Hot Lava (a.k.a "How Bowers") plays baritone ukulele and sings with America's best tiki music band, The Crazed Mugs. He lives in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife and son. Contact
You are currently browsing the Tiki Talk weblog archives for August, 2008.
I’m really digging the Balinese puppet show feel of this lamp from Lamps Plus — it reminds me of the more authentic-looking outdoor lamps used at the Royal Pacific Hotel at Universal Orlando.
The base is metal and the lid is made out of wicker with a metal pull. 13 inches high by 7.25 inches wide.
$49.99
Buy the LAMPS PLUS Palm tree wicker accent lamp
The ax fell on yet another Trader Vic’s location on August 23rd, 2008, when the restaurant at Lincoln Square in Bellevue, Washington, shut its doors.
My wife and I actually visited this location in August of 2006 and had a wonderful time and delicious food & cocktails; in 2007 the restaurant won an AOL’s Seattle CityGuide award for “Best Cocktail,” but reports from late in 2008 indicated less-than-stellar service and so-so food. According to The Seattle Times, the location just wasn’t profitable. The restaurant opened on March 6, 2006.
Read the story in The Seattle Times
It’s always hard to find gifts for tiki-loving gals — other than vintage dresses and the occasional bamboo purse, tiki comes off as a “guy thing.”
That’s why I was pleased to find Rubi Rocket, a small jewelery company from Australia that has created a line of jewelry for 2009 called, “Tiki Lounge.” The line consists of necklaces, earrings, brooches, bracelets, and rings that feature motiffs of tikis, hula girls, flowers, ukuleles, pineapples, and palm trees. Each is made from laser-cut acrylic plastic and etched wood.
$20-$34AU.
See Tiki Lounge Jewelry at RubiRocket.com
Can’t Make it to the Islands this Year? NO WORRIES! The Islands Will Come to You!
Tiki Festival dates - August 23rd & 24th, 2008 - Both days - Sunrise to Sunset
1st Annual Long Beach Ho’olaulea
• An Island Market Place & Cultural Center
• Traditional Arts & Crafts Including Tiki Carving, Food Provided by Moana’s - Including Plate Lunches, Hawaiian Shaved Ice, Malasadas and MUCH, MUCH MORE
• Renowned Masters of Island Music & Dance • Traditional Fire & Knife Shows! • Kids’ Zone and Play Areas • Crazy Al Evans’ Tiki Museum• Canoe Rides & Other Activities • Dancing for All, Featuring “Keikis” of Polynesia • Sunday Morning Hula Praise & Worship Service
Show Schedule:
Island Comedy, Steel Guitar Tone, Island Dance Adventure, Beach Brothers and Fire Knife Extravaganza
For more information, visit the website or phone 562.434.1542.
Granada Ave. Beach / Launch Ramp | 5101 E Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90803 | At Granada Ave | Map
When my wife and I were planning our wedding, I discovered Hana Hou Productions, artist Melissa Casey’s amazing, tropical and beach-themed wedding invitation company. The Hawaiian-born designer has over 60 designs in her collection, which are made using the letterpress process for a rich, tactile look.
Unfortunately, we neither had the time nor to the budget to use her services, but her work is perhaps some of the finest in the industry.
For some reason, I’m really diggin’ the multi-colored, spotted, and mottled glazes on these two new mugs from Tiki Farm, both designed by Marcus Pizzuti.
Tangata (left) is in the Easter Island style, stands 6-3/8 inches tall and holds 11 oz. $11.95
Hano’aki (right) is in the Marquesan style and has no less than 6 colors in the glaze! 6-3/8 inches high, holds 12 oz. $11.95
Light the Tiki torches and fire up your engines! The fourth annual Hot Rod Hula Hop is roaring into Columbus, Ohio, on Aug. 8-9 for a weekend celebration of Polynesian Pop and Cruise-in car culture. Presented by the Fraternal Order of Moai, Hot Rod Hula Hop “has become one of the Midwest’s most anticipated Tiki-themed events,” according to Tiki Magazine. Festivities at Largo’s Tavern include an authentic Hawaiian luau; a kustom and vintage pre-1970 hot rod show; live surf, exotica and rockabilly bands; burlesque performances; and an outdoor marketplace featuring Tiki carvers, artists and vendors.
Largo’s Tavern, the Columbus area’s only pirate-themed bar, plays host on Friday, Aug. 8, to the “Feast of the Tiki Gods.” The Feast is a tropical luau with live entertainment by Hawaiian Music Award-winning exotica band Waitiki, Hawaiian-born guitarist Francis Llacuna, renowned ukulele player Pablus from the Crazed Mugs, traditional hula dancing by Leilani, and the Columbus rockabilly band Vegas 66. Tickets are $25 and include an all-you-can-eat buffet. Tickets are available at the Hot Rod Hula Hop web site. Last year’s Feast sold out, so get your tickets before they’re all gone.
The Hot Rod Hula Hop IV “Main Event” on Saturday, Aug. 9, at Largo’s is a full day of fun that starts at 10 a.m. with a car show featuring kustom and vintage pre-1970 hot rods. The marketplace offers antiques and artists, food by Chef Dime and music by professional DJs including Surfabilly Freakout and Java from Bachelor Pad Radio. The Hot Rod Hula Hop IV commemorative Tiki mug is by PopTiki of Colorado. The evening concert features monster surf-rock band Go Tsunami, Chicago lounge lizards The Cocktail Preachers, West Virginia rockabilly trio The Heptanes, Boston exotica combo Waitiki and Detroit psychobilly blasters The Koffin Kats. The entertainment also includes Barnyard Burlesque and the classic sideshow act Lucky the Pain-Proof Man. Tickets for the evening show are $20 at the Hot Rod Hula Hop web site or at the door.
Largo’s Tavern is located at 6159 E. Glick Road in Powell, across the bridge from the Columbus Zoo. For tickets or more information, visit www.hotrodhulahop.com.
