To see a giant venue like the Crystal Ballroom with less than 100 people in attendance was quite a shock but that is what happened at the excellent Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys show last week. It was the Winter Rockabilly event and also featured a great DJ Murphy spinning music between sets, the equally entertaining Rainieros from Washington, and Johnny 7 and the Black Crabs, also from Washington. Those in attendance were full of energy and dancin' the two step all over the huge, moving floor. I had a great time, hopefully the bands were guaranteed a certain amount of money.

Thanks so much to Jinn for purchasing "Orville"!

The Rotture is an upstairs, cavernous dive on the east side that I like to attend for music. It has a huge bar inside as well as an outdoor patio featuring a glimpse of the industrial section in which the building is located and a view of the Willamette river and downtown Portland. Nobunny, the headliner was fantastic, consisting of four rather evil, non vegetarian, rabbit-looking musicians. Great audience participation added to the nightmarish, carnival-like high energy atmosphere. Starting the show was a combo with a drummer and a go-go dressed, blond wig wearing female bass player. Neither could play nor sing particularly well, but they possessed something special that made this show very amusing and entertaining. Their name is Needles(her) and Pizza(him). The song about those old pink ring contraceptive thingies titled "Frank Might Feel It" was funny indeed. The middle band The Bugs were also good with the drummer and guitarist switching instruments and vocals every few songs.

My son in law suggested going to the Obits show on Saturday at Mississippi Studios and I really enjoyed it. Opening was a most excellent local band Paradise, followed by another solid sounding Survival Knife.

Many thanks to Shannon for stopping by the gallery and purchasing "Bernie". good luck hiding him from your husband till his birthday.

Thanks to the Sadies for a super show at the Doug Fir last night, always a pleasure to see and hear this Canadian based foursome. Also liked Mark Pickerel and the Praying Hands. I was told to put in a good word to the 2014 Pick-a-Thon management-The Sadies want to play there again!

I left the Hawthorne Theatre a sweaty mess last night thanks to Thee Oh Sees band from San Francisco. They must be one of the better live bands going right now and never disappoint. They are back to a foursome from the five they had last time but provided an hour and a half of non stop adrenaline. Opening was another good band from Austin Texas, OBN 111 featuring a psychotic, Iggy Pop like singer,two guitars, a bass and drums. The second band was a crazy fast threesome featuring two guitars and a frenetic, primitive drummer that pounded out the sound. Hailing from Minneapolis, The Blind Shake was a perfect match for this show and I will look for them to come back to Portland again.

I am still processing the four days I spent in San Diego attending Tiki Oasis 13. So much action happening all the time. It was great! Thursday I took the drunk bus from the host hotel to the beautiful Bali Hai bar situated on the water with a fantastic view of downtown San Diego. Very good Mai Tais and I loved the headliner band Creepxotica. Friday I enjoyed Surfer Joe from Italy and Jason Lee and the R.I.P. Tides. I was amazed at all the positive comments I received while working Saturday and I would have been rich if only I could charge five dollars for every picture taken. Musically I enjoyed Acapulco Radio from Germany, B Stars from San Francisco, and Southern Culture on the Skids from the midwest. Sunday the local people were allowed in and it was fun to talk to folks who were not so much into tiki as the Saturday crowd. Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys closed the event with an excellent set featuring Ashley Kingman, one of the best guitarists I have ever heard. I got to hang with some of my artist heroes including Marcus Thorn from Australia, Norm Daniels, Crazy Al, Ken Ruzic, Thor, and Big Toe. Thanks so much to the local couple that pooled all their cash together to purchase "Jared" and to Suze for buying "Eaton" I look forward to doing it again next year.

I had a great time at the Gresham Artwalk this year and want to thank all involved. This is the show that got me comfortable enough to try other events. The tremendous cross section of people attending this particular show makes it a lot of fun for me. Thanks to all that purchased t shirts and especially to Terry and Cheryl for giving "Surfin' Bird" a new Oregon beach home!

I attended the best show of my year last night at the Doug Fir featuring a Long Beach CA band named the Tijuana Panthers. This three piece garage, surf, punk band gave me a much needed shot of adrenaline with non stop guitar, bass and drum music and impressed the heck out of me. All three guys did some vocals which keeps each song fresh and they developed a real rapport with the crowd. They are on an unreal schedule starting yesterday in Portland, today in Vancouver BC, tomorrow in Seattle and I believe in Reno the next. Opening the show was another good band from Orange County GRMLN. I am looking forward to doing the Gresham Artwalk this Saturday and it's only 29 days to Tiki Oasis in San Diego.

Thanks to Greg and Debra and all responsible for making the Tiki Kon event here in Portland such a great time. Some of the heavy hitters in tiki art like Bosko, Big Toe, and Keith Tucker were here and I am glad to report that they were all cool and very approachable. I love asking questions about the process of creating and all were forthcoming and helpful. The Ding Dong Devils were also excellent and I enjoyed the fire dancers entertaining between bands. I thank the many that purchased Frog Island Tiki T shirts and special thanks to Sherry and Karla!

