So, this is finally my report about the festival 2015. I will not write my preference between the bands, as this is not my role, but I want to describe a few aspects of the organisation which contributed to make this festival memorable and comment on what I have seen which I consider unusual and unexpected.

First of all when you thank me for this all you are substantially wrong. In this festival I do the bands and I take care of a few aspects, but anything you see when you get to Surfer Joe is done by Luca and Francesco. They arrange the money to pay all, the develop the bars and restaurant facilities, they realise and make available all those things that "normal people" like and enjoy, like the panoramic wheel or the skateboarding ramp. I am one of you, I mean a fan of surf music. We are a few people and without the giant support of the walk-in audience we would not be able to maintain this festival. Sometimes it happens that some normal people starts liking the genre and surely remains happy and impressed by how this community is cool and unite - although we have different tastes in surf music. But the atmosphere at the festival is what makes this fest great. The location allows this, people to pass by. It gives visibility to surf music.

Keeping the festival free entrance is a necessity, not that I like this. We cannot close the area. These bands would DESERVE a door ticket, even expensive. It is unfair to have a free entrance. But this what we have to do. I hope one day to evolve this festival in a "surf village" like tiki oasis has become. A paradise for all surf music lovers, where to breath the history and the future of this genre.

Getting to the festival point, I think this year it has been great. As you have seen I have been running most of the time, it is hard for me to enjoy each single band and stay under the stage. I have had some logistic problems and I had to face them. But all in all everything has been good.
LOTS of people. Double of last year. We have accounted about 3000+ people on Saturday night. A bit less in the other days. I mean people staying at the same time in the area. Not just passing by. If we count the people that has passed by the festival during the 4 days, it is more than 9000.

It is without any doubt that the highlight of the festival have been Ivan + John. Strange, actually very strange.
Like I anticipated I do not say what is or what is not my favourite act, but I want to comment based on the usual booking work I do and the reactions I collect when preparing a line-up. The reason why this success is strange and unexpected is because both Ivan and John have come to the festival before with their bands or other groups and have played the same songs. Madeira came already and they will be probably planned to come again very soon. John came in 2011 playing with Alex Faide. In Europe the traditional dick dale style surf music is generally not well understood and appreciated. This is why we all buy mostly jaguar and jazzmaster and very few buy Stratocaster for surf, as it should have to be. Also not having Showmans - except a few of us - we do not quite understand the value of volume and the meaning of it in surf music. We intend surf music more like a sophisticated genre mixed with a bunch of other styles, making it more or less aggressive. But we do not usually like the traditional dick dale style - or we would simply play it and form bands like Madeira and Jon & The Nightriders. Ivan and John anyway managed to put together a superb show, very heavy, direct, powerful, playing many songs that people in the surf community remember and appreciate, sacrificing a bit of dynamics in the set but rather keeping it full stroke.

I have noticed also that the good comments come mostly from the American fans. Strange again.
Americans are used to this sound and they were all expecting mostly - at the opposite - the sets of Los Coronas, Messer Chups, Bambi Molesters (how much and how often I read about this topics on sg101). But I do not read much about them. But Bambi Molesters have done one of their best sets I have seen.

I am glad and positive about this. You know how traditional I am generally and if the reaction is so good for Ivan and John this means that traditional surf music is still what is mostly wanted when talking about surf music. Showman sound. Big sound. Reverb tanks.
This sound does not stay well on records. It has to be experienced live in an environment that allows the loud volumes and going crazy.

Let me comment something about the professionality of the musicians: nothing much to say really. Everybody has done what requested. Some have been drinking too much but definitely we had not Apemen-like experiences I like to say that everybody has been feeling very proud of being in this surf community and has contributed with a very special show.

The styles of the bands have been very different from each other. This is also why at this festival is difficult to say who was the best.
Some bands are professionals presenting a show mostly intended to catch larger audiences. Some other are really too much underground. Then the personal taste of the listener comes in and does its part in the decision. But it's hard. So consider this when you evaluate for yourself who was the best.

NSSR has done a fantastic job. Niels alone does the 60% but a good 40% comes from the help of all DJs who have been dedicated and focused to interview, talk and spread the word. You really see these guys LIKE to be radio djs, they like to listen and talk about this music. Therefore the final result is amazing and the add-on of the live feed has been just the icing on the cake!

