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Since February 26, 2006, SurfGuitar101.com has been the premier home on the web for friends and fans of the world-wide phenomenon known as surf music! Created in Southern California in the early 1960's, surf music is very much alive today and has spread around the globe. Join us in our forums to discuss surf music, past and present. Meet new friends and discover new bands. Want to play surf music? We have lots of forums devoted to playing, performing, and writing surf music. We have lots of discussions on gear: guitars, amps, and drums. Check out our podcasts and hear some really great tunes! Finally, we feature news and articles on the surf scene, and you'll always know where you can catch some live surf music!
Join us in our forums for some lively discussions. Here are the forum topics with new posts.
Gday there, here are the first 2 tunes by my surf band The Outback Surf Squad..hope ya like 'em !!
Podium Finish :
https://soundcloud.com/jamie-balcombe-941168545/the-outback-surf-squad-podium-finish
Moana Point :
https://soundcloud.com/jamie-balcombe-941168545/moana-point
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Q8n4F0bNtQhdz032s43lA
Here is episode 33 of Australia's no1 surf rock podcast The Dodge City Social Club :
https://soundcloud.com/jamie-balcombe-941168545/dcsc-episode-33
Hello friends and guitar music fans -
First, my apologies for being so absent from this site for so long. It has literally been years since I have been active here; the recent years have been a bit of a distraction for me with challenges in both my health and financial departments. But I am happy to report that by the grace of God I have managed to come through all this OK, and with good hopes for the future.
And the chief aim of this post is to declare that that future begins now, as I am "getting back in the game" with a new album release (my first in over 20 years)! And I am hoping that you will go to check it out now my bandcamp page. (Note that as there are other Paul Johnsons active at band camp, I have amended my name there to "Paul Johnson guitar" to make it easier to find me.)
So what is this new offering all about?
It's "The Hepcats LIVE at the Ajax Novelty Company"; I am very pleased and excited to get "back in the game" with this, and once you hear it at bandcamp.com, I trust you will share in my enthusiasm...
What’s the backstory here?
My dear friend from my hippie days in Mendocino (late ‘60s), musician/artist John Chamberlin (the man who did the cover art for my "Christmas with the Hepcats" album) also created another cover back then for another proposed CD ("Hepcats at Ajax"), a project that has not been activated over all these years, until now! I have wanted to create this album all along, but until recently I have not seen a way forward for it, so John’s artwork has just been languishing in my files over all this time.
About a year ago, it occurred to me that I had a number of tracks "in the can" (stuff I've recorded over the years but never released) that would be appropriate for such an album; upon reviewing this material, I decided that it WOULD make for an excellent Hepcats album, and so I have spent the last year or so working at pulling it all together. (I have been unsure as to just what form the agenda for this release would take; I have just been motivated by the conviction that I ought to do this, because these tracks deserve to see the light of day, and because "fans" of the Hepcats deserve to hear them. Accordingly, I want to share them with YOU now!)
Simply use this link to bring the album magically alive on your desktop; you may then click to hear the album in its entirety, or select individual tunes for streaming. Then you may also (if you so desire) download either the complete album or any of the individual tracks that may catch your fancy.
It pleases me greatly, after all this time, to be able to share this new album with you, and I welcome your feedback here once you’ve explored it. Please feel free to share this with friends if you like.
One last word: As this is a "Hepcats" project, it’s all acoustic guitar stuff (as is their specialty). But I also have it in mind to do a similar project with a number of electric guitar tracks (surfy stuff) that I also have "in the can" (stuff that has also been waiting all these years to see the light of day). And of course, if/when this happens, I will bring this to your attention here. So if you are a fan of the electric guitar, I hope you willl join me in looking forward to this!
Meanwhile, may God bless you! -
Paul Johnson
paul@pjmoto.com
P.S. My dear friend, guitar music journalist Dan Forte, has published a review of this album in the latest edition of Vintage Guitar magazine; and by his and the magazines permission, here is that review:
Paul Johnson
The Hepcats Live At The Ajax Novelty Company
This isn't live; there may not be an Ajax Novelty Company; and the three felines known as the Hepcats are actually the brainchild of Paul Johnson, whose Belairs were early-'60s pioneers of surf music. Suspend reality and dig how the "trio" expertly articulates layers of acoustic guitar.
Across decades, Johnson has embraced folk-rock, psychedelia, and Christian music, and his eclecticism is on full display here. Ten of the 17 tracks are originals, including an unplugged take on the surf classic "Mr. Moto," which he wrote when he was 15.
Even when it was unfashionable, he stuck to his guns, championing instrumental music. Covers include the Shadows' "Apache" and "Tico Tico", which has been recorded by everyone from Charlie Parker to Paco De Lucia. He gives the minor-key "Midnight In Moscow", a 1962 hit for Dixieland trumpeter Kenny Ball, a Gypsy flair, which is both somber and uplifting.
Johnson’s trademark melodicism shines throughout, along with noninvasive ornamental touches. Equally impressive, his tone is warm but crisp.
In addition to his role as elder statesman to today's surf revivalists, this is the third album Johnson has released under the Hepcats model, and it's the best.
Time Surfers featured on a great new compilation album from @trippleagentrecords ! Download now at tripleagenterecords.bandcamp.com !!!
Bonjour messieurs et mesdames
We have the pleasure to announce the release of our new album "Rétrofuturisme volume III".
It will be available on vinyl thanks to Les Productions de l'Impossible and Calico records and on digipack CD via Calico and Creepozoïd records on April 17th.
It is allready available digitally on Bandcamp:
The fantastic fourth issue of Colorado Instrumental Fanzine is now available. Issue four includes interviews with:
The Boss Martians (Washington)
Jenny Don’t & The Spurs (Oregon)
King Pelican (Texas)
The Nebulas (Rhode Island)
Sant Anna Bay Coconuts (Belgium)
This issue ALSO includes a 7" record from King Pelican and Chris Barfield
(A download code is included in the parcel.)
Your order includes a FREE full-color PDF download of the fanzine
Listen to the King Pelican EP while reading their interview.
A standout collaboration between guitarists Chris Barfield and Ernest Hernandez showcasing their skillful surf songwriting. Backed by the solid rhythm section of Darren Kuper on drums and Kris Zebrowski on bass, these tracks come to life with a laid-back yet compelling energy. Don’t miss out on this special release—an essential addition for vinyl collectors and surf music enthusiasts alike.
Side A: Vaquero (Hernandez/Barfield)
Side B: El Mirage (Barfield/Hernandez)
This version has an exclusive cover designed by Heather Woodhaven!!
In addition to the five interviews, the zine is filled with tons of live photographs, thoughtful music reviews, and a couple of gear reviews for your reading pleasure. This issue features a variety of special guests sharing their insights. Weighing in at a hefty 44 pages, you'll have hours of reading material about some incredibly talented surf/instrumental bands. It's printed on 80lb satin paper with a 100lb satin cover and appropriately sized at 8.5 X 11 (~A4).
Our first album is out now on LP (Surf Cookie Records SC049) and major streaming platforms. CD coming soon!
The album was recorded live on 2 days without overdubs.
We are proud to introduce our latest recording, The Earthtone Sessions. We visit tunes from previous releases "Benthic Exploration", "Madrugada", "Summer", "Burn the Breeze" and "Me Gusta Jorge Arbusto" and give them a reworking!
Side One:
Side Two:
Recorded over winter 24/25 at Earthtone Studios with Pat Hills manning the controls, we put these down in live fashion with very little overdubs. We like to stay as true as we can to how they will sound when seeing us live! Why would we re-record these tunes? Well, since we have been playing these songs for the last number of years, they have taken on a new flavor, a different feel. So, we wanted to capture what they are now!
You can get our new release in digital format off Bandcamp, Spotify (waiting for it to load!), all streaming services and eventually on CD! Now give our latest record a listen. Reverb, set, new record!
Gday there surfer dudes, here is episode 32 of Australia's no1 surf guitar podcast, all the way from Birdwoodton, VIC, Australia :
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