I had a great time at this years' Tiki Caliente event in Palm Springs and want to thank Rory "Wildsville Man" Snyder for the time and effort involved to make a happening like this come together. The bands Kitty Chow and Fisherman, Ding Dong Devils, Thee Swank Bastards, Martini Kings and Sonny Moon, and the Smokin' Menehunes were all exceptional. Special thanks to Paul for deciding to clear some space on his overcrowded walls to make room for "Stu" and to Skootiki for purchasing "Louis". Also to the many that now own a Frog Island Tiki T! Next up is the Tiki Kon here in Portland at the Vancouver Red Lion the second weekend in July, followed the next week by the Gresham Artwalk, and the Tiki Oasis in San Diego the third weekend in August.

Thanks Whitey for taking me to the Blazer Laker game this week! A great show, fantastic seats, and a Laker victory made for a very enjoyable evening. I have signed up this week to do the first annual Hale Pele event in May. Great drinks, live music, and talk of a roasted pig should make for a fun day. The following week I load up the van and head to Palm Springs for the Tiki Caliente extravaganza, which was a blast last year. I will be doing a live carve at the Tiki Kon here in Portland in July, then a very local show here at the Gresham Artwalk the following Saturday. Still waiting to here if they have room for me at Tiki Oasis in San Diego come August. This will be my busiest year yet, but I really like taking my work out and talking to people who are into tiki.

I am going to sign up for the Hale Pele event here in Portland come May. They are a local tiki bar that makes the best tropical drinks you can imagine and I will be there, selling my wares the week before Caliente in May. Live music, mai tais, and vendors should make for a fun time so drop by if you live in the area. Also heard from Tiki Oasis in San Diego and it seems like I will be invited for this celebration of tiki extravaganza in August. It's a huge event and I am hoping to be a part.

I left my warm, cozy home last night to drive into Portland for the Chelsea Light Moving show at the Doug Fir and it was well worth the trip. Fronted by ex Sonic Youth guy Thurston Moore, they brought a great sludgy yet fast paced concoction that had me wanting for more. With the biggest, meatiest hands in rock and roll he seems to squash chords out of his guitar like he's squeezing a lemon and it makes for a sound that is hard to duplicate. His backup band is top notch with a female bass player that doubles on violin. I thought the highlight was the song "Groovy and Linda". Opening was a pleasant, personable little threesome from San Francisco called Grass Widow.

Thanks to the Reverend Horton Heat for making me feel like a cool dude and putting me on the guest list at the Wonder Ballroom Saturday! Guttermouth opened with a strong and energetic fun-fest, followed by one of my favorite Rev shows. The addition of Jello Biafra for a few songs really added to the scene and my man Hoss on stage for a song wearing a Frog Island Tiki t shirt made my chest bulge out with pride. I stumbled out with the happy, sweaty crowd sometime after midnight thinking that after all these years they are hard to beat in the live show arena.

I sure do like the Mississippi Studios venue and a local band that I have wanted to see for some time was playing there last night. Nucular Aminals plays a grungy, psychedelic, dreamy sort of sound, and I really liked the way they destroyed music's conventional structure and timing. Very entertaining. The surprise for me was the opening band For The Lash, a nice foursome with a great primitive drummer, heavy bass, psych guitar and an excellent singer. Sandwiched in between was Stay Calm, a cotton candy, beats-oriented threesome that complained too much about monitors and lighting.

Two of my favorite musicians, Mike P. and Trevor D. were in town yesterday so it was with great anticipation that I went to see Tomahawk at the Wonder Ballroom. It pains me to give them a bad review but I gots to call 'em as I sees 'em. Uninspiring, expensive, routine, with the only spontaneity coming when the singer's mike went dead for a few seconds, it seemed this show was the exact show they will do tomorrow and exact show they did the night before. They played as individuals rather than as a team and add to that the obnoxious 20 minute continuous loop of the tomahawk chop chant they played before coming on that made for a rather disappointing evening. Trevor is still the best bass player I have ever seen though, and I did like the opening band Retox.

We tried to get into Hale Pele, a new local tiki bar, on opening day but after 20 minutes and no movement in the line we decided to try again. Another 3 pm New Years Eve attempt revealed a 5pm opening time so it was with great pleasure that me and my wife gained entry on her birthday this past week. The drinks and appetizers were fantastic with an atmosphere to match. We were even treated to a rare, sudden indoor thunder shower, and would advise anyone in the area to visit this eclectic bit o' Portland. Thanks Kerri for purchasing "Toma", as you know he is one of my favorites and will be missed!

I heard from Rory " WildsvilleMan" Snyder this week, the pith helmeted cool-cat organizer of Tiki Caliente and I'm invited back this year so Palm Springs here I come. The show is in May. Also heard back from Tiki Oasis in San Diego and I am on the waiting list so I'm positive about the chances of doing that one too. Just got word that I'm in at the Gresham Artwalk, a local show that I have done the past four years. It is the third Saturday in July.

Thanks to Hover Craft records for the Thursday music at the Doug Fir. Eight bands for five dollars is hard to beat and I had a smile on my face the whole time. I ranked them Guantanamo Baywatch first, Clorox Girls two and Boom! three. I also turned in requests to show at Tiki Caliente in May, Gresham Artwalk in July, and Tiki Oasis in August this week. In addition I will add a couple of books I've read by cool tiki people. "Blue Vegas Stories" is a pulpy and gritty collection of short stories by P. Moss, the owner of Frankie's Tiki Room and the Double Down Saloon. I liked every one of them but "The Chinaman" was my favorite. Also read part one of a trilogy "The Parrot Talks in Chocolate" by Everett Peacock that is upbeat and placed me warmly back on the beautiful island of Maui.