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SurfGuitar101 Forums » The Shallow End »

Permalink Introductions! New Members Post Here

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Welcome to sg101, Matt. Very glad you're here! You've come to da' right place.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

I've just subscribed and I want to say hello to everyone!

John

Guitar chords and guitar scales on Guitar Floor - Some notes on guitar

Welcome aboard, Guitarfloor.
Glad you decided to join us.

You do know that the new guy is supposed to bring us coffee and donuts, right?

-Cheers, Clark-

-Less Paul, more Reverb-

Reverbenator wrote:

Welcome aboard, Guitarfloor.
Glad you decided to join us.

You do know that the new guy is supposed to bring us coffee and donuts, right?

What he said, Guitarfloor. Donuts? Now they tell me. I'll be right over!

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Greetings all! After lurking for over 5 years - yep, joined Dec 2012 - figure it's time to say Hi!

Name's Erich, friends also call me Stoopy, nice to meet ya, put 'er there...

I'm a transplanted SoCal native (Rancho Cucamonga, '61) now on the East coast USA. Bought an old beat-up Silvertone archtop acoustic for $5 back when I was 19, replaced some broken parts and had someone show me how to string it up, then plunked my way through the first 4 Mel Bay books for Classical guitar, remember those?

Short-ish story about how Surf music came into, and changed, my life:

Around 1983 or so I had a life-changing experience while browsing the Various Artists bin at the Licorice Pizza record store in San Bernardino. Saw this unusual album called "Surf Beat '80" with a very cool cover, by Jon & the Nightriders. Had NO IDEA what kind of music it was, but was intrigued by the cover. A couple weeks later curiousity got the best of me, I bought the album, took it back to my dorm room at Cal State San Berdoo and put it on the turntable for a spin...

OHHHH MAN!!!!

From the first song it was magic! I'll never forget sitting there with my headphones on and hearing this absolutely pure, heavy, intense and enchanting sound pour through. My jaw literally hit the floor, what I was hearing and feeling was a mixture of new discovery of a completely soulful type of music merged with distant memories of hearing similar music long ago in childhood over the radio and in our house (years later I found the Sentinels albums my parents used to play when I was little).

So long story short I was hooked. Totally got into the music and the scene, bought some more albums (Surf Raiders, hel yeah), saw Jon & the Nightriders several times at different venues around So Cal including the vaunted Ash Grove (aka Trash Grove) in San Bernardino before it burnt down. They were always incredible.

And of course being hooked and already playing guitar, I dug in. A while later I ran across a gorgeous '66 Jazzmaster in the window at Liers music and begged, borrowed and saved to buy it. Had a lot of fun learning all I could and playing covers and a very few originals with a buddy who played drums, sometimes we'd have a bass player, and we'd do Surf Stomp parties when all our friends got together over the summers. In between the few gigs we did I just loved playing and listening to the music.

Fast forward to now - still playing, still have almost all of my old gear, including the JM which I always will love (that's her in my avatar pic), a '63 Jaguar and a '65 reverb tank that I just got done restoring and replacing some old leaky caps on. Sadly my blackface Super Reverb disappeared long ago when moving between apartments. I play through a reissue '65 Princeton now and also have a couple Strats and a DiPinto Galaxie IV which is a ton of fun.

Wanna say THANKS to SG101 for being such a FANTASTIC resource for even us lurkers. I just finished building a Surfy Bear reverb tank and it made a GREAT reference unit when going through my original 6G15 reverb tank and tracking down some issues.

Also very much digging North Sea Surf Radio, who woulda thunk we'd live in a time when you could have 24/7 streaming awesome surf music?

Thanks for listening, and thanks for the community being what it is. Now that I'm out of the closet so to speak I'll see if there's anything I can contribute, and also looking forward to making it to the 10th annual SG101 Surf Music convention. Can't imagine a better time to be had!

Asta!

-Erich

Member in good standing, Mentone Beach Syncopation Reverberation Association

Welcome to the lineup, Stoopy! Glad you finally decided to take a turn. I gotta ask how you came to be called Stoopy? It's a great nick-name.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Welcome, Erich!! That's quite a story! It's great to have you among the rest of us like-minded surf lunatics! Smile

saw Jon & the Nightriders several times at different venues around So Cal including the vaunted Ash Grove (aka Trash Grove) in San Bernardino before it burnt down. They were always incredible.

Given you're a huge Jon & the Nightriders fan, may I recommend you consider coming to this show: https://surfguitar101.com/forums/post/399062/
It's in DC, not far from you, and it's John Blair and me, and half the setlist will be his stuff - and we're gonna do the very best we can to do justice to the amazing Nightriders!

Thanks, and see you either there or at the convention!

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

Last edited: May 21, 2017 22:12:45

Hello Erich,
Please say hi at the Convevtion if you can make it out.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Nice one Stoopy, my first surf album was "Surf Beat 80" too.

Thanks for the welcome, gents!

Noel - nickname came around because I used to do some stupid things on dirtbikes. Long story short I tried jumping something I shouldn't have and my '72 Suzuki T250 was "lost at sea" in the California Aqueduct.... No

IvanP - Nice to hear form you again, you may not remember but we used to chat on the old surf music mailing list back in the 90' and I saw you and the Space Cossacks out here in DC. You BET I will be coming to see you and John Blair and everyone else, thanks for the heads up!

Jeff, thanks, I plan on making the convention, looking forward to it, and Clarry, was that not an epiphanic (if that's a word) experience listening to that album the first time?

Big Grin

Member in good standing, Mentone Beach Syncopation Reverberation Association

Stoopy wrote:

Noel - nickname came around because I used to do some stupid things on dirtbikes. Long story short I tried jumping something I shouldn't have and my '72 Suzuki T250 was "lost at sea" in the California Aqueduct.... No

Laughing

IvanP - Nice to hear form you again, you may not remember but we used to chat on the old surf music mailing list back in the 90'

You know, Erich, I believe I do! Not many people spell their name the way you do! On the old Cowabunga listserv? Very nice to see you back in the fold! Smile

and I saw you and the Space Cossacks out here in DC. You BET I will be coming to see you and John Blair and everyone else, thanks for the heads up!

Fantastic! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

IvanP wrote:

You know, Erich, I believe I do! Not many people spell their name the way you do! On the old Cowabunga listserv? Very nice to see you back in the fold! Smile

(Snaps fingers)....Yep that was it, the Cowabunga dealybob! What a life saver of a resource, got to find out about your band see you guys play in Fairfax if I recall correctly. Great show even back then! And so cool to see what has evolved in the way of tech (SG101), you (Space Cossacks, The Madeira, now this!) and Surf music in general!

So, totally STOKED at the opportunity to see you and John Blair play together in a few weeks! At least one other person from my work, who also was a Space Cossacks fan when you were out here, was thrilled to find out about your upcoming gig also. Wooohoooo!!

Thanks for remembering, and cheers! Wink

Member in good standing, Mentone Beach Syncopation Reverberation Association

Hello! Registered some time ago. Just posted today. This site/forum is awesome. Like everyone else on here, I love surf music. Thanks for all of the knowledge and cool stuff that is shared here!

Welcome to sg101, jovima69! Very glad you're here.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Hey guys!

James here, an illustrator in the UK. At the age of 32, after several miserable attempts at guitar in the past, I'm finally actually learning how to play! Very, very slowly. Playing on a borrowed acoustic at the moment but getting a Squier Jaguar very soon. To be honest, my love of surf is very new, inspired by a Los Straitjackets rig rundown I happened on a few weeks ago. Now I'm hooked! The more I learn about guitar, the more I love surf guitar - and so I came here. Seems like a great community.

Last edited: May 28, 2017 12:45:04

Welcome to all our new members. I hope you enjoy the site and please feel free to participate in our forums more!

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

Welcome to sg101, crabuar! Very glad you're here.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

crabuar wrote:

The more I learn about guitar, the more I love surf guitar - and so I came here. Seems like a great community.

