BBQ, BURLESQUE, HOBNOBBING: Tiki Oasis is a celebration of many things, but if you were to say that it heartily embraces a throwback kind of glam you'd be 100% correct. And if you went onto say that Tiki Oasis pays tribute to an era when slide guitar, flaming drinks, and Brylcreemed pompadours ruled, you'd be in the right ballpark. Or perhaps the right "lounge" is more accurate; the love of lounge music and culture of yore is a vibrant part of the San Diego's vintage hoedown. The annual summertime luau-meets-lounge gathering encompasses a lot of the roots-retro-rock-alt scene, with a ton of swing and some burlesque and a whole bunch of wide-lapelled style thrown in. Is this your jones? Then make for the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Diego over the Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18 weekend, or get down even earlier, on Friday, when the whole shebang rumbles to a start at the Bali Hai Restaurant.
MUSIC AND MORE: Hawaiian tunes'll be a focal point for the 2013 festivities. Shall there be ukulele and slack key goodness humming through the weekend? There shall be. There shall also be performances by bands like The B-Stars and Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys, two long-time Golden State stalwarts. Plus a number of social-sweet events, like a barbecue, where you may don your 1962iest finery, shine your shoes, shine your hair, and meet other cool people such as yourself. Yep, we said "cool" and we meant it. Isn't it time to take back that word and return it to the eras in which it was, well, cool? Tiki Oasis, please feel free to use "cool" in reference to your colorful, time-travel-y to-do. You've earned it, especially given that this is Tiki Oasis 13. Anybody that reaches that lucky number automatically gets to wear the cool hat.
