Press and Reviews
Below are snippets and links to full articles mentioning the Orchestrotica. All articles have been reprinted with permission. Mostly.
November 3, 2008
Feature in Milenio newspaper (Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico)
- Sonidos estereofónicos del mexican lounge
- Rafael Molina covers Brian O'Neill, Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica, and of course, Esquivel in Mexico's national newspaper. “No hay genio más pachucote comparable a Tin Tan, que Juan García Esquivel, contemporáneo de su locochona vida en los años cuarenta y cincuenta; mito y culto entre los mortales amantes de la música lounge. El músico Brian O’Neill se dio a la tarea de recuperar sus partituras y nos dice por qué.” Full article
October 14, 2008
Koop Kooper Podcast
- Koop's music podcast on tiki, lounge, and easy listening music interviews Mr. Ho about the project. Listen now
April 3, 2006
La Cronica: Concert Review
- They pay tribute to Juan García Esquivel with the Waitiki OrchestroticaFull story English & Spanish
April 1, 2006
La Jornada: Feature
- Se presenta hoy la Orquestrótica Waitiki en el Teatro de la Ciudad
- La única orquesta en el mundo que interpreta la música de Juan García Esquivel -considerado por el cliché musical como el padre del lounge-, la Orquestrótica Waitiki, dirigida por Brian O’Neill, se presentará este sábado a las 20:30 horas en el Teatro. . .Full story English & Spanish
March 2006
Article in magazine Districto Federal (March 2006)
- Mexico Celebrates Esquivel
- (translated from Spanish) “The first time I heard those arrangements that were so cool using totally familar songs, and at the same time intelligent and humorous, I felt that I had discovered a sister music to our Exotica” says Brian O’Neill. . .Full story
March 4, 2005
Boston Globe: Cover Story in Weekend Section
- Hawaiian punch: Waitiki throws a Polynesian party to play the music of Juan Garcia Esquivel
- Waitiki is different from other bands. It’s not just that the group plays exotica, a term better suited to a decorating motif or a category of porn than a musical genre. Or that by all accounts it’s one of two ensembles in the world that still performs exotica. . .Full story
March 4, 2005
Boston Herald: Full page story in The Edge
- Light the Torches for a Night with WAITIKI
- Here’s a combination that will melt the icicles in any New Englander’s brain: Polynesian drums, grass-skirted singers, groovy rhythms courtesy of lounge music hero Juan Garcia Esquivel, and the tiki-torch exclamation point - a full tropical drink list. That should thaw. . .Full story