I took the plunge today and signed up for the Tiki Caliente event in Palm Springs this coming May. Rory "Wildsville Man" Snyder is the host and said he was looking for some new vendors so I figured what the heck. I will get to meet such great carvers as Crazy Al, Buzzy, Kirby, and TikiTonz so it will be well worth the trip. Rory said that with that competition it will be hard to sell the big stuff so bring things in the 30-60 dollar range. I have been thinking about trying to sculpt some small glass tiki necklaces so I guess this is my opportunity to try. Also getting together some Frog Island Tiki t shirts to give to the Reverend Horton Heat when they return to Portland on New Year's Eve. The best news is my first or second all-time favorite live band Secret Chiefs 3 will be here in March! Already got my tickets, can't wait.

My favorite newer band without question is Thee Oh Sees from SF and they played last night at the Doug Fir. Easily the best show I have seen this year. They added a band mate and are now 5 strong with 2 drummers. They travel extensively and if they come to your town see them while they are at their peak. Local guys Mean Jeans opened with a fun, punky, sweaty set and were followed by a great Aussie band Total Control. They were also a 5 piece and if there is such a thing as melancholy punk they were it.

What a great World Series! Two hours into game 6 and I thought I was watching the worst game in history, and two hours later I thought it might be the greatest game ever. Tony La Russa is one of the best baseball minds ever and it would not suck to be David Freese.

Attended a benefit concert at East End on Friday, a beery, claustrophobic, sweaty dive of a place = perfect for live music. The band I went to see, Mean Jeans was a no show but enjoyed the three other bands. Of note is the worst bathroom in all of rock and roll. I have been in some bad ones over the years (Satyricon, EJs come to mind) but this one is unreal! I will have one less bev next time so I can avoid using it.

Well I tried Facebook for a couple of weeks but aborted the trip yesterday. It's a very cool tool and am aghast at the traffic it generates but it is almost like leading another life. Also I was totally crushed when I got my friend requests denied and felt poorly when I rejected people I had no desire to know any better. Plus it's too hard to make yourself sound interesting. Facebook has many great things going for it and I had some fun - It just wasn't for me. FBFF-TTFN

I went to the Thatch tiki bar last weekend and downed the best mai tai I have ever had. Recommended. Also talked to Wildsville Man Rory Snyder about vending in his Tiki Caliente event which happens in May. It is smaller than Tiki Oasis in San Diego and the timing of it is better for me. I will contact him the first of the year and get in.

Went to Trader Vic's in NW Portland this weekend. The tikis outside are massive but otherwise rather plain but inside are some great works. Enjoyed walking around and seeing all the tiki art and also the 1944 mai tai and tuna poke that was on the menu. It is worth going to see, but expect to pay about 10 bucks a drink.

I knew this would happen. Got an invite to the Tiki Oasis event which gets going the last weekend of August in San Diego. It killed me to say no but the logistics of getting everything together in a month just wasn't going to work for me this year. I will try again next time.
Since Sonic Youth is one of my all time bands I figured it would be disrespectful not to go see Thurston Moore on Saturday. It was at the Aladdin Theatre which I don't attend too often. I won't say it was a bad show but I was wishing I had brought a bottle of No-Doz with me. Nothing upbeat or loud, all art/poetry crap that did nothing to get the crowd moving like Sonic Youth could. Kurt Vile's hippie band set the slow pace, and the first band/guy was a sort of singing minstrel. zzzzzzzzzzz.

Attended the show at Ella St Social Club as part of the Tiki Kon show that was here. I like a local surfy type band called Guantanamo Baywatch and when I heard they were the headliner I had to go. I had a great time and was treated to some lighted hula-hoop dancing wahines as well as a band called Wavesauce that features a girl playing a Theremin. It's the first time I have ever seen this instrument and you play it by waving your hands over some type of electronic box. I will have to research it to see how it works. When I first arrived I could hardly see the bar for all the hawaiian shirts but by the time G B got on most had left. Too bad as they were very good.

Besides a glitch to start things off (my tikis were still in the hotel storage room when the party started) Skootiki 2011 was huge fun. Saw great tiki art from the likes of Zerostreet, Tiki Tony, Bosko, Bamboo Ben, Flounder, Big Toe, Sam Gambino, Doug Horne, Eric October and more. I sold two framed prints as well as a few unframed. Don't know if any tikis sold but I did not find out till a few weeks later last year. Next is the Gresham Artwalk this Saturday and then I should get some time to do other things.

