Tiki Day

I have decided that today is Tiki day.

I came to Tiki in an odd way.  Remember when I talked about podcasting?  During my obsession with swing jazz, I went searching for podcasts that played swing and neo-swing, which led me to The Bachelor Pad Radio Show (and Bachelor Pad Magazine) and the Cocktail Nation podcast.  Somehow, this led me to Tiki Magazine.

I recently subscribed to the magazine and ordered a couple of back issues that had articles on Shag (artist Josh Agle) and Tiki Bar TV (discussed in a recent blog post). Shag is incredible, I love his artwork,  which is sexy, stylish, and evocative of a 50's, 60's, and 70's mentality.  I may do a post on him in the future

Check out Tiki Magazine Here,

I'm starting to listen more to "tiki" and exotica music.  It's kid of best described as a cool version of easy listening.  I think it's generally perfect for an afternoon and evening in a beach bungalow with your significant other.  

There are several bands that seem to be favored by tikiphiles.  Remember, this is a new genre I'm experimenting with.  I'm sure there are many other great bands I'm neglecting.  Several names pop up over and over again, and these are two groups that seem to be popular.  I'm particularly fond of the Don Tiki website, where you can play a game called Virgin Sacrifice.

Don Tiki website here

Martini Kings website here

My goal over the next week is to build a tiki bar.  We'll see how it goes.........

Cheers - Dan

Podcast time again

It's time for you to try another podcast. In case you don't know, podcasts are audio files you can download. I listen to several, some on a weekly basis. Many are homemade radio shows or rants of some sort or another, some are audiobooks that are released as serial podcasts. Some are short and some are long, some are worthwhile and many are terrible.

Today's recommendation (definitely not terrible, pretty damn good) is for the Cocktail Nation podcast, broadcast from a penthouse in Sydney, Australia by a gentleman named Koop Kooper. He plays a lot of great retro and lounge tunes, tiki and exotica, spy-jazz and swing, and he seems to have a warm place in his heart for Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack. I listen to his podcast pretty consistently. While I sometimes turn other podcasts off when they start to get boring (there is simply too much available to make it worth listening to something that isn't entertaining), I listen to Koop's all the way through pretty much every week. His taste in music is spot-on in my opinion. His shows really mix it up and he has some great interviews and history that he peppers in as well. Download a few shows and give them a try.

Main site here

Tiki Bar TV

Okay, it's not exactly music. But it's pretty friggin' funny. Check out tiki bar TV here.

LINK!

Trey rules

I love Trey Anastasio. He was great when he played with Phish, and personally, I think he's even better on his own. I'm listening a lot to one of his newer albums with the "Undectet "(an 11-piece supporting band). The album is Original Boardwalk Style, and was recorded live in Atlantic City. Besides being friggin' great music, proceeds support the Seven Below Arts Initiative, a program to support arts education and artistic development in Vermont. So, buy knowing you're not only concerned with your aural sensibilities, you're also helping to support artist residencies at Trey's old recording studio (known as the Barn).

check it out here

Jam On

Loyal Listeners - As you've probably figured out by now, I have an affinity for retro swing, blues, and lounge music. I'll be talking a lot about it in this blog. But it's not all I listen to, and I believe that everyone should listen to as many different musical styles as they can muster.

It's interesting. In college ( which occurred during the dark ages it seems, I'm feeling a mid-life crisis coming on), I listened to rock, rock, and more rock. But I played a lot of jazz. For some reason I didn't want to listen to jazz, but I loved playing it. I think that experience helps me to appreciate jazz more today, to hear the silence between the notes, and to understand how to play something to make it swing. It's an experience I'm grateful for.

But now it's time for something else. Jam band music gets my mind moving. I was never a great improvisational player, so today I am fascinated with live and improvisational music (There is place for a studio recording and a live recording and I believe more and more that they are completely different genres). A band I used to listen a great deal to was Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Silly name, great band. They are primarily a live band and have built their fan base by touring. They have a new album out, that they are giving to listeners for free for a while. You have to sign up at their site, and then you can download it. I just got my copy, but haven't listened yet. I'm looking forward to it. Check it out.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Free Album

Lavay, ohhhhh, Lavay

I love Lavay Smith. I love listening to Lavay, I love looking at Lavay, I love dancing to Lavay. I think she, her boyfriend and bandleader Chris, and her band "The Red Hot Skillet Lickers", all come together and create a unique and spectacularly skilled group that plays some of the best music available today.

This style of swing and blues music is rapidly dying out. When I listen to podcasts or read about the artists, most all discuss having players in their bands who are well into their 80's. They still have their chops, but aren't being replaced with younger players at the pace at which they are passing on to the great gig in the sky.

My hope is that you will give a shot to Lavay, and to the other swing and neo-swing groups I listen to. They play a truly original and American form of music. While the sound will evolve, as all music evolves, I hope it continues to hold its own and continues to attract both players and listeners to keep it alive.

They perform constantly in the San Francisco Bay Area, and regularly show up at other jazz festivals and venues around the world. My wife and kids and I saw them at Enrico's Sidewalk Cafe in North Beach and had a great time.

The following links are for their first 2 albums. Sometimes on ebay you can find a 3rd and relatively unknown album that was only released in Japan. I have it and it's well worth a listen if you can find it. In exciting news, they are working on a new album that will hopefully be released in the relatively near future. Chris assured me in a recent email that the music is in the can but they are finishing up some artwork, so hopefully it won't be too long. I'll let you all know as soon as I hear. While we're all waiting, check out their official website and drop them a line to say hello. Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers


Cheers - Dan

BBVD, Cab Calloway tribute - pre-order contest

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is one of my favorite bands. They were a major force in the neo-swing movement, and in my opinion have the most staying power of any band of that genre or period. They tour relentlessly, and I've attended and danced (swing/lindy hop) at two of their shows, as they often make sure there is a dance floor available.

They have a new album coming out called "How Big Can You Get? A Tribute to Cab Calloway". My wife and I saw them practicing and performing many of the songs when they were on tour last year, and FINALLY the album is completed and being released. Pre-order the album to receive a CD signed by the band, and a chance to win 4 concert tickets! I can't tell exactly how long this promotion is going on, but the contest for the concert tickets ends 3/25/09 and the album will officially be in stores on 4/21/09. I'm placing my order right after this blog entry.

Go see them when they come to your area, and they probably will eventually as they are CONSTANTLY in motion. Their shows are high energy and fun. They tend to hang around after the show to sign autographs and besides being great musicians, seem to be fun and friendly guys -

check out their main site here: lots of video and other cool stuff!: BBVD homepage

Pre-order here: How Big Can You Get?