Other great support has come from Chris, Kilian and Bjorn. They have done an amazing job with the reverb seminar, really working hard in preparing and talking, explaining and putting together all the technical part. These are valuable partners, simple guys, lovers of this music and splendid persons to talk with. We are not doing this for the money and someone thought it was too much a "nerdy" thing, but - hey - what about this forum? this IS a nerdy thing. even buying a Showman amp in 2015 is a nerdy thing. So what?! It was fun, I loved that and I would host a reverb seminar every week!
Thanks guys again!

We could not manage to do the discussion group on Sunday and we could not prepare the "reverb poll". Sorry about this. Next time we will manage to do all.

Jonpaul, Marie, Jeff, Dorthy, Ran, Unsteady Freddie, Ralf: you have been so important for this festival that it is useless to write anything more.
Not only you are my best friends, you are people who just do things well.

I am surely forgetting someone to thank: please don't get offended. I have too many things in my head.

So thank YOU all for coming. Next year we will see what to do. There are ideas, I have part of the line up done already but you never know.
We have to confirm a few things. Also we need to decide how to proceed. We are at a threshold, we can try to go bigger or rather get smaller again.
Going bigger means bigger stage. Going smaller means less bands. Can surf music go on bigger stages? I think not.
This is one of reason of the success of Ivan + John. Stay small and loud. Only a few bands are "done" to go on bigger stages. But then audiences see them "distant". But what if the audience is big? I mean on Saturday night it would have been problematic to work only on the tiki stage. See Boss Martians: the place was packed! Like I said, it is not easy to see where to go from here.

Each single thing I said would deserve a 10 pages forum discussion. I could analyse everything in so much details.
But obviously I cannot. All I say is that the experience we collected in 10 years of this festival make us think that surf music has a future.
We are living a revival of this music in many ways, each one of us has his own vision of what surf music is. But in the end none of us know what it is.
Who knows then? Paul Johnson and a few other people still alive who were there in 1961, dancing and screaming at Rendezvous Ballroom. Instrumental, vocal, it does NOT matter. What matters is the SPIRIT we share.

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

Great wrap up Lorenzo.

I've been thinking about why so many comments on Ivan n John band.
As much as some of the other bands are great,this was a special
Put together band for the fest and Spain tour. And even though some of the other bands have great moving songs. I think that the intensity of the hard fast and yet still melodic songs is very moving also.
Some people had very emotional reactions to their set, goose bumps or tearing up a little. That is something more than just opinion.
But actual physical reaction.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Last edited: Jun 26, 2015 11:59:15

I am agree with Lorenzo ,don't know why but i always prefer the tiki stage than the bigger ,i think the more near to the band ,the less open size make me think of bar and pub live of band i saw often
but the the scene doesn't count if you like the band ,i have seen most of good band also on the big stage (special mention to Satan Pilgrims first time i saw them and if i could, i would like to follow them on their tour)

Last edited: Jun 26, 2015 12:39:04

bigtikidude wrote:

Some bands just play better on big stages,
And some better on small stages.
I kinda wish Messer Chups had played the small stage.
Or had their projections on a screen behind them on the big stage.
I like their music,but the presentation seemed a tad tame.
Bambi Molestors were so good on the big stage, they really know how
To work the stage and come across as a big stage act.
I will forever be so stoked that I finally saw them.
Thank you Lorenzo.

Exactly Jeff. You also need to see the expectations: staying at those, Bambi and Messer Chups would have made too many people for the small stage. This is why there have been put on the big.

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

Urban Surf Kings are so honoured to have been a part of Surfer Joe 2015. Everyone we met and played for were so gracious and positive. Right from Thursday to Sunday Night! A huge congratulations to Lorenzo, Lucca and crew for organizing and running such a memorable weekend. It is no small task, but from our point of view, it was seamless!