Welcome James! You're definitely in the right place & know you're looking forward to the Jag. See you in the fora.
Smile

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.

Last edited: May 29, 2017 08:12:38


Note: I did't intend for this to be a novella, but as I started writing, it became very therapeutic, and put a lot of things in perspective for me. For those of you that read it in it's entirety, I sincerely appreciate it!

Hi everyone! I've been lurking around this site for a while. I wanted to wait until I had some music to show before I made a formal Introduction. My name is Josh. I'm from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada (Just up the road from the 427s in Calgary if you are familiar with them). I've been playing guitar for about 25 years now. I work as a full time musician and music educator. Currently, my main focus has been getting my dream project, "The Boss Novas" up and running.

My love for Surf Instrumentals goes back to when I was a teen in the 90s. There was a high school band called "The Studebakers" that played surf music. At that point, I played guitar but I wasn't very serious about it. I certainly never thought I would be making a living from playing music. But when I saw the Studebakers hit the stage on Halloween night, that all changed. All four members were swathed in gauze and sported sunglasses, like the invisible man. There were several pumpkins arranged around the stage, each with a letter carved into it, that spelled out "The Studebakers". I didn't know it at the time, but they weren't the tightest band yet. But the music was fast and intense, and instantly nostalgic. I was always a big fan of the Beach Boys. This music had some of the same sounds, but it was much more intense. The Studebakers had great gear. A Jag and a Jazz. Outboard reverb tanks. One guitarist had a vintage Mosrite Fuzzrite pedal. The sound was glorious. THAT was the night I decided I wanted to be a performing musician.

I have always been intensely musical. My first record as a 4 year old was the "Empire Strikes Back" soundtrack. (ALWAYS loved space!) and I wore it out. By grade one, I was deep into Boney M, Night Fight to Venus (Where I started picking up the funk vibe). Then came The Rolling Stones, U2 and Spirit of the West. By junior high, I grew to love the Beatles, the Doors, Deep Purple and The Who. My love of 60's music was evident. But there was other influences as well. My Grandfather Is a musician, and he played in military and concert bands his whole life. Even though, when I was a young child I didn't play an instrument yet, he taught me how to hum along with music. By grade 3 I could improvise counterpoint to all my favorite military marches, including pipe and drums. There was something very primal about the bagpipes that appealed to me. I could hum all of my favorite marches. I started fooling around with a harmonica and quickly found that I could play some of the tunes. Then I began making up my own tunes. Still, I had not thought of music being more than a pass time. I wanted to be a fighter pilot...

In 1986, i was excited to see the Tranformers movie. While my dad was driving us to the theater, he convinced me that we should go see the Movie Top Gun instead. I had already listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times (wearing down the tape), But after the movie ended, I was sure that I wanted to be a fighter pilot. Thus started my love of all things aviation (which I still love to this day. I am an avid flight-sim enthusiast and I have a decent set up!) When I was 12, I joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, fully expecting to be a pilot one day. After a couple years, our squadron decided that we needed a Pipe and Drum band. This was to change everything.

My first official instrument was the Snare Drum. I really didn't know what I was doing TECHNICALLY, but I found I could easily improvise along with the tunes. And since I was the only one playing the snare, I wasn't getting in anyone's way. After watching some of the other cadets learning to play the bagpipe, I wondered if I could as well. As a kid, listening to the pipe and drums with my Grandfather, I always imagined myself as the Pipe Major, calling out the tunes and leading a band, marching in our City Parade. I picked up a practice chanter and an instruction book, and started learning on my own. Looking back, I think I shocked everyone at how quickly I learned this (difficult) instrument. Within a year, I had transferred to Army Cadets, as they had a full pipe band, and had Joined our local Legion Pipe Band. I wrote down my first bagpipe tune in 1993. In 1994 I had won my first piping competition. Music and composing was for me. Flying Jets became less of a focus point.

