via The Swinging Sixties.
Sven Kirsten compiled a magnificent collection of tunes to pull you in.
Sound of Tiki CD Art by Kevin Kidney 2008, originally uploaded by Miehana
Here’s a shoe for you:
The original skateboard shoe from 1966 – Vans.
Keds would be even more period perfect, as worn by The Challengers:
Are Keds still available? The last time I was in Biarritz I saw them in a shop window.
Retro To Go: Vans Authentic – original 1960s trainers back on the market.
from Tiki Kiliki via Lou Smith on The Exotica Mailing List:
Photos and Videos from Hukilau 2009
Here’s a few links to incredible photos from the weekend. If any of you would like to share your photos or videos, please send links to me so that I can send them out to everyone on the list:
- From my Photography Team Go11Media: Go11Media
- From Dr. Strangrum: Flickr
- From Crystallize: Flickr
- Great event video from Chris Kridler … YouTube
- Chris also wrote this review: Florida Today
Performers videos and other photos:
- Haole Kats video YouTube
- Los Straitjackets video YouTube
- The Intoxicators video YouTube
- The Stolen Idols video YouTube
2009 Hukilau photos
- tornadotiki.com
- tinyurl 1
- tinyurl 2
- Picasa 1
- Picasa 2
- Phinz
- Chip and Andy
- Mr Bali Hai
- Gooneybird
the vintage music and dance night
start:
Sunday, Mai 17th 2009 19:00
location:
South London Pacific Tiki Bar
340 Kennington Road
London, United Kingdom
phone: 02078209189
mail: info(at)hulaboogie.co.uk
Night of exquite stompin’ vintage music for your dancing and listening pleasure with early evening Jive and Hula dance classes, late night burlesque performance, free kitsch snack giveaways, music,cocktails and dancing to DJ music to 1am at fabulously kitsch tiki bar!
Here I list some boutique guitar makers (or luthiers) who have some designs that could be working well for Surf music. Obviously they often have features familiar from the various famous Fender guitars such as the Stratocaster, the Jazzmaster or the Jaguar. There’s also a new model which combines features of the Jazzmaster and the Jaguar, called The Johnny Marr Jaguar. My rule of thumb was really for them to have at least two single coil pick-ups and a vibrato unit. I haven’t played any of these, but from my experience of digging at Surf music since the late eighties I have an idea what works. You have to acustom yourself with a guitar, especially for instrumental music, and for some players the feel of the whole Fender package might be too far from their heritage, or the sound is too cookie-cutter-like.
The pictures are links.

Cranium Divine Trem O Matic
OK, this might already be a controversial choice. But recently I find myself listening to Morpheus by The Toads who had a Gibson for lead, and it worked for them. This here is obviously based on Gibson’s Les Paul model, except for the unusual shape.
Here we have a similar candidate, with a set neck too and even mini humbuckers. Isn’t it a beauty? The 1963 Mosrite Ventures model had a set neck as well, with no lack of attack for sure! This being a very boutique enterprise, the builder would probably drop in a pair of singles coils if you ask him to. Kindly.

Roadrunner Bazaar

Roadrunner Surfmaster

Roadrunner Grave Digger

Roadrunner Anty
These are creations by a frenchman. He seems to be into all the right bands and the inspiration for his guitars is as cool. He beats his own path, never copying a bodyshape, and coming up with different electronic layouts and color schemes. Unique stuff, perfect references for Surf.

Needham

Needham double cutaway
Needham Guitars from Austin, Texas. They remind me of Les Paul Juniors, Danelectros and a bit of Microfrets. Very nice, clean dual single coil designs.
Unusual combo of Jazzmaster style pick-ups with a 3/3 headstock and a Stratocaster-style vibrato.

Micro-Frets Signature
This american 1960s and 70s company was revived in recent years. As far as I gather the company fits the boutique builder description. Carl Perkins and Buddy Merrill were famous Micro-Frets players.

Billyboy
The italians. Gone are accordion cover materials and pearloid fretboards, but this Billyboy is just as creatively weird in the style department as his ancestors of Eko and Galanti fame.

Fano Alt de Facto RB6
This one here by Fano looks like a cross between a Rickenbacker and a Les Paul – but if you are aware of the Chantays original recording of Pipeline you know they used a Barth guitar. Paul Barth was a southern California luthier who worked for Rickenbacker and Magnatone before making a few instruments under his own name. Pipeline happens to be a prototypical Surf instrumental, despite the lack of a vibrato on any guitar involved, so this guitar gets the blessing for its purist, Barth inspired style.
Dave Wronski of Surf instrumental greats Slacktone is working for Fender Musical Instruments and got this one of a kind Surf-machine together. This could also be in the later Do-It-Yourself article in this series, but since a proper custom shop of a righteous guitar company is involved I decided to declare it a boutique guitar.
Unfortunately I have no idea who made this guitar for Billy Childish. I certainly haven’t seen one before, so maybe it’s a one off, who knows? I would describe it as Bo Diddley meets Chuck Berry in the Höfner workshop. Sounds like a good description for Billy Childish’s music. The reason I don’t consider it a D.I.Y. project is that I can’t picture him building guitars instead of carving expressionistic woodcuts or recording punk-rock-rave-ups.
Here are two more links I couldn’t find proper photos for:
Galasso from Argentina
and Koll Guitars,
for which I have a very soft spot, the Gretsch design influence is a great variation, that few builders successfully pull off.

Ronnie Sargent Custom
Oops I almost forgot this guy. Maybe the weirdest, and a big inspiration for this post!
Ronnie Sargent Custom Guitars
As usual I demand of my readers to provide further info where I missed it! Please use the comment function below.
If you have The Cowabunga Box Set of Surf Music or the Taschen book about Leroy Grannis’ work you have already seen some of the greatest surf culture photography. What an incredible legacy for us late comers to witness these times through the lense of such a great photographer.
Malcom from Legendary Surfers writes (excerpt):
…Leroy Grannis — Granny — has fallen on hard times. Famous for his surfing photos and as an elder of the tribe — a local of Carlsbad and Hermosa — you would think he’d be able to supplement his Social Security and MediCal with modest earnings from his photography and his life savings.
Unfortunately, what ‘estate’ he had has been eaten up by executors, and others.…
Granny no longer can afford to stay in the assisted living home he has been living in and has moved to his son’s home. John Van Ornum has been helping Leroy’s daughter Katie get the word out and is exploring setting up a fund for donations. For more information, you can reach John at: jvo_v101@yahoo.com
To read about Granny’s contribution to surfing, please go to the Legendary Surfers chapter, updated 2/15/2005: LeRoy ‘Granny’ Grannis
It’s still brandnew, so not much to see so far. And it’s in german. I intend to write about graphic design with a focus on vintage style and also music marketing and design.
Domenic Priore writes:
On Saturday @ 6, come by Stories Book Store, 1716 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California (Echo Park, just South of Alvarado) to hear surf instrumental combo The Boardwalkers live and in person.
They’ll be playing between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Stories for a book event based around my new one with Brian Chidester, ‘Pop Surf Culture: Music, Design, Film and Fashion from the Bohemian Surf Boom.’
Several television monitors around the shop will be screening a wide variety of pre-1970 surfing movies as background eye candy (and for Pop effect) as The Boardwalkers play, and we meet, greet and sign books.
For more information and a ton of groovy pics, check:
dumbangelmag.blogspot.com
Comments on the blog site, very much appreciated. No one previous has presented The Rendezvous like this. Thanks, folk, and hope to see you @ Stories…
For lack of another common tag I had these stored for years under the Cool banner in my personal browser – so it’s high time to let you participate!!!
Movies
- Brian’s Drive-In Theater
Prelinger Archives
Robby’s Super-8
Entertainment
- Hulaboogie.co.uk
Bardot A Go Go
Meissoun – Raqs Sharqi – Bollywood Dance
Modern Drunkard Magazine
Fashion
Art, Design, Architecture
- SuZanna Anna Gravel Art Mosaic Art
Tom’s World
m – m o d e r n
Hafenbasar! Hamburg
Googie Architecture
Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee
City In Space
Retro Themed
- Beatsville Pad – Book
California Mod Scene
Dumb Angel Magazine
Retro Radar – Vintage Living at its Best!
fastfoodkids.de
Retrolounge
PCL LinkDump
ookworld – Observing Obscure Kulture
Billetproof Car Shows
Silver Line Boats
Pulp Fiction E-cards