Tiki with Ray

Tiki VIP #17 Jason Alexander (Tacoma Cabana)

Posted by Ray on March 13, 2017 in Tiki VIP

Jason Alexander

I’ll never the forget the first time I set foot in Tacoma Cabana.

Standing behind the bar was this dude wearing an Aloha shirt and fez on his head. I didn’t know anything about this guy, but he had a presence to him that made him really stand out. Without saying a word, the message was clear: I’m here to make Tiki cocktails and trust me, they will blow you away. This man was and is Jason Alexander. He is the owner of Tacoma Cabana. Let’s get to know Jason a little bit more…

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Tiki Bar Review #28 Otto’s Shrunken Head, NYC

Posted by Ray on March 9, 2017 in Tiki Bars

Otto's Shrunken Head

Hey, this used to be Barmacy!

When I first walked into Otto’s Shrunken Head, I felt like I’d been there before. I lived in New York back in the early 2000s and before Otto’s was Otto’s, it used to be Barmacy. Barmacy was a bar that was supposed to be a pharmacy that turned into a bar. Pretty interesting idea, but a Tiki bar is so much cooler!

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #19 The Kanaloa Lounge Calgary Alberta, CA

Posted by Ray on March 6, 2017 in Home Tiki Bars

The Kanaloa Lounge

Fun fact: Calgary is known as Cowtown! Even though Calgary is in the heart of Alberta, Canada, it has a cowboy/country feel to it. They even have a rodeo called the Calgary Stampede. You wouldn’t expect to see denim, daisy dukes, and cowboy hats in a metropolitan Canadian city. You kniow what else you wouldn’t expect to see? An awesome home Tiki bar! It’s called the Kanaloa Lounge and the man behind it is Aubrey Hallis. Here is his story…

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Comparing Tiki Bars To KISS

Posted by Ray on March 2, 2017 in Tiki Lifestyle 2 Comments

Ray with Kiss Alive photo by Trash TV Streaming

“You wanted the best and you got them! The hottest band in the land: KISS!”

Back in the ’70s, KISS ruled the school. They were huge! There were KISS toys, KISS comic books, KISS, well, pretty much anything Gene Simmons could think of! KISS was so big that the band even had it’s own army, the KISS Army!

Why was KISS so big and why were they so successful? One reason: seeing KISS live was a breathtaking, rocking spectacle that couldn’t be duplicated!

Why?

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Tiki VIP #16 Clee Sobieski (Tiki Artist)

Posted by Ray on February 27, 2017 in Tiki Art, Tiki VIP 3 Comments

Clee Sobieski At The Tonga Hut Palm Springs

Clee Sobieski: pronounced SEE-lee SOH-bee-ES-kee

When I first saw Clee’s work at Tiki Kon 2016, I knew I wanted to do a post about this talented fellow. Clee’s art pulls from Tiki, Mid-Century, and everything in between. The thing I love most about Clee’s work is that it’s totally unique and timeless. When you see a painting by Clee, you know it’s his. And now you know how to pronounce his name correctly! Let’s get to know Clee a little better…

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BossaNova Life (Duke And Lola) Rockabilly, Hot Rod, Burlesque, Tiki Vlog

Posted by Ray on February 23, 2017 in Tiki Lifestyle

Duke and Lola-BossaNova Life

Rockabilly.

Hot rods.

Burlesque.

And Tiki.

All these subcultures go hand-in-hand and sometimes overlap. Is the connection a love of the Mid-Century culture? Maybe, but I dig it all because I love eye candy and it’s just so damn cool!

Duke and Lola feel the same way! To show the “squares” what they’re missing, Duke and Lola created their own Vlog called “BossaNova Life.” I’ll let them tell you what it’s all about…

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Tiki Bar Review #27 Forbidden Island Alameda, CA

Posted by Ray on February 20, 2017 in Tiki Bars

Forbidden Island

Every painting starts with one brush stroke. Each stroke that follows can make the painting better or worse.

The same thing is true with building a Tiki bar. The possibilities are only limited to your imagination, or to how much you care about building something special. I don’t want to say there’s a right or wrong way to build a Tiki bar, but as they say, “The proof is the pudding.” There are definite reasons why certain Tiki bars have lines outside the door and why others close a couple months after opening. Forbidden Island in Alameda, CA is not the later! Forbidden Island is one of the oldest of the new Tiki bars, opening its doors a decade ago in 2006.

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Straight Edge Tiki #2 North Shore Lagoon 1/8/17

Posted by Ray on February 13, 2017 in Straight Edge Tiki

Ray Bobby and Birgitta at The North Shore Lagoon

There are many reasons why people don’t drink alcohol. Some people can’t drink because of health reasons. Others don’t because they feel it’s just not a good idea anymore. But one of the most important reasons not to drink is pregnancy.

Bobby is a good buddy of mine. We are heavily into Vespa scooters and have spent many hours riding (and probably even more hours wrenching just to make our scooters run!). Bobby had never been to a Tiki bar and was interested in checking one out. When Bobby’s wife Birgitta heard we were going to the North Shore Lagoon, she was bummed. She’s pregnant, which meant no drinking for her. It was all good for Brigitta, though! We were going to do some drinking, but we were going to do it the Straight Edge Tiki way: no alcohol!

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Janu-waii Luau 1/28/17 Washougal, WA

Posted by Ray on February 9, 2017 in Tiki Lifestyle

This has been a very cold winter up here in the Pacific Northwest. In Seattle, it’s been fifteen degrees colder than it normal and if it isn’t cold, it’s been grey and raining.

Portland, OR just got over a blizzard that left the city with over ten inches of the white stuff! The city isn’t prepared to deal with that kind of accumulation, so Portland has been snowed in!

What is one to do when the weather is terrible? Curl up with a good book and a cup of coco? Pop some popcorn and binge watch something on Netflix? Nah! If your Jamie Lutz and Daren Ford, you throw a Luau! A Janu-waii Luau to be exact!

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