Thanks to local band Wavesauce for the very enjoyable record release party at Analog in Portland Friday. It seemed like a lot of friends and family attended this all ages show and that was a large part of the fun. Excellent old footage of space and rock and roll movies filled the background and enhanced the surfy sound of this foursome. If you do not know what a theremin is (like I didn't) then check them out.

Thee Oh Sees did it again, making me think they are the best live band going. They ripped through an hour long set with nothing but non stop fast and loud music that had the sold out crowd moshin' and surfing' the whole time. The lead singer/guitar player is fantastic and switches from a six string to 12 with great dexterity, alternately pounding them with his fingers or grabbing the pick from his mouth to create different sounds within the same song. Backing him up was a stripped down version of his band with only a bass and drum. No mention was made of what happened to their female keyboardist/singer and other guitar. Hopefully that is just temporary as those two really round out the sound. Leading off was Jack Name, a foursome that played an intimate, enjoyable set of synch, fuzzy, industrial style music.

I was happy I braved the cold weather last night to see the Tijuana Panthers play at the Hawthorne Theatre. A poppy threesome from Long Beach, they did a great job of warming up the audience with a lively 45 minute set that I really enjoyed. All three took turns doing vocals and did songs from both their albums. It is funny to see the band as well as audience dressed in jackets, knit hats, gloves, but it was cold in there! Opening was a nice surf band Pounded by the Surf, although Mellowed by the Surf might be a better name. Headlining was Mariachi El Bronx from LA (?) an eight piece, white, rather punky band that finally had the crowd at least unzipping their jackets and taking off gloves.

About 20 years ago I went to see the Lemonheads with Hole and thought it would be a great show but was not impressed with either band. Fast forward and my chance to "get" the Lemonheads, which happened Thursday as they opened for the Psychedelic Furs here at the Aladdin Theatre. Besides the best tune up of guitars I have seen (The lead singer came out and soloed) their show was all that I remembered... Bland, plain and devoid of anything noteworthy. A bunch of manufactured, brooding, imagined complaints by the lead singer that bothered me to no end. Saving the day was the main act, which blistered through an 18 song set that was both nostalgic and relevant. Thanks to Richard Butler and his mostly original 5 piece for such a great show!

I always see the Melvins when they come to town, one of the heaviest bands around. They never disappoint and last night was no exception. Opening was a La Butcherettes from Mexico featuring a wild female singer, fantastic female drummer, and a dude handling bass. Very odd and enjoyable. The Melvins featured of course King Buzzo on vocals and guitar, Pinkus from the Butthole Surfers on bass, and the best drummer in rock, Dale Crover. Many years of music was covered, a perfect blend of old and new.

I was invited this week to participate in a small show at Trader Vics in Portland Oct. 2 as part of the first Thursday event so come on down and have a mai-tai.

I thank Ken for being my number one collector and purchasing "Bob" for your incredible yard!

Thanks so much to Suze for purchasing another one of my tikis. "Felix" is now on the way to Palm Springs. Also thanks to Brett for taking "Airic" home. He loaded him into a taxi for the trip. Special thanks to Jason Lee and Michelle for using their gig money to buy "Juan and Atu" I know he will love his new abode. The music at Tiki Oasis was good again, my highlights were Ixtahuele from Sweden and Three Some from Serbia.

Thanks to all that worked so hard on the 2014 Tiki Kon event, I had another great time and will do it again next year. Thanks to Gretchen from the bay area for purchasing "Driftwood", I was worried that I would not sell a darn thing. The music is a big part of doing these excursions for me and highlights from Friday night were a long and rousing set from locals Satan's Pilgrims with Lushy from Seattle. Mixed in was the tantalizingly sultry gyrations of Tana the Tattooed Lady and Megan Mayhem. Saturday my favorite was again a local band "Wavesauce" featuring a charismatic, theremin playing lead, along with an excellent bass player, drums, and guitar. Headliner Spyrograph was mellow and did many old loungey type classics. Next week is the Gresham Artwalk, then August is Tiki Oasis in San Diego.

I had another great time at this year's Tiki Caliente in Palm Springs. I sold more tikis than ever before and the world-famous artist Shag bought "Dyson" which was a real thrill. Thanks to Jeff and Gwen, Gary and Gail, Si and Damian, Joe, Rob and Katie, and Big Ed for purchasing Lonnie, Orson, Ben, Growth Pole, Barry, Lauderdale, and Brett Lambo. The band line up was also excellent starting with the Poi Boys, Hula Girls, Smokin' Memehunes, Jason Lee and the R.I.P.Tides (my fave), Alika Lyman, Outerwave, and Aloha Guitar.

I've got my schedule complete for the summer starting May 15-18 in Palm Springs for Tiki Caliente. Next is July 11-13 here in Portland for Tiki Kon, followed the next week by a local Gresham show Art Walk, etc. Last but not least is Tiki Oasis in San Diego which happens August 14-17. Hope to see some of you along the way.

I am certain the future of rock and roll is secure after seeing new bands the Tiny Knives, Hurry Up and headliners Marriage + Cancer at The Know on Friday this week. It will be hard to see a better show for me this year, but I will try.

I think I was expecting too much at the recent Reverend Horton Heat show, but it seemed to lack the same luster that their shows usually produce. Besides the worst music venue in Portland, the Wonder Ballroom, the blame goes to the back up bands, especially the middle show, Stockholm based The Necromantix. Opening was a pretty good blue grass/punk band Old Man Markley, happy and fun, but they lacked bite, which every punk band needs to possess. I especially enjoyed seeing Hoss from the RHH crew, a good singer and guitarist that actually wore a Frog Island Tiki t shirt on stage, a highlight in my life.