I never touched a guitar until I was 17. I bought an ex-girlfriends guitar, an acoustic which I still have. It's a "Tradition" but I don't think the company exists anymore. I was playing it yesterday and marveling at it's wonderful tone. I really underappreciated this guitar that I used to consider a "beater". There was a point I left it at a party house for a month and a half. I don't know how it survived, but it did. I started guitar like most people. Not having a clue, and hacking out non sense for my Friends. I got a couple books and started learning chord shapes. The first song I learned to play was "Desire" by U2. Then it was "Puff the Magic Dragon". By the time I was 18 I was done with the pipe bands. I was working meticulously to learn guitar and was writing my own music the whole time. Finally, I saw my Friend's band "The Studebakers" that fateful Halloween Night when everything got a bit clearer for me. I was going to be a performing musician.

The first really melodic thing I learned on the guitar was "Pipe Line". Trevor, one of the guitar players in the Studebakers showed my how to alternate pick between two strings to play that classic riff. Next he showed me how to play Miserlou. They introduced me to all sorts of bands. Some of the most influential on me was "Man or Astro Man?", Link Wray and Dick Dale. I was also plyaying a lot of punk rock and melodic punk. NOFX, Dead Kennedys and Pennywise were among my favorites. All the time I was writing my own tunes. After a few years I finally decided to go all in and I went off to college to study music. Then Jazz happened.

I spent a few years in college. I had my first actual guitar lessons and was shocked about how much I didn't know (I though I knew all the chords. What is this Gmaj9 and F13?) I had a very steep learning curve my first year. I din't know much about being a musician and performing outside of the pipe band community. I was still young and maybe a bit unreliable. I took on a bit more than I could handle and as a consequence started missing reherasals. I was not very popular that first year. But I spent the summer working very hard. I was determined to be up to par the next year. Which I was. I also fell in love with Jazz. At first, it was the more modern, funky jazz stuff that got me hooked. John Scofield, MMW, Mike stern. I discovered my greatest guitar influence; Bill Frisell. I found that I was good at hearing other players and being able to emulate their sounds. To this day, no matter what genre you hear me play you can hear shades of Bill Frisell in my playing. And of course there was the discovery of all these great jazz characters of all instruments from the 1900-1960's that I fell in love with. Miles. Stan Getz. Wes Montgomery etc. I loved the sophisticated harmony in jazz. I especially loved the improvisational elements of jazz music. The give and take. Playing with players who give you a knowing smile when you play something great and unexpected. Like they speak the same language as you. The sheer range of possibilities that exist within the music is both daunting and exhilarating. Jazz was my thing. I owned it. I wrote it and lived it.

Fast forward 15 years. Countless corporate gigs. A couple iterations of fusion bands and countless trios later. Jazz was a love of mine... but was it all I was? More and more frequently, the sound of surf instrumentals began creeping into my writing. To the point where it became obvious I needed an outlet for these tunes. I began daydreaming about leading a surf band. It was my first love, and I have played in groups covering many genres of music. Country, funk, rock, punk rock, all sorts of Jazz. (I even got to play a few shows in my Grandfathers ole' folks concert band, where I was the youngest player by 40 year!). But I had never had the opportunity to play in a surf band. I found myself visualizing myself playing the music more and more, just as I dreamed of playing the pipes when I was a kid.

Musically, I was depressed. I was burned out from teaching. I had a ton of material from the past 20 years. None of it was recorded. I had to tried to put together groups that were "bands", not just musicians getting together for a gig. A group I put together called "Twisted Lobby" sounded fantastic. But it was a 6 piece group (Bass, Drums, guitar and two horns) and it was really difficult to rehearse. It never felt like a band, and it is hard to get that many people to buy in. I had the same difficulties with the Josh Rickard Trio. (This still exists as my main jazz vehicle, although the members are basically who I can find to play with any given evening). My confidence was at an all time low. My city has a really great music scene, but as accomplished a performer I was, I didn't seem to fit in it anywhere. I wanted to play more shows and less gigs.

