There is really not much I can add that Brian and Ivan haven't already said - I spent a good portion of the weekend hanging with them. The main things I would add would be that the Purple Orchid was much more authentic looking than I was led to believe before going there. The drinks weren't terribly authentic, but they were tasty and STRONG!

The Starting Gate, while in a strip mall far away from the ocean, is really the perfect set up for SG101. Good capacity - maybe holds 500 people or so, with a large stage, good sound system, and a large area for the vendors. I had a table set up with all the latest Double Crown merch, which was great because I had a chance to chat with many long-time customers and fans of the label. I also got to share my table with Lee of Dionysus Records - so great to meet him for the first time. Dionysus was one of the first labels to advertise in the Continental Magazine, about 16 years ago, and his label is one of the reasons I became such a fan of surf/garage/rockabilly music. Such a nice guy - hopefully we can vend together at future events.

Being tied to the merch table, I didn't get to see the entire set of any of the bands (except The Penetrators and El Caminos), but did see most of them and it really was the perfect mix of styles - trad, modern, garagy, laid-back. Just a lot of variety. It was also great to meet so many people throughout the day. My apologies to anyone if I wasn't overly chatty - just had a lot going on, between the merch table and watching the bands. I had a chance to talk to many of the people Ivan and Brian mentioned, as well as Frankie from The Volcanics. He gave me an update on their new CD (due out in September), and could hardly contain his excitement about their new recordings. I'm a huge fan of their first CD, so this was exciting news to me!

The show at Huntington Beach was amazing - such a great venue for surf music. It gave me goosebumps hearing all that reverb, with surfers and sand as a backdrop. I have to thank Martin as well - he warned me that I was looking a bit sunburnt. I applied more sunscreen, and while his warning came a bit too late, it could have been much worse. Thanks Martin!

I knew the SG101 Convention was something I had to do at least once, and while other years had bands that I would have loved to see, this year just seemed like the right year, for many reasons. Once the Penetrators tribute set was announced, with Trace and Stix coming, that pretty much sealed it for me. It was so fun and rewarding though, in so many ways, that I'm going to work hard to make it down again.

Big thanks to Jeff, Kristina and everyone else involved with putting this together - you have a great thing going, and hopefully it'll continue for many years to come!!!

Sean
Double Crown Records
www.doublecrownrecords.com

Surf CD's / Vinyl / Fanzines / DVD's
Aloha Screwdriver - Lunar Wobble CD
The Nebulas - Euphorion LP / CD
Supertubos - The Fourth Drive CD
Continental Magazine - Issue #37 w/17 Song CD

SG101 convention after-party @ The Juke Joint, Anaheim CA

After the convention ended we limped back to our hotel room. Ivan and I were joined by Sean Berry, Danny Snyder, and Robert, a fellow SG101'er and guitar student of Danny's. We relaxed in the hotel room for maybe 45 minutes or an hour, just shooting the breeze, talking about what we just witnessed, and ooh-ing and aah-ing over Ivan's new strat. What a great time with great people! We finally got enough strength back to head towards the after-party (it was either that or just collapsing and going to sleep).

Arriving at the venue I think the Tequila Worms had just started and they opened with a powerful version of Miserlou. It was loud and impressive, even outside. I'm not sure we could've taken the 'Worms in the shape we were in, so we asked Jeff where the nearest food was. Jeff pointed up the street so we grabbed some authentic Mexican fast food. This was crucial, otherwise I would have collapsed.

Returning to the venue we listened to the 'Worms wrap up outside and had a good chat with Unsteady Freddie about his experiences at Surfer Joe in Italy.

We then filed into the venue and stood and waited. To be honest I was dead tired and really in no mood for any more live music. The floor was incredibly sticky too, which was very gross. So hot, sticky, and tired we waited for the Danny Amis All-Stars to start. We soon saw Lorenzo get behind the kit, Carlos from the Tequila Worms on bass, and John Blair get up on stage. Finally there was a murmur behind me and I turned around to see Danny Amis, clad in his usual blue and silver Lucha Libre mask, and an equally impressive silver shiny suit and pants set. I had not seen Danny in several years and I noticed he was considerably shorter and had gained a lot of weight. His suit reminded me of the giant suit David Byrne wore in that Talking Heads movie. It was really wide on him, and looked very hot. Apparently he lost some height due to his terrible illness. I got kind of worried. But when he took the stage, delivered his usual rapid fire Spanish banter, and played the living hell out of his guitar, I knew instantly Danny was alright and presumably very happy to be on this side of existence. I know I was so happy to see him, and I was very glad I came out for this. Like Ivan said, the band seemed to play a mixture of Los Straitjackets / Jon & The Nightriders tunes (maybe 60/40?) with a smattering of kick ass covers. Everyone in the audience was loud and dancing, it was a truly amazing experience. The band was on fire and sounded wonderful even though I think they had maybe 1 full practice with all the members together (I think Danny and John rehearsed more at Tim BigKahuna's house). Anyway, it was truly a surf music fan's dream. Hot, sweaty, sticky reverb played at high volume and with crazy Spanish patter between numbers. It really made my heart swell with joy. I loved it! All the band members sounded amazing and I think they only got lost once or twice! I can't say enough about the exceptional playing and high energy songs. What a joy to see and hear.

