Hi there Tiki fans!

Ben Roger’s amazing surf rock band, Instrumental Asylum returns to the Tiki Bar. Instrumental Asylum plays surf guitar music inspired by the likes of Dick Dale and Duane Eddy. Instrumental Asylum will again be joined by vocalist Jasmine Mahon, so expect a sultry rendition of a classic 007 theme song or two.

Catch a sneak preview at http://www.myspace.com/benrogers39instrumentalasylum

Band starts some time after 8pm, so get in early to guarantee a seat! Don’t forget our happy hour between 6-7pm for $10 Cocktails!

Call 9428 4336 for more information. $8 CC.

Cheers,

Kev

Hi Tiki Fans!

In our latest attempt at stretching the reach of the tiki aesthetic’s “crossover” appeal with various subcultures and genres, Tiki Lounge and Bar are proud to announce that local Funk Band “Mainsqueeze” will be performing a high energy show on Saturday July 26th!  Here’s the skinny:

Mainsqueeze, 6 piece 60’s funk band comprising of lead vocalist: Chloe Wilson, baritone sax: Sammy Valentino, drums: Domenic Prattico, guitar: Ashley Klus, guitar: Tony Millilo and bass:Mike Ostapchuk.

The group have been rehearsing extensively for the last 8 months to become Melbournes funkiest new band giving audiences authentic, obscure southern funk.  The band comprises of 6 experienced musicians who have a passion for funk and funky soul. All members also work professionally in various other local bands. Lead singer Chloe was the former lead vocalist with Mo Tunes. She has also recently worked as a backing vocalist to New Orleans funk master Eddie Bo and provides sweet backing vocals for local Cabarock band The Dice Age. Other members are currently involved with the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, The Dice Age, The Moment of Truth and other Rhythm and Blues bands.

Kicks off around 9 pm!

Hi Crew!

I’ve been talking recently to a wonderfully dark Vancouver-based artist named Megan Majewski.  Her work is incredibly dark and at the same time is strangely cute, but gives you a chill in the same way that the works of Tim Burton and Jhonen Vasquez do.

Megan reports that Tiki is alive and well in Vancouver; in addition to her own interpretations of “horror/tiki”, the most excellent video podcast Tiki Bar TV  is also filmed in Vancouver (I <3 Lala!).   Megan’s painting work can be found along with her 3d animation and some other merchendise (including a Tiki T-shirt and Tiki buttons!) at www.deadkittie.com.  Check it out!  With any luck someone will pick up her work and exhibit it in Australia (Outre, Kustom Lane…  I’m looking at you…)

Cheers,

Kev

Aloha Groovers and Shakers!

A real beaut evening coming up at the “Tiki Lounge and Bar”!

Saturday 12th July

Escape to Surf Guitar heaven with…..

“Instrumental Asylum”

9.00pm

$8 cover charge.

Drop in to the Tiki Bar to enjoy the “groovy surf/lounge/guitar noir/jazzy sounds” of the infinitely cool and talented Instrumental Asylum lead by master guitarist Ben Rogers.

Featuring special guests Jasmine Mahon on vocals and New Yorker Al Kash on drums & percussion.

Check them out on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/benrogers39instrumentalasylum.

Also, don’t forget our happy hour from 6pm - 7pm where we sell selected cocktails for $10 a pop! 1950’s prices*!

Call 9428 4336 for more information.

cheers from

Tiki Lounge & Bar - 327 Swan St Richmond

03 9428 4336

*I’m guessing.

Tiki has long been associated with the fine art of pinstriping.  You need only walk into a gallery like Kustom Lane in Hawthorn to see the worlds of Tiki and pinstriping walking hand-in-hand.  Poking around the internets recently I came across a most excellent flickr album with a wonderful example of Tiki artwork adorning some form of 4 wheeled transport at a car show.  The detail is just amazing:

Cheers,

Kev

Ice is back with a brand new invention!

Ok, now that we’ve got that out of our system, lets talk about ice (ice, baby - alright I’m done now).

Tiki Lounge and Bar has recently been experimenting with mankind’s greatest creation (after fire, wind and rain), ICE! We were of course inspired by the tireless research of the man without whom I believe this world would never have rediscovered the joy of a well crafted Tiki Cocktail - Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. Beachbum Berry wrote The Book on Tiki Cocktails (and then for good measure wrote another two, his latest masterwork being the thoroughly entertaining and informative Sippin’ Safari).