Last October I had the great fortune of playing a Jazz gig with two FANTASTIC players. One, a very accomplished Bass player (Brendan Rothwell of Calgary Alberta, check out his CD) and my buddy Morgan McKee (a former teacher of mine who is a monster keys player). That gig for me was a catalyst of sorts. I consider those two a tier above me, They play at a level that I was working hard to get to. And although it may seem a small gesture on their part, the compliments on my playing and my compositions that they gave me meant everything in the world to me. I certainly boosted my confidence, but it also made me want not accept where I was musically, and to get out of the rut I was in. No longer did I want the scene to just pass me by, or be limited to playing background gigs. I was born to be a performer. I was born to be composer of great music. I was without audience for it mostly. I needed to be a significant part of the scene locally and beyond. I needed to get off my ass and make it happen....

The Boss Novas was born in October of 2016 as "The Manic Presleys". A favorite local music spot had been transformed by new ownership into the Tiki themed lounge "The Forgotten Alley". I was booked to play a show there. I didn't have much time. Less than a week. I was unsure of what I was going to do. I thought of duo jazz guitar. Or Bill Frisell tribute thing. The owner was adamant that he wanted something upbeat and energetic for the room. An idea sparked in my brain. I remember telling myself that I wouldn't be able to pull it off. It was too crazy to think that I could write material, pick covers and write charts for the players in just a few days. But it WAS a Tiki bar. It HAD to work somehow. I had to make it work. My good buddy Carl was already playing bass for the show. I managed (thank the blessed stars) to wrangle up a young , very talented drummer, Coltan. I would have two rehearsals. One with Carl, and one with Coltan on the day before the show. I was nervous but excited. Worked at a furious pace to pen some original tunes for the show. I had my first dealings with insomnia. I was so ampped I didn't sleep for two days. But the charts got done. A handful of originals included. In the face of a ridiculous deadline, I had put together a surf show. My first surf show and it was a dream come to fruition. Then, the morning of the show I got a call from Coltan.

Coltan is an unbelievably talented drummer. Well versed in several genres. Spent a semester at Berkeley college. He hits hard and has TERRIFYING technique. Everything you want in a good solid drummer....and he is a warrior. The morning of the gig, he decided to go skateboarding with his buds. (I don't think Coltan skateboards regularly). He ended up falling and twisting his kick drum ankle. We didn't know it at the time, but it was broken. I feel a bit bad now (not completely because this is such a great story!), but I told him I couldn't get anybody else. I offered painkillers, and to help him with his gear. Like the true warrior he is, Coltan agreed to play the show, and I suppose a legend (at least in my mind) was born. He killed it. Despite all obstacles, and little time to prepare, I was thrilled at what we had pulled off. Of course there were some mistakes (the only train wreck was "Intoxica") but the audience loved it. I was exhilarated. Coltan wouldn't play drums for the next month and a half as his broken ankle recovered. If you are reading this buddy, I am forever in your debt for playing through that kind of pain. And when I call you brother, I don't mean it lightly. In all of the jazz gigs I had played over the previous 15 years, there weren't to many occasions where I felt I had entertained the audience to this level. I actually felt fulfillment. Game Changer.

In March of 2017 The Boss Novas came into existence as a permanent band. Why the name "The Boss Novas?". Asides form it being part of 1960's slang, it also the name of my favorite Studebakers tune. So it is an ode to the band that started a path in my life that has brought me here today. Where is here? At the beginning of something. Iv'e always had big dreams, big ideas. I'm starting to learn how to manifest theses dreams into reality, to get the universe to work for me, rather than just to be a kite. After we take no prisoner in my home town, I would like to tour the band in my country. A big dream of ours would to be play festival shows in the states. In California where the music began. And to win the admiration of the true fans of the music and all of you.

I've been wondering lately, was my near 20 years of devotion to jazz and it's related music, all of its scales, harmonies and vocabulary, just a vehicle to get me to a point where I would be the best damned surf guitar player I can be? A music where traditionