The Tiki Men "Twelve Dusty Diamonds" 1995

The Tiki Men pioneered the great West Coast surf explosion of the early 90’s, influenced by and playing alongside the likes of the world-famous Phantom Surfers at such world-famous venues as San Francisco’s The Purple Onion. The Tiki Men embraced surf music years before its nation wide comeback on concert circuits, soda ads, and latenight talkshows; and they embraced the Pacific island tiki culture long before tiki masks and coconuts became a staple of the Capitol Records lounge exotica revival. They did all this, played tons of shows, recorded a historic LP, and got out before anyone had a chance to analyze them...
...The Tiki Men's Twelve Dusty Diamonds chronicles the dark, dirty, raw adventures of a wave-loving surfer stranded in the desert. Armed with only some beer and a guitar, his journey is all about finding meaning in a waterless world. Well, maybe I listened to it too many times, too late at night. Either way, this is one hella fine album of instrumental surf music. The Tiki Men combine undeniably catchy hooks with rough lo-fi production in an album which varies in mood and intensity, taking you from irreverent excitement to loneliness and despair, and back again. As the title suggests, this is a musical diamond in the rough- check it out.
Members
Pete Husing (rhythm guitar), Micah Kennedy (lead guitar), Tim White (bass), Scott Miller (drums)

traxfromwax:
1. pitcheresque 2. man of mystery 3. badlands 4. harlem nocturne 5. have guitar... 6. that's the way it goes 7. milkshakes 8. the frump 9. island honey 10. spring fever 11. fireball 12. last call