The Sacred Handshake of Okonkuluku is one of WAITIKI’s mysteriously well-kept secrets … That is, well-kept from all but our own Villagers of Okonkuluku. Read on, only if you have already committed the ritual virgin watermelon sacrifice. The tiki gods have warned you!

Special thanks to “The Mayor of Exotica” (Tim Mayer) for the Handshake of Okonkuluku!

See Gallery at bottom of page for illustrated instructions!

Slide 1: The Approach

Spread fingers far apart. As if ready to grasp heavy watermelon (prior to sacrifice)
with one hand.

Slide 2: Making Contact

Interlock your fingers with those of other party. Hope you spit in your hand
first - that’s an Okonkulukian sign of respect for your new friend.

Slide 3: The Grip

Take a firm hold on your new friend, squeeze hard as you might, and remember: He who squeezes hardest squeezes last. Grit your teeth and bear them: if everyone could do the handshake of Okonkuluku, our Villagers wouldn’t be as special to us as they are; Ass why hard fo’ do!

Slide 4: Happy Villagers

Ah… And there you have it, the Handshake of Okonkuluku! Now go forth and prosper (and keep drinkin’ those sidecars and mai-tais). As the Villagers say in Okonkuluku: AXOLOTL!

Whatever You Do, Don’t Do This:

In Slide 5, you can see the facial reaction from a foreigner as he meets a native Okonkulukian.

Thu 24.07.2008 20:30h • Day ticket (2 concerts + 1 film): € 10, concessions € 8 — Two for One ticket: 2 persons together € 15 | Concessions and Two for One tickets are not available online | Day tickets online

When Waitiki play their exotica style, audiences start flicking their fingers almost without realising it. At the House of World Cultures, the band invite their audience to join them on a South Pacific adventure. Images of endlessly long deserted beaches come to mind when they play classics like ‘Voodoo Love’, ‘Quiet Village’ and their own recent Polynesian pop compositions. No wonder that this tiki-tainment band headlined the Hawaii International Jazz Festival.

Eats, shoots, and leaves! (Oh, the Panda…)
Eats bush and leaves! (Oh! The Panda!)
Eats shoots and leaves! (Oh? The panda?)
Eats bush, and leaves! (Oooooh! Panda!)
Lyrics from “Pan-XOTIK-Da” by Randy Wong, © 2003

Surely we all know that “pandas live in China”, but how often is it apparent that those big black-and-white raccoon bears are also master grammarians?

The Story of Pan-XOTIK-Da

In late 2003, WAITIKI’s Prof. Humming Flower, a.k.a. Randy Wong decided it was time to honor the bears of China with an exotic tiki pop song of his own composing. A catchy tune that starts in 6/4 time, Pan-XOTIK-Da marries Sino-kitsch with modern jazz … all while singing about the virtues of bush and bamboo. The song’s chorus (see above) was inspired by a humorous treatise on punctuation (and its modern deviations) by Lynne Truss. Wong intertwined a similar joke regarding koalas and courtesans to give Pan-XOTIK-Da its famous allegory. (Please note that the correct pronunciation is pan • ZOT • ic • da).

Listen to Pan-XOTIK-Da

• Purchase for 99¢ at iTunes

Links to Pandas and Punctuation

• PandaFix.com One-stop source for pictures and videos
• The Wikipedia entry for Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Connections to Exotica and Other Musical Traditions

Pan-XOTIK-Da’s use of allegory (the notion that an extended or metaphorical meaning lies beyond what is literally stated) in its lyrics is stylistically appropriate: Allegory is also found throughout Native Hawaiian and Chinese songs, in which depictions of nature often have sexual undertones or subplots. Although Native Hawaiian texts and Chinese texts are wholly unrelated, the intersection of these separate cultures is appropriately linked via WAITIKI’s exploration of exotica.

Performed at our Lizard Lounge debut, March 2004
From the Okonkuluku University Film Seminar Archives

Performed at our Lizard Lounge debut, March 2004
From the Okonkuluku University Film Seminar Archives

Download it here: http://waitiki.com/WAITIKI_PressKit_2008.pdf.

If you are interested in booking us, check out our press kit, then give Randy Wong a call at 617.771.7971 or 808.554.5042 (808 # for Hawaii callers only, please). A rate card is available upon request. 

No event is too large or too small! We’ve done all sorts of private functions, including: weddings, bar mitzvahs, Rotary Club balls, fundraisers, fun runs, retirement parties, backyard birthdays, lu’aus, yakudoshis, Hawaii Club events, etc. etc. etc. 

Or book us to play at your music festival… we travel worldwide!

Updated to include our performances for the North East Tiki Tour (’07-’08)

Real fun happens whilst drinking a fresh-made Okonkulukooler (recipe concocted for us by Beachbum Berry) and engaging the Mo-Wa-Tu-RU… What’s that, you don’t know what what the Mo Wa Tu RU is? The Mo Wa Tu RU is the Mobile Waitiki Tune Recording Unit!

…More coming soon!

Debut of the WAITIKI Orchestrotica

Venture out beyond the moon with WAITIKI and their Orchestrotica as they present the supersonic “space-age bachelor pad” sounds of the late great Juan Garcia Esquivel — often referred to as Mexico’s equivalent of Duke Ellington.

Whether you know Esquivel as the King of Lounge or as a contemporary to George Gershwin, what matters most is the artfulness of his music. While filled with zany antics and wild instruments, the essence of Esquivel’s writing remains rich and provocative on the inside and frenetically frosted on the outside — a perfect pairing for WAITIKI and the WAITIKI Orchestrotica.

When WAITIKI learned that the original manuscripts for these works had been destroyed many years ago, they decided to transcribe a selection of their favorite Esquivel works (by ear!) off of the recordings. Minimal arranging has been done in order to respect Esquivel’s reputation as a perfectionist.

Known as Boston’s premiere purveyors of exotic lounge and tiki music, WAITIKI has invited 15 of Boston’s best musicians to comprise the WAITIKI Orchestrotica, who will perform this rare live performance of Esquivel’s music.

This special event will also feature WAITIKI’s unique performance of exotic tiki entertainment — complete with mid-century-esque Polynesian cocktails, hula, and more! Opening the evening will be the Gato Malo Orchestra. Jetset or aloha attire welcome!

Press Coverage

Read Globe Cover Story from March 4, 2005

This show will be dedicated to Martin Denny, the father of Exotica, who died March 2, 2005