In Berry’s books he delves into old cocktail books and the hand-written records of past Tiki mixologists and emerges with wonderfully complex recipes containing secret ingredients and techniques that have been lost in the mists of time. One skill that has been forgotten since the fall of the great Tiki Temples is the manipulation of ice in creating impressive new ways to present drinks. Beachbum Berry’s work has encouraged us to work on recreating some of these effects - one of which is seen in our new Get Smart inspired Cocktail the “Cone of Silence” (pictured). Beachbum Berry has written some kind words about our humble ice sculpting effort over at his “Grog Blog” .

We salute you, Mr Berry! Your work has reinvigorated an entire genre of drinks and is continuing to show us that fun drinks can still be serious (or is it that serious drinks can still be fun?).

Cheers,

Kev

Aloha!

Our menu gnomes have been hard at work putting together our exciting new Cocktail Menu concept.

The new menu will be a beautifully illustrated A3 menu in the style of menu common in the middle of last century. Below is a sneak peek at one of the hand illustrated colour effigies of our wonderful tropical drinks. The drink in question is a Zombie :

Don the Beachcomber’s classic Zombie represents all that is great about Tiki Drinks – heaps of great Rum, fresh fruit juices, bold flavours and a bit of showmanship, our Zombie is good old-fashioned fun. Full of four premium Rums, lime, lemon, passionfruit and pineapple, our Zombie is brought to life with a bit of fire and some Voodoo magic… Don’t singe your eyebrows!

The superb illustration was done by friend-of-the-bar Fiona Palmer a gifted Melbourne illustrator and designer. The colouring was done by her partner Mike who is also an illustrator working in graphic design and is responsible for our great tribal tiki logo. The two of them have been dragged kicking and screaming into producing Tiki themed work for us against their will and have embraced the aesthetic with gusto.

Here is a great example of a vintage illustrated Tiki bar menu that I found on display in a Hawaiiana exhibit in Waikiki Beach. Our menu will be like that but better!

Cheers,

Kev

Hi all,

As Tiki Lounge and Bar’s Chief Bartender, I was recently invited to be interviewed by Koop Kooper, the “Lounge Lothario” on his excellent Cocktail Nation podcast.  If you haven’t already checked out this great Australian podcast focussed on all things lounge, then get along to the website at cocktailnation.podomatic.com.  We chatted about the ins and outs of Tiki cocktail making, Beachbum Berry’s wonderful book on Tiki drink history Sippin’ Safari, and our recent Cinema Exotica event.

A few weeks back Co-owner of Tiki Lounge and Bar, David Backler, appeared on Cocktail Nation.  Be sure to check that one out too!

Cheers,

Kev

Last night’s Cinema Exotica was an unmitigated success! Many thanks to the Graveyard Tramp (check out his great blog) for delving into the archives and producing some great cinematic entertainment!

I’ve included a photo of our enthralled audience enjoying the b-grade horror feature “Homicidal”, but the barstaff’s vote for best part of the night goes to the incredibly classy and high-brow moving pictures of topless go-go dancers of the 1960s. Very artistic!

If you have photos of the event that you would like to share in our gallery please send them to photos@tikiloungeandbar.com.

We will be holding more of these nights in the near future - Keep your eyes on the event calendar.

Cheers,

Kev

Hiya!

We recently received an email in our photos@tikiloungeandbar.com mailbox containing 3 wonderful pictures of some paintings by Melbourne-based artist-on-the-rise Paul Hughes. Paul’s works are fantastically optimistic and nostalgic mixes of, as he says, “Sea faring,Surfing,Tiki Trading and Robot Art” - something like Shag meets the Brady Bunch. Below is one of my favourite pieces featuring a recurring robotic character with a nod to Gilligan’s Island and Lost in Space. Paul’s paintings have been shown at the Frankston Arts Centre, and he can be found lurking around Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/artofpaulhughes.

Thanks for sharing your art, Paul. Hope to see you round the bar some time!

Also, to anyone that has any photos of the bar that you’d like to share in our gallery, please email them to photos@tikiloungeandbar.com and we’ll see to it that they make it on to the gallery page.

Cheers,

Kev