Ralph,
I walked in a bit late to the convention, but just in time for Kelp and they just blew me away! I was stoked to hear they had cds available for $5 and picked one up and have been listening to it regularly since. Paul is the master of tremolo picking. Couldn't believe how long and fast he kept it up.

Paul,
This was my first exposure to Kelp and I am a big fan. I met a guy last night at the Messer Chups show that went on and on about how much he was blown away by your set. Great job and I loved the outfits too.

Jeff, and really everybody involved...
Great great convention. A stellar lineup, well organized, great sound, great schnitzel. Thank you so much. I wish I could have been to more of the events, but made it to the ones I could.

Personal highlights...
Messer Chups just blew me away. Oleg's tone and control is really something to behold.

KELP was a fantastic surprise as mentioned above.

Seeing favorites from my cd collection like Crazy Aces and Secret Samurai was a real treat.

All the legends were a lot of fun. As has been said by others, the Randy Holden experience was something to behold. Had a good chuckle at the band uniforms he had Matt and Dusty wearing.

Last but certainly not least was the incredible Phantom IV with John Blair. I really can't wait to listen to theit LPS that I bought when we get into our new house. Just fantastic.

Also, meeting and talking a bit with so many of the musicians including all of the Messer Chups crew, several of the Phantom IV, several of the crazy Aces, all super friendly and gracious.

Looking forward to next year.

Thank you Surf Beat, and Mary.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

I've been super busy,
Thought I'd look here to see more comments from last week.
Surprised there isn't any since then.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Same here. I had to go back to work and then go on travel for work. But I'm still smiling about the whole thing.

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

First off, I of course want to thank everyone that made this event possible but to Jeff in particular - thank you, thank you, thank you! Not only have you put together, sustained, and expanded a world class event filled with some of my favorite music in the universe but you've also provided an outlet for this amazing global community to get together and foster lifelong friendships. For that, among many things, I am truly grateful. I've said it many times but you are my hero and I'm unbelievably proud to call you my friend.

As for the weekend, it was truly high speed. On Thursday, Marie was kind enough to take our group (me, Jamie, Bob, Jeremy, Noel, James, Suellen, and Tim) to Tiki Ti and Tonga Hut, with a store and art gallery in between (sorry, can't remember the name) where I got to see a Shag piece in person. She was the BEST host and her bar is probably my favorite tiki bar I've ever been in. It was great to get to spend some time with her.

Friday morning I woke up early and took a surfing lesson along with James, Tim, and Jeremy (Noel was kind enough to take pictures) and everybody got up and rode! A short while later a few of us went to Trader Sam's which was a blast. Noel and I just barely made the BBQ and it was good to catch up with some folks. I can't thank Bill enough for his hospitality. Too bad the view from his deck wasn't much to look at though :P. More catching up before the Purple Orchid show at Rock & Brews. Purple Orchid show was of course wonderful (and packed!). I think Space Cossacks were more fun at this show than the others I got to witness. Speaking of fun, Insects are always a blast but we were pretty burnt so unfortunately had to leave about 2/3-3/4 way through their set (see you next month, fellas!). Besides, after watching Ivan and Michael Abraham play I started to feel bad about myself.

The convention on Saturday had to be one of the most rewarding days of music in my life. It's no secret Crazy Aces are one of my favorite groups so it was a treat to see them at SG101. Their energetic and flawless (how do they do that?) set had people dancing early on, it's a shame they played so early as I really feel they could have really done some damage and we'd all be talking about them a lot more had they played later. I've been a Kelp fan for a while based solely on their Underwater Journey record but they blew me away live, I really hope I get the opportunity to watch them again in the future. Willie Glover stood out for me at the legends jam and holy sh*t Randy Holden knocked me right out like most folks. And a new song?! Seriously let there be a record in the works. I'm not generally a fan of re-recordings of classics but if THAT could be captured? Come on. Like Holden, Bradipos IV really took me by surprise. I had heard their first record which didn't do much for me but live they are just magic, possibly my favorite band of the convention. Space Cossacks were at their absolute best at this show, exuding power and grace. It's pretty safe to say that most attendees were toast by the end of the night but Phantom Four were captivating and invigorating! Frank OWNED that stage and had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand with a great selection of tunes. I gotta say that Niels has gotta be one of my new favorite drummer. When they hit those hard cumbia rhythms you couldn't help but just jump up and down.

Sunday morning James and I made the pilgrimage to the site of the Wilson's home in Hawthorne. Being the massive Beach Boys fan that I am, it was a bit of a letdown but I'm glad I went. I'm not going to rehash what I've already gone on about with the bands but I will say the pier show reinforced my newfound infatuation with Bradipos. I got to hang out with them and many other friends (shoutout to my NC crew) at Duke's and learned that they are incredibly nice guys to boot. Before heading to Surf Dogs, James, Tim, and I went to Don's for a drink and were horribly disappointed. Not only were the drinks not so great but hearing a karaoke version of 'Like a Virgin' made me want to get out of there as quickly as possible. I understand that you have to keep a place open but it's really just too bad. Walked into Surf Dogs just in time to catch George Tomsco and Paul Johnson's set and gotta say, that was my favorite set of George's all weekend. Our little mini set with Jeremy, Jamie, Tim, my new friend Scotty Bravo, and myself (aka The Surfside Mysterito Lads or Mysterito Lads IV) went really well. I think Scotty played our songs better than we did! But the highlight of the jam had to be Max, Ivan, Jeremy, and Niels KILLING Ramgaya. Speaking of Niels, it was nice to get to meet and talk to him, what a wonderful person. Here's hoping we can get Phantom Four back soon and maybe even on the East coast.

Sorry for the long post and personal stuff but it really worked in conjunction with the convention to culminate in a special experience. Now, how long is it until the next convention?!

The Squares - 1995-2002
The Mystery Men? - 2012-
MOONBASE - 2012-2017
The KBK - 2017-2022
The Frigidaires 2021-
Southern Surf Stomp!

Last edited: Aug 23, 2016 11:11:50

I love the reviews, thank you.
Though a certain high figure in the surf music community
Just sent me a text commenting that they were surprised there wasn't more comments and reviews on here, about the convention.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

I dunno who that is,
I'll text you who,

Jeff(bigtikidude)

2 things about next year,
10th annual convention.

First, tiki oasis is moving forward a week,
So I will move forward a week.
So plan for August 4th 5th 6th weekend.

Second, the Convention will be 2 nights!
And probably 6 international bands!

Jeff(bigtikidude)

This is great news for those of us traveling from AZ with kids. I changes it from the first weekend after school starts to the weekend before.

All I wish I knew what they were talking about

I promise I will write more. I haven't so far because:

• My mind was blown and I'm still recovering (see attached video)
• I had to go right back to work and then travel for work
• Not in the right frame of mind yet to write tons of words

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