We had a phenomenal time...it will take a while for it to sink in. There are always some nerves at play when it is such a big festival with so many great acts, in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar gear. Lorenzo was kind enough to lend us his "strat" & P Bass for our set. It was a thrill for us to be on the main stage (though the tiki stage was equally great) for such a large and enthusiastic crowd. I can still see Lorenzo running to the stage with a last minute amp change...I had mistakenly sound checked with Dalibor's amp. He was gracious about the error, even saying I could use it...but I didn't want to mess with his settings. Crash and Inky were running from the Tiki Stage with a P Bass & Cymbal, seconds after the A Phonics last chord. Lorenzo & Big Tiki Dude introduced us and we started the first song while Inky was putting the cymbal on a stand...on your mark, get set, go! The audience was great; so enthusiastic,yelling along, dancing, air guitar (members of Los Coronos). It all went by so quickly, but I tried to soak it all in. It was a long way from being a little surf trio in Canada. Thanks So Much for the opportunity. We met so many great people after our set, posed for a tonne of pictures, and sold a lot of the merch we brought with us. One of my personal thrills happened the next day when John Blair said he enjoyed our set.

The uke set on Sunday was also a lot of fun. The crowd was smaller, and more laid back, but seemed to enjoy it as much. Ferenc and I talked a bit about ukes after the set (not sure if this is more geeky than the Reverb Shoot out). A big thank you to Livorno's own Sinfonica Honolulu for lending me a uke, and introducing us to Ponche?...rum, coffee, lemon, and sugar.

It was great to reconnect with Lorenzo, Lucca, Ivan, Ferenc, Ralph, Tom, Matt, and Wannes from 2009, and to meet so many internet friends in person, plus a whole bunch of new friends. It truly does feel like old home week.

All the bands we saw played So Well, and were so gracious. Surf music is one cool community. There were so many highlights. The two (of many) that I will mention were Jon Paul's intensity with John & Ivan's outstanding band, and Ted Pilgrim's drumming with Satan's Pilgrims. It will be tough to follow up this year's Festival, but I know Surfer Joe is up for it!

Niels and all those who run NSSR really do a bang up job capturing the festival. It was great to meet you all, and a big tip of the hat for the work you do.

Urban Surf Kings really appreciate all the work everyone does to put on an Amazing Festival. Everyone from Lorenzo and Lucca to the wait staff to the sound people do an outstanding job, making everyone feel welcome, and so much more. Thanks for including our little Canadian surf trio. This Festival should be on surf fan's bucket list. There is so much more I could write, but I will leave it here. Bravo!

From Torino, Italy,
Rev

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

Last edited: Jun 26, 2015 15:12:57

josheboy wrote:

Ponche!!! Thats actually made with a local Livorno liqueur, espresso, and lemon and sugar. It is pretty amazing, and when you're crashing from a long day in the Mediterranean sun watching surf bands all day, its a great pick me up!!!

Josh, what's the name of the liqueur and what's the "closest" thing to it that you can think of? Sounds like an interesting recipe.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Badger wrote:

josheboy wrote:

Ponche!!! Thats actually made with a local Livorno liqueur, espresso, and lemon and sugar. It is pretty amazing, and when you're crashing from a long day in the Mediterranean sun watching surf bands all day, its a great pick me up!!!

Josh, what's the name of the liqueur and what's the "closest" thing to it that you can think of? Sounds like an interesting recipe.

Its not lemoncello. I want to say its like an Amarro, but different. Marie (Jonpaul's lovely girl) brought home a bottle of it, but I forget what it's called. I'm sure Lorenzo knows what it is.

No, it's a local only thing.

That might be it!

I saw Marie after she had like 3 of them. She was bouncing around like a toddler in the midst of an epic sugar rush!!! So of course I had to try one too, lol

Last edited: Jun 26, 2015 17:44:34

poncino? ammaretto? ooopssss... not for me. Still recovering from a bad stomach flue that had me and the wife missing most of our 4 vacation days in Cingue Terre. And no wifi in our apartment, had to go to the local punkrockbar for internet.
But don't pitty us, we're still in Italy, in Tuscany actually, for a couple of days, for a photo job that's not really work (it pays really bad).
Hope to get some extra photo's online from the festival after that.
Here's the photo work I have to do on this job, for whom is interested and doesn't mind a shameless selfpromotion from me once again... How many strikes do I get?

Warning: NON SURF RELATED PHOTO!

And congrats again to Lorenzo for the best festival in the world and offcourse... his other project! A baby!

www.alohasluts.com
Aloha Sluts on BandCamp
www.arnyzona.com (my photography)
Aloha Fest on facebook

Last edited: Jun 27, 2015 03:39:29