My daughter Jamie's boyfriend Ryan teaches at the School of Rock here in Portland and I attended the show at the Backspace on Friday. The best indoor show that I have ever seen while it is still daylight! The kids were ages 8-14 I am guessing and just shredded songs from the Beetles, Nirvana, Twisted Sister, Who, Zeppelin and more. There is hope for the future my friends.

I was disappointed with the Two Gallants show here Friday at the Mississippi Studios. They used to be so raw and angst ridden but now are polished and don't seem to feel what they are playing anymore. I was in the minority as the crowd loved them. The Mumlers opened the show with a nice soulful set that I really liked, even though they harmonized too much.

Just 3 and a half weeks till the Elroy show. Emailed Joe pictures of the tikis that I want to show and also the screen prints. I will have to see what he can and cannot use. The reception for the show is the first Thursday in July. The exhibit features excellent tiki inspired art from all over the nation. Get up off the couch if you live in the area and do yourself a favor. The address is 300 sw 6th in Portland.

If there is a better live band in Portland than the Builders and Butchers I have not seen them. Huge energy and really good rapport with the audience. They even hand out instruments to the crowd for them to play (mostly poorly). The first band was Federale, a 7 piece that plays spaghetti-western movie type music. Also got a nice email from Jimbo Wallace from the Reverend Horton Heat's band. I sent him a picture of my carving "Jimbo" which he liked and wanted to use for profile pictures. He even invited me to their show to meet him when they arrive here in August. Is that cool or what?

Dammit- no end of the world so it's back to work on Monday then. Just 7 weeks till the first Thursday in July tiki event. I am impressed by this year's lineup. Also will get some exposure with the opening of the Trader Vic's tiki bar around the same time.

Went to my favorite music venue-the East End, and saw X Ray Eyeballs from NY and the Grave Babies from Seattle. It sounded like more fun than it was but I still had a good time. I liked the first band Hurry Up best, not sure if they are local or not.

Almost finished the screen print for this year's Tiki Kon 9 !TABU! July 19-21 here in Portland. It will be held here in conjunction with the Lambretta scooter jamboree. The tiki show is at the Original Dinerant in downtown Portland July 1-30. Also sent pictures to San Diego for this years Tiki Oasis. Vendors that participated already have priority and there is a waiting list, so we'll see.

Thanks to my pal Whitey for inviting me to the 3rd game of the Blazer/Maverick series. He has the greatest season tickets and invites me to all the Laker games but this is the first playoff game I have attended. The Rose Garden was LOUD! Almost scary. I had a fantastic time and it's the first time I have rooted for the home team.

Thanks Ike for putting me on the Doug Fir guest list the last couple of weeks. It makes me feel like somebody important. Really liked a local band called Aan (on). Also saw O'Death, Rural Alberta Advantage and Lord Huron.

Really got into the design for the Lambretta Jamboree that will be at the Jupiter Hotel in July this year. I will post a picture as soon as I can print, but it is still a few weeks away

Also worked on a limited edition screen print for "Skootiki: Mods and Gods" that will be here in July. It will feature tiki art and Lambretta scooters of which there is some kind of connection ( ? ) I had a blast at last year's event and am looking forward to this one. Of course I will have carved tikis as well. Will let you know on the opening day. Come on down-it's worth it.

Been busy with more shameless self promotion lately and hopped onto the "Tiki Central" bandwagon. It is a forum that encompasses everything tiki from carvings, paintings, destination spots, history, exotic drinks, etc. It has taken me about a year to sort through it and figure things out but I did it. Also heard from Joe at Elroy Artspace today and I'm in for this years' tiki show. It will be in July.

Getting burned out on carving and need to get painting. The varnish that I use is great for outdoor use but requires many coats and months of drying time. Just waiting for 50 degree weather. Thanks to the many people that actually follow progress on this blog. I can't believe the power of the internet and am fascinated by the world-wide reach of it all. Although 90% of the hits come from the good ol' U.S. I get hits from Canada, China, the Dominican Republic, Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, Luxenbourg, Latvia, (I bet there are NO tikis in Latvia. Be the first on your bloc. Order now! I will ship.) Australia, Brazil and more.

You can check out other stuff on photobucket by typing in frogislandtikis as one word and clicking on "paintings and screenprints" Not a lot of tiki but there is close to 100 images for your viewing displeasure.

I will be at this year's Gresham Artwalk the third weekend in July. Hope to show at Elroy Artspaces' " Atomic Tiki" in August and the big daddy "Tiki Oasis 11" August 18-21 in San Diego.