What’s In Your Fridge is where the Straight asks interesting Vancouverites about their life-changing concerts, favourite albums, and, most importantly, what’s sitting beside the Heinz ketchup in their custom-made Big Chill Retropolitan 20.6-cubic-foot refrigerators.

On the grill

Rod Moore

Who are you

I’m the owner of the Shameful Tiki Room, the Port Light bar, the Modern Bartender and the Rod Moore Band. Aside from offering folks in both Vancouver and Toronto amazing tiki cocktails and bar supplies, I release original pop music under my namesake band in which I play guitar, keyboards, write the material and sing lead vocals. For a fun hobby I like to carve full size tiki totems and, because you wanted to know, my first job was scrubbing tires at a car wash!

My most recent carving:

First concert

I was older than most for my first concert. I was 16, it was August 1987 and I saw the Beach Boys at the PNE Coliseum. I had just come back from an amazing camping trip where there was a pool hall with a juke box. All the kids kept playing the Beach Boys medley 45 and I couldn’t get enough of it! I fell in love with the music and went down a rabbit hole when I got home. I was amazed to discover they were going to be performing right after I got home, so that became my first live music experience.

Life-changing concert

I would have to say it was the Los Straitjackets in 2011 at a huge tiki festival in San Diego (Yes, that’s a thing). I had never even heard of these guys. They kicked off their first tune of the night (called “Outta Gear”!) and I was in the parking lot, not even close to the stage. I could hear it all the way from there, and dare say I’ve been hooked ever since. I went running in, dragging my confused wife behind me, and promptly stood in front of the speaker for the rest of their show. It got me back into playing guitar, inspired an entire instrumental album and has dictated my guitar style ever since. I will mention that I went out of my way to track down the lead performer from the band, become friends, and have since performed on stage with him twice. Those were life-changing too!

 Playing with my guitar hero, Eddie Angel from Los Straitjackets:

Top three records

Beach Boys Endless Summer This is somewhat embarrassing, only in the sense that this was a TV-fuelled compilation album, like a K-Tel kinda thing. But it did sell three-million copies in the year it was released! So many great classics. This record singlehandedly taught me my beginnings about song writing, harmony and record production. Not bad for nine bucks, or whatever I paid for it.

Los Straitjackets Damas Y Caballeros The first album I bought of theirs after seeing them perform in 2011. A live album, it totally showcases Eddie Angel’s guitar shredding style. As a grown man I practiced my guitar a ridiculous amount to this record while trying to get even a bit of that style for myself.

AC/DC Back in Black As an impressionable teen this record became the only one played in my presence throughout the summer of 1986. And actually the next year and a half as well. I’ve never stopped loving it. Great writing, great production, and great overall sounds. We’ve all heard it a million times which is sometimes a detractor but the truth is this is a great record.

All-time favourite video

Aha “Take On Me” This is a weird one for me because I just wasn’t that kid who went home and watched MuchMusic after school, even though I was there for the birth of the whole thing. I guess I’d have to say it was Aha’s “Take On Me” because it was clever, creative, and I loved the song.

What’s in your fridge

Falernum. Oh this is good, if only for the first one I get to mention! Falernum! That’s in my fridge! An odd, exotic syrup with notes of ginger, lime, and clove, it’s a common ingredient in many classic tiki cocktails. I have released a commercial line of syrups, and so there’s often samples kicking around to make sure the taste is right! I actually have two variations in my fridge right now.

Eggs. I eat a surprising amount of eggs. If it’s breakfast, add cheese. If it’s lunch, add arugula. If it’s dinner….stop eating so many eggs!

Orange juice. I actually never buy this, but we just had the neighbours with their two little kids over for breakfast a few days ago and I know kids like it, so along with mountains of pancakes I offered orange juice. It was a hit.

You can stream the Rod Moore Band's new EP, Lockdown, here.