This is a little complicated. Eden Ahbez was a proto-hippie who lived under the big HOLLYWOOD sign in the Los Angeles area in the 1950s. He also wrote songs, including "Nature Boy," which was a hit for Nat King Cole. Ahbez recorded an album of beat poetry and exotica, "Eden's Island." It did not do well, and he subsequently abandoned plans for a follow-up. Thing is, he left behind a lot of unrecorded music when he died. The Swedish exotica group Ìxtahuele has gone through Ahbez's archive and recorded those never-before-heard tracks for the ablum "Dharmaland" to be released later this year. "Mana" is the first finished track they've released, and it sounds outstanding with the haunting vocals of Kadhja Bonet. The video is fascinating as well, considering the male actor has an uncanny resemblance to the late Ahbez. How much of this is due to makeup and how much comes down to a fluke of genetics is irrelevant. This is a fitting tribute to the eccentric composer.
I'm not going to lie, folks, I'm excited about this one! In this episode of A Moment of Tiki, we get a first look at Hugman's Oasis, a brand-spanking new tiki bar on San Antonio's famed River Walk. It opens for business Friday, May 7. I, along with Secrets By Miss Lisa, were some of the fortunate guests invited to their soft opening on April 29. They didn't have a full menu and there were still some kinks to be worked out, so I'm holding off on a more formal review for a month or so to allow them to find their groove. But until then, we have this cool sneak peek!
Way back in November of 2018, the San Antonio Heron ran a short story about developer Chris Hill planning to open a tiki bar in the 1890s Witte Building on the San Antonio River Walk. Then in February 2019, they ran another story about the city approving gas-fired tiki torches for the exterior. Wow! Can you imagine how enthused I was? Two years, six months and a global pandemic later, Hugman's Oasis is the first full-fledged tiki space to open in San Antonio since Polynesian Gardens operated in the shadow of the Tower of the Americas during the 1968 HemisFair World's Fair. And it's the first to offer a full menu of tiki cocktails--back in 1968 it was still illegal to serve mixed drinks in Texas! So come along with me for a tour of the space, some interviews and a whole lot of eye candy in episode 28 of A Moment of Tiki:
