Aloha Dave and the Tourists bring island vibes to any venue. This laid-back, surf rock band is a Port Aransas favorite. Band members include Bill Purcell on drums, Mark Maroney vocals/bass, Ray Summy vocals/guitar, and Dave Maroney vocals/guitar. Port A Live Artist Feature interview with Dave Maroney of Aloha Dave & the Tourists: What is your Band Name? "Aloha Dave and the Tourists: Mark Maroney on bass and vocals, Bill Purcell on drums and vocals, Rockin' Ray Summy on guitar and vocals, and Dave Maroney on guitar and vocals." What Genre of Music Do You Play? "Beach party music and classic rock–trop rock." Where are you from? "Corpus Christi." How did you get started in music? "My father played guitar and sang so I was always around music." How did you get to Port Aransas? What made you stay? "For us Corpus Christi teenage surfers in the 1970s Port Aransas was a bit of a road trip and held a kind of mysterious aura about it. In today’s world, Port Aransas is a gem of friendliness and good vibes. You can feel it when you pull into town. We try to play there as much as we can." How does Port Aransas inspire you? "Oh my, I now live near Kerrville, Texas and driving from the hill country to Port Aransas is a special experience. I can literally feel the stress falling off as I smell the salt sea air and catch a glimpse of the waves." What makes the Port A music scene different? "It’s hard to put into words. It goes back to the small town nature of the scene and the transient vacationer clientele. The locals are in tune with the good vibes and the vacationers can tap into that if they can slow down enough." Do you write your own music? "We released an album of original tunes in 1986 self-titled Aloha Dave and the Tourists (yes, on vinyl). Our original tune "I Want to be a Beach Bum" was a hit on local radio in 1987. In 2011 we released It’s Good to Be, a live album recorded live at The Back Porch Bar right there in Port A!" What is your favorite Port A venue to play? Why? "Giggity’s was always a good time. The Back Porch, Shorty’s, and Sunset Sounds are our favorite places to play currently." What makes a great audience? "Locals and vacationers that are relaxed enough to enjoy an evening of fun music. Aloha Dave and the Tourists got together in 1982 and are still playing today with the same band members. It’s pretty special to see folks that have been friends of the band throughout our 40 year history." What is your preferred during/after set beverage? "Personally I like a nice unsweet iced tea before the show. A margarita after the show can be quite satisfying." What if your favorite song by an artist other than yourself? "Into the Mystic by Van Morrison is pretty good." If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be and why? "Vanilla, as a band we don’t usually go out there into no man’s land too much. It has worked for us through the years to play popular fun songs that people can immediately recognize and move their feet to the dance floor." Where can we find your work? "You can find Aloha Dave and the Tourists on Facebook." What else should music fans know? "In 2022 we celebrate our 40th year together entertaining audiences of all ages." Fun Fact: "I knew Ray Summy in High School in the 1970s. When we got together in the band he had only been playing guitar for a couple of months. I had several year’s experience playing in different bands so I was more advanced on the guitar. Well, it didn’t take long for Ray’s guitar skills to surpass mine. Sometimes I referred to him and Edie Van Raylen, Master of the Stratocaster. He is now a celebrated regular in the Port A local scene. The good folks of Port A have lovingly tagged him with the moniker Ray Ray PA. They created a Facebook page for him even though he is not personally on Facebook."