I LOVE DELAWARE!

Surely there must be a venue that would accept a night of surf, by the Univ of Del campus, maybe right after school starts, to "signal" the "end of Summer"??

Would be happy to lend a hand, trying to grab area bands (Maryland, DC, NJ, Pa.) - if U need an MC, just ask!!

LET'S PUT ON A SHOW!!

Unsteady Freddie

http://www.facebook.com/unsteady.freddie

My good friend Joe LaSorte lives there...yeah, if you know, or have heard of him, he's a blues guy himself but he has asked several times about surf bands in the area...i don't know of any...he has a conda here on Kauai and comes to see The TO's twice a year!! He sits in with another band that i work with...he's a smokin' player but NOT surf!! I figure that's ok, he's still a great guy...he says he'd love to get us back there and do some shows so it is possible....

The TakeOffs
"Kauai's Only All-Instrumental Surf Band"
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-TakeOffs/312866840587

I think we have a member (or two) from Delaware. And then there was "Brad & The Bombers" from the 80's. Good luck finding some folks to play with!

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

Surf has existed in Delaware in the past but not now. The biggest problem is that I'm not good enough on guitar to play most leads, my primary is keys and vocals. I know plenty of drummers and bass players and since surf doesn't require a PA thats not an issue. And I know all about specialty music being a hard sell as I play solo jazz piano. I'll keep trying, that and practicing up on guitar.

I still believe we can pull some bands from not-too-far-away if we "build" a "special event" - bands (esp. NESMA bands) from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, New Jersey

willing to lend a hand organizing

UNSTEADY FREDDIE

http://www.facebook.com/unsteady.freddie

Check out the North East Surf Music Alliance web site

The 'NESMA’ classifies at www.NESMAsurf.org

Someone is looking to put together a band in Delaware and play out.

Mike
9thwavesurf.com
NESMASURF.org

SUCCESS!!! Band did first practice and it's going well. Thanks to NESMA and Surfguitar101!

Surf in Delaware is not dead!!! Brad and the Bombers play on! Check out our FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/Brad-and-the-Bombers-129351573798326/

Brad

Disclaimer: I am not in Delaware.

But the discussion in general terms is pertinent to any musician and reminds me of a passage from my second-favorite book:

'If [Tom Sawyer] had been a great and wise philosopher, like the writer of this book, he would now have comprehended that Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. And this would help him to understand why constructing artificial flowers or performing on a tread-mill is work, while rolling ten-pins or climbing Mont Blanc is only amusement. There are wealthy gentlemen in England who drive four-horse passenger-coaches twenty or thirty miles on a daily line, in the summer, because the privilege costs them considerable money; but if they were offered wages for the service, that would turn it into work and then they would resign.'

By this I mean that conveying a sense of desperation or neediness often shifts or reverses the power dynamic. 'Can you climb my mountain?' is a very different proposition to 'Will you please step over this speed bump?' People, and men in particular, respond very differently to a challenge than to a request. Make them want it by making it hard(er) to obtain and suddenly it's a competition of sorts and they may suddenly show more interest and determination.

By the same token, knowing there are parameters and a plan is also psychologically enticing. 'Well, we're trying to do a surf band like we used to do but we may mix in some classic rock/oldies etc. for variety etc.' I believe this is a mistake. People go to McDonald's because a) they know what they want and b) they know what they will get. When Sean Connery first auditioned for James Bond they tried to soften his accent and make him a bit less menacing. He responded 'You take me as I am or not at all.' Venues and events also appreciate clarity and brevity. I have been astounded at times that my (non-surf) full band with full vocals (including male and female fronts) and doing the proverbial variety set has a frequent hard time getting booked despite a long list of reviews full of compliments about our sound and professionalism. The surf band's only real challenge is one of scheduling ie trying to find open dates at venues that correspond with our members' calendars. It's surf or bust and after only 8 months I have been quite surprised at venues' willingness, even eagerness, to book us - my theory is that they can list us online or put our flyers up without any confusion or questions regarding the genre on offer. If you don't like fish today, there will be chicken tomorrow etc.

The point(s) of all this: be clear and demanding and professional even if the profession part comes later. Potential bandmates are demonstrating their abilities to you, not the other way round. Give them specific audition pieces up to and including the demand that they play it solo or possibly just with a click track or a scratch guitar lead for guidance. Give them feedback (not the amplified kind) quickly on the day of or shortly after the audition, good or bad. You never know who they might talk to and even if they didn't get the gig they might say positive (or negative) things and perk up someone else's interest. A Craigslist or a Bandmix ad that also clearly spells out the band, the role and the expectations are actually welcomed in a world where 'let's get together and jam and see where it goes' is the uninspiring coin of the realm.

More stick and less carrot sounds like a recipe for putting people off but in my experience it heightens their interest and energy.

Last edited: Feb 11, 2019 06:45:58

Perplexing is it not? Forty five miles of white sand beach complete with waves and no surf scene, no surf musicians. I almost had a band together, until they discovered they could get gigs doing rockabilly and split. There are musicians who like surf here, but their not interested in forming a surf band, not even a rock-instro band which is what I would prefer. Feel free to prove me wrong, but surf remains a non starter in this state