Surfin' Turf

Otto Von Stroheim will be glad to demonstrate the finer points of tiki culture at "Jungle Thunder-a-Go-Go," a musical benefit for the San Francisco Food Bank. Von Stroheim publishes Tiki News, a zine-type affair devoted to all things tiki: the Tonga Room, Trader Vics, Gilligan's Island, snacks involving Spam and pineapple, and other white-bread visions of South Pacific exotica. Tiki isn't merely limited to the jungle sounds of Martin Denny, although Von Stroheim, as "Jungle Thunder" 's DJ The-Now-Sound, will be spinning that kind of vinyl. Listen for hints of calypso in the horns of South Bay ska band Monkey, and for the echoes of '60s-era beach parties and strip joints in the go-go groove of the Saturn V, an all-star band boasting Phantom Surfers co-founder Johnny Bartlett, Ron Silva of the Crawdaddies, pop phenom Chris Von Sneidern, Tom Ward of Black Diamonds, and singer Orbit, from the Purple Knifs. The Swamis cap off the night with a mostly instrumental crossing of surf with Sahara, where guitar twang meets the "ching-ching" of tiny finger cymbals. The show begins Friday at 8 p.m. at Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus (at Chestnut), S.F. Admission is $10 plus donations of canned food and dry goods for the Food Bank (anyone who brings six or more cans or packages gets a free Swamis CD); call 474-0365.