April Birthdays 
It seems that the Cockail Preachers from Chicago don't get a lot of attention on this forum, which is a real shame, as i think they're a phenomenal trad-surf band, definitely one of the very best in the midwest, if not even all of the US (yes, I really mean that!). They played the SG101 convention (and a few other shows around then, including the HB pier) last year, but unfortunately had to do that tour without their second guitarist Bruce, who in many ways is their secret weapon - an excellent second lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, and, most importantly, a truly sublime steel guitarist! Every member of the Preachers is undeniably a highly talented musician, with Steve especially having developed into a truly outstanding surf lead guitarist over the past 12 years since I first saw them play, but that steel guitar definitely gives the band another dimension that sets them apart from all the other surf bands out there. So, it's a real shame that SoCal didn't get to see the Preachers in their full glory. The band definitely did a very good job, I can testify to that as I saw them play twice then, but seeing them as a four-piece takes their sound to a whole other level.
After a lengthy gap (six years?) since their previous CD, they finally released a new one last year, a 9-song, 30-minute mini-album "Intoxicating." I've been listening to it a lot for the past two weeks, since our show together in Indy, and thought I'd do a review of it, as this CD deeply deserves to be heard by more people - I think it's just great! It's a DIY production by Phil Tiki, the band's bass player, and the sounds are warm, full, clean and simply impressive. A bit unusually for a surf recording, drums and bass are highly present in the mix, which works 100% as the band's fairly new drummer Ben (a medical doctor in his real life!) demonstrates a complete mastery of surf drumming, with a great degree of sensitivity to what each song needs, and Phil on bass is simply masterful, a hugely talented surf musician. The band shows a great deal of diversity on the nine songs, but first and foremost they really are a trad surf band, with a highly melodic and clean approach (and on the lighter side with guitar reverb). Though they are very capable of ripping it up, as evident in their live shows, this CD is mostly about mid-tempo songs, with a few that are a bit on the faster and a few on the slower side. The CD should appeal not only to surf but also exotica fans, as they definitely have that vibe, similar maybe in some ways to the Blue Hawaiians.
Some highlights, starting with the originals: the opening track "Jimmy's New Board" is a beautiful, happy, highly melodic AND rhythmic trad surf tune that's just infectious. The same description could apply to "Kika Melokia," a faster track with a gorgeous Polynesian-sounding melody and a highly effective steel guitar solo, with a half-tempo coda that works perfectly and is so cool, so creative. "Kilameawea" is a track that I suspect the Blue Hawaiians would kill for! Steel-guitar-led, with a bit of a mysterious-sounding verse, and a happy-sounding bridge, it's another phenomenal melody that the exotica fans would flip over. "Slingshot to Durango" is the band's attempt at a spaghetti-western type track, and they really nail the dusty western vibe, with a melancholy sounding verse building into an epic track, with some traces of the Shadows in the melody. The experimental track on this CD is "From Spain... To Russia", and as the title implies, this 5-minute minor-key, somewhat dark-sounding track starts off all full of latin rhythms, and then three-minutes in, it morphs into a Russian feel that keeps speeding up until the breakdown, building it back up again to the climax at the end of the song. Highly unique, and a very cool way to explore some similar tonalities in Russian and Spanish music, which are definitely there. And the track really works!
There are three covers on the album, too: "Gutterball" is by the Goldtones, one of the very few '60s surf bands that featured a steel guitar on the lead. This track was originally on the iconic Diggin' Out comp, and the boys do a fantastic job with it - this is clearly completely up their alley. The same could be said for the achingly gorgeous, and I really mean GORGEOUS, version of Santo & Johnny's "Dreams" - wow! If this doesn't give you goose-bumps, well, better check your pulse cause you're probably dead. The hidden bonus track is "Bullwinkle, Part II", and they totally knock it out of the ballpark with the heavy, dark bass, AND an amazing steel guitar solo in the middle, really making the song their own.
All in all, this is definitely the best thing the Cocktail Preachers have ever done, and it's 100% deserving of more attention and a wider audience. It was released in time for the band's California tour last August, and it seems like it's been unfairly ignored since then. I can pretty much guarantee that both surf AND exotica fans will LOVE IT! So, give it a shot, I can't imagine anybody regretting it. Instead, I'll expect you'll be thanking me for turning you on to one of the best surf CDs of 2011!
—Ivan
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Last edited: Mar 15, 2012 12:56:09
