Posted by admin on December 21st, 2008 in WAITIKI Etc., WAITIKI General Info, merchandise

Featuring Characters from The Album!

This poster was drawn by famed tiki illustrator Sam Gambino in commemoration of the release of WAITIKI’s 2nd album, Rendezvous in Okonkuluku. The characters drawn on it are: the famous WAITIKI plamingos; Sumotori Sam; Choko Chuni Chu cereal; pineapples (a-liltin’ down a hill); and the classic tiki crooner himself, Drank Sumatra.

It measures 11″ x 14″ and is printed in high-quality.

Purchase it today in the our online Shop!

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Posted by admin on December 21st, 2008 in press releases, shows

WAITIKI makes its biannual Honolulu, HI performance on Saturday, December 27 (7:30 pm) at Hawaii Public Radio’s Atherton Studio. Seating for this intimate, live performance is limited to 69 people. The show will not be re-broadcast on the air, and is expected to sell out —so we highly recommend that you purchase your tickets in advance by calling 955-8821, rather than buying at the door. Tickets are $20 General, $17.50 HPR Members, $10 Students with ID.

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Posted by admin on November 6th, 2008 in WAITIKI General Info, bios, helenini

Violinist Helen Liu has a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance from State University of New York at Stony Brook, a M.M. from New England Conservatory, and B.M. from University of Maryland, College Park. Her principal teachers include Pamela Frank, Philip Setzer, Ani Kavafian, James Buswell, William Preucil, and Daniel Heifetz. Dr. Liu’s notable chamber collaborations include performances with various NEC faculty and the Emerson and Guarneri String Quartets. She has performed with as Assistant Concertmaster and Soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra of Breckenridge, Colorado; the University of Maryland Philharmonia Ensemble; the Naumburg Baroque Ensemble in New York; and the New York Amadeus String Quartet. A dedicated educator, Dr. Liu currently serves on the violin and piano faculty at the Bradford School of Music (North Andover, MA); is on the faculty of the Hawaii Youth Symphony’s Pacific Music Institute; and teaches privately in Boston, MA and Long Island, NY. In addition to her classical and baroque performances, she is a member of The WAITIKI All-Star Exotica Septet, a modern exotica ensemble that recently made its European and American debuts.

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Posted by admin on October 9th, 2008 in press releases, septet, shows

WAITIKI Meets The Retro Cocktail Hour!
Saturday, Nov. 1 at 8 PM • Presented by Kansas Public Radio
Liberty Hall - 642 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS
Balcony Tickets at Ticketmaster.com
Reserved Table Seating now SOLD OUT!

Updated Oct. 9, 2008

THE SHOW

WAITIKI, the Boston-based modern exotica band, will be performing live in Lawrence, KS for a special show hosted by Kansas Public Radio’s Retro Cocktail Hour, in celebration of the program’s 500th broadcast!

It’ll be an exotic, once-in-a-lifetime South Pacific sound adventure like no other, featuring classic music by Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Les Baxter, and others, plus original tunes by the band. Besides the unforgettable music, there’ll be a full service tiki bar (serving drink recipes by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry and Kern Mattei from the Official WAITIKI Drink Menu) and a dance floor, so come early and party all night!

The Lawrence, KS performance marks the American debut of the new WAITIKI Septet, the same band that made its European debut at the Wassermusik Festival in Berlin, Germany, this past July. Modeled after the classic live exotica groups of Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Augie Colon, and others, the WAITIKI Septet plays original arrangements of tiki tunes that made the genre famous—and is the only group of today to perform in the true exotica tradition.

Unique to the Septet (and unlike many other exotica bands), hip dance grooves and improvisation play significant parts in the group’s collaborative musicianship, and its all-star lineup of musicians make its show an unbelievable presentation of talent, artistry, and sonic delights.

ABOUT THE BAND

WAITIKI has twice won the “Exotica Album of the Year” Award presented by the Music Foundation of Hawaii and has been featured at numerous festivals, including Tiki Oasis (San Diego, CA), Hukilau (Fort Lauderdale, FL), North East Tiki Tour (Boston, MA), the Hawaii International Jazz Festival (Honolulu, HI) , Wassermusik (Berlin, Germany), and the Festival de Mexico (Mexico City, Mexico).

The Septet’s members are: Tim Mayer (flutes, saxes), Helen Liu (violin), Zaccai Curtis (piano), Jim Benoit (vibraphone), Lopaka Colon (percussion & bird calls), Abe Lagrimas (drum kit), Randy Wong (bass & bandleader).

IN THE PRESS

“Waitiki is one of the most original and talented bands working in Exotica music today . . . they create an Exotica hybrid that is well-crafted and wickedly infectious.”
—Jeff Chenault (Tiki Magazine, Summer 2008)

VISIT US ONLINE

Our website: http://www.WAITIKI.com
On myspace: http://www.myspace.com/waitiki
On facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/WAITIKI-Classic-Exotica-for-Modern-Listeners/16361941686

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Posted by admin on August 30th, 2008 in WAITIKI Etc., collaborators, merchandise

YouÊ»re lookinÊ» at the very first WAITIKI comic book, lovingly designed, written, and illustrated for us by Lenore and Steve Koppelman of Hey Boy! Hey Girl! designs. It will go on sale Sept. 19 at the North East Tiki Tour and will be sold thereon at our live shows and in our Shop. WeÊ»re really excited, because itÊ»s going to have all those comic book features we grew up with as kids: Horoscopes with Moai Mel, an “Ask Miss Helenini” column, mazes, and much much more!

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Posted by admin on August 15th, 2008 in WAITIKI Etc., WAITIKI General Info, drink menu, merchandise, posters

We are now selling our brand-new Waitiki Drink Map and Place Mat, updated for Tiki Oasis and the last half of 2008. You can see what it looks like below! These beauties, illustrated by Sam Gambino, are selling for $15 each (or a set of 4 for $50). They are definitely collectibles, and are each autographed by WAITIKI band members!

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Posted by admin on August 7th, 2008 in WAITIKI General Info

Tales of WAITKI - First Issue!, originally uploaded by waitiki.

WeÊ»re proud to announce that we will begin selling the Inaugural Issue of Tales of WAITIKI in September! HereÊ»s the cover art, ainÊ»t it a beauty? Contact Randy (randy@waitiki.com) if you interested in purchasing ad space… or if youÊ»re a vendor interested in stocking the Ê»book!

It goes on sale Sept. 19 at the North East Tiki Tour, and then will be available at any of our live shows and at the WAITIKI Etc. Shop.

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Posted by admin on August 7th, 2008 in WAITIKI General Info, lopaka, zaccai

Zaccai Curtis and Lopaka Colon, originally uploaded by waitiki.

Cai and Lopaka are two of WAITIKIʻs newest members, but we think they already make a great team. Nothing like the sounds of Lopakaʻs exotic percussion and birdcalls, coupled with the Latin flair exuded by Zaccai at the piano. Welcome to the band, guys!

The next gig Cai and Colon play with us will be on Nov. 1, 2008 for the Retro Cocktail Hourʻs 500th Broadcast Show in Lawrence, KS.

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Posted by admin on August 7th, 2008 in WAITIKI General Info

WAITIKI + DON TIKI, originally uploaded by waitiki.

We had the great pleasure of hanging out and jamming with a bunch of the cats from DON TIKI. Some of our earliest success came by way of our friends Fluid Floyd, Perry Coma, and Sherry Shaoling of DT. Our time at Wassermusik was actually the first time that the entire WAITIKI band met the (most of) the entire DT crew. We think it was a total success, and hope that we get to tour with them again in the future! What a great bunch! Visit the DT website: http://www.dontiki.com.

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Posted by admin on July 29th, 2008 in bios, lopaka

Hawaii-born percussionist Lopaka Colon defines the sound of exotica percussion. Performing worldwide since his days as one-third of the trio Pure Heart (with Jon Yamasato and Jake Shimabukuro), Mr. Colon carries on the legacy and tradition of exotica (and its bird calls!) once performed by his father Augie Colon in the original Martin Denny band. A key member of the exotica show group DON TIKI, Mr. Colon also performs frequently with Henry Kapono, the Swampa ZZ Collective, Deshannon Higa, and leads his own exotica group Intoxica. Lopaka Colon makes his debut with WAITIKI in 2008 with several shows, including the WASSERMUSIK Festival of Berlin (Germany) and a performance for the 500th Broadcast of Kansas Public Radio’s Retro Cocktail Hour.

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