Please John, or Lorenzo, if you are out there, please tell us how this super-group came about and the story behind it. It was amazing.

When it was over, we shuffled zombie-like into the night air, traded sleepy goodbyes with Jeff and a few other people with promises to see each other in just a few hours at the HB pier. It wasn't over yet!

To be continued...

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

Yes, like Brian said - we were all dead tired after the SG101 Convention and it took everything we had to get to the Juke Joint. However, I'm so happy that we did! The mexican restaurant down the street was awesome (even though they didn't have a veggie option on the menu, they put together a veggie burrito for me - one of the best I've ever had!). That, and a big bottle of Mexican Coke, brought me back up to speed and all tiredness faded away with the energy of the Danny Amis All-Stars. What an incredible, full day of surf rock it was!

I hope all of you reading our recollections here will seriously consider attending next year. If you're a member of this board, I have absolutely no doubt you'll have the time of your life at one of the conventions!

Sean
Double Crown Records
www.doublecrownrecords.com

Surf CD's / Vinyl / Fanzines / DVD's
Aloha Screwdriver - Lunar Wobble CD
The Nebulas - Euphorion LP / CD
Supertubos - The Fourth Drive CD
Continental Magazine - Issue #37 w/17 Song CD

Brian wrote:

Double-Crown-Records wrote:

I hope all of you reading our recollections here will seriously consider attending next year. If you're a member of this board, I have absolutely no doubt you'll have the time of your life at one of the conventions!

Yes!! If all your interactions with SG101 are through the gear forum, you are missing a lot!

IMO.

Double-Crown-Records wrote:

I hope all of you reading our recollections here will seriously consider attending next year. If you're a member of this board, I have absolutely no doubt you'll have the time of your life at one of the conventions!

I heavily doubt anybody here is not considering it right now! I would love to come to one of these conventions myself some time, but looking at my financial situation of the years to come I don't really see it happening.

But never the less thanks for all the reports and recollections everybody! I can't imagine another community, where people put that much effort in just reporting on events like this. And even simply reading about it is a lot of fun, just because you know that things like this actually take place somewhere...

And special thanks for the short report on the situation of Eddie's Jaguar. I remember being quite upset, when it looked like the guitar would go to some private collector never to be seen again. It's good to know it didn't.

Los Apollos - cinematic surf music trio (Berlin)
"Postcards from the Scrapyard" Vol. 1, 2 & 3 NOW available on various platforms!
"Chaos at the Lobster Lounge" available as LP and download on Surf Cookie Records!

Chippertheripper wrote:

Damn I suck at using this forum.

Last edited: Aug 19, 2013 18:16:37

Sticks and I would like to thank the SG101 convention for allowing us to be a part of this awesome event. In particular, BTD, for setting us up at the Starting Gate and HB Pier. It was monumental and an experience we will never forget. Thanks for all the kind words and camaraderie from friends both new and old. I would like to personally thank Sean at Double Crown Records for all that he has done for us and the surf instro scene throughout the years, and it was great to see you in person again. Maybe its time to do another Surfin' Surfari USA tour again!?! Ha.
It was fun seeing so many great Instrumental bands with so many different styles and sounds. Along with Crispy's InstroSummit in NC, I can see and hear that the scene is alive and strong as ever. So many great bands!!
Lastly, We have to thank Eddie and Ivan for coming up with this idea of a Tribute to Spanky and Rip. We're biased, but believe they deserved it. They are both larger than life and we miss them dearly. Eddie and Ivan proved yet again what great guitarist they are and deserve all the accolades we can give them. They learned our songs, practiced 1 time in a hotel room last July, and pulled off 3 unbelievable performances! Thanks Guys!
Again, Thanks SG 101!!

Trace Luger 017
PS Keep up the good work Maxx....

Fender Bass, Small Firearms

Last edited: Aug 20, 2013 13:04:42

bigtikidude wrote:

Dates?
The date for next years SG101 convention
Will probably be Sat. Aug. 9th.

Noted.

I am back home! Fantastic time in California, THANKS to all the friends that I have met again, hope to see you very soon. This has really been an incredible time.

Lorenzo "Surfer Joe" Valdambrini
(www.surfmusic.net)

Penetrators tribute at the pier, opening with "Checkpoint Echo".
Ivan & Eddie from the Surge on guitars.