! I play just about any instrument there is, except steel guitar (which my dear friend Bong shreds on)so basically I am looking for percussionists, keyboards, bass flute..whatever!!!

I am really into the lounge/easy listening/tiki/cocktail/space pop sound, with a bit of mancini and bossa nova thrown in for good measure (like Pink Martini, those lucky bastards!!) and am seeking like-minded retro musicians who (like me) grew up listening to exotica!!

If you know someone, refer me to them to me please!

Hope to see you at Tiki Oasis in Palm Springs, where my regular group, the smokin' menehunes will be appearing, live at the fabulous reef bar!!

Mahalo!!

Not to keep trading back and forth with my bandmates and being self impressed, but Mick played us some of the exotica stuff that he wrote and it is incredible. He wrote and recorded all of the parts himself and it sounds exactly like classic exotica. He told us that he did all of the percussion, bass, pianos, and organs more or less on one synthasizer. If I didn't know that it was him, I would have surely guessed Denny or Baxter (No, Bax, not you, Les Baxter).

I'm hoping that he's able to put this thing together because he surely knows what he's doing.

Can't wait to hear it.

Thank's Spike!

Coming from you, that's a real compliment!

You know, what I'm about to say makes me feel like I'm trying to off my best girlfriend (hypothetically speaking that is), but after practice last night Tiki Mick played his CD. Damn. The guy has it down pat.

Don't tell Mick, but when he first came into the Menehunes, me and Spike were concerned about is authenticity re: tiki, googie, lounge, exotica. Well, we aren't anymore!

The guy is an all round great musician. If anyone knows how he can put his music up on the web, email him.

(Mick if you quit our band, ah,, I'll send Baxdog after you!)

Hey Mick,

I play drums/percussion with The Fisherman Vibraphonic Trio in New York City. We are going out to Tiki Oasis this year, and wanted to play some more shows in the SoCal area while we were out there. Do you have any good ideas of venues that we could play. Our sound is a variety of exotica, surf, garage, lounge, jazz, oddities etc. I guess we'll see you out there in May. If you have any shows in early May that you could get us on the bill for, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

tikidrummer
[email protected]
http://www.fishermansburlesque.com

Hey TikiDrummer!

Too bad you don't live out here! We could definetly jam together!

As far as venues to play exotica in SoCal, I really have no idea! The sad fact is that (with the exception being the Tiki central crowd..they have real class)Most of SoCal is obssessed with punk, skate-punk, hard rock, nu-metal..about the only thing different is we have a few good Ska and rockabilly bands...the coolest place to play used to be Linda's doll hut..but I think they have changed owners...

If you are under 30, and have many, many brand-new and meaningless tatoos, a shaved head, and a really bad attitude, you will find plenty of places!! If you are not any of the aforementioned things, fuggedaboudit!

One option for you would be to check out the Coach House (san juan capistrano) or the Galaxy theater (Santa Ana) and then advertise it! These are larger venues that have a greater variety of acts....

I would love to see you guys play, and am really looking forward to Oasis!

PS, the Menehunes may have doubted my authenticity, and that is because I used to look exactly like the description I just posted above, (except for the tatts)ha ha!

But seriously, I live behind the "Orange Curtain" (orange county)and traditonally, what that means is that the people who live here love all different kinds of music...heck, (amongst the Tiki Crowd, there are true experts on Martin Denny, ect..)but when it comes to the actual musicians..everyone wants to be Blink 182 (or whatever they are called)or Offspring! Nice music if you are 16, but there really is very little for an almost 40 year older to groove to!

I feel blessed that I am in the Smokin' menehunes, because if it was not for Tiki Bong and Lucky designs, I would have nothing!! They have created a great Tiki Groove in OC!! We also have several other great musicians, Mai-Kai gents, Ape, King kukalea...but aside from tiki parties, I really don't if there are clubs that would appreciate what they have to offer!

PS, my dream would be that one day we make are own Tiki-palooza here in SoCal...it would be an honor to play with the King, Iuka Grogg and Crazy Al again, but this time all on one stage!!

PS, my dream would be that one day we make are own Tiki-palooza here in SoCal...it would be an honor to play with the King, Iuka Grogg and Crazy Al again, but this time all on one stage!!

Well, this is certainly one dream we can make come true! It'll be fun, not like that dream where I forgot to study for my final exam and I'm in front of the whole school in my undies trying to win the spelling bee and I need to get home to make potato salad to bring to Donald Duck who's waiting angrily at the Greyhound station with an aunt who only speaks through crochet....(Do any of you ever have this dream?) Mick, send me an e-mail and let's start the coconut rolling on this.

-Iuka

Ha ha!

I have a lot of strange dreams too, but they mostly involve either Tia Carrere, Lokelani McMichael or Lucy Liu......hummmmmm!!!!!

Oh, and the soundtrack is usually Arthur Lyman!!!!

I had one great dream the other night where I beat the crap out of Sebastian Bach (skidrow) for no apparent reason, other then he looks like a real girly-girl!!!

hi tiki mick... i was scheming up an all star tiki jam band earlier this year, but got temporarily sidetracked with other projects... when it finally comes down to putting a gig together - you're in like flint!

Can't wait to here the result. Something to look forward to in the New Year.

TIKIPALOOZA - I love it!!

Tiki Mick,
Mark here (keyboards)I replied to your first posting. I'm very interested in doing the exotica,bossa, lounge thing. In fact I've been toying with the idea myself. The only drawback for me is that I'm in the San Fernando Valley and you are in OC. But I am very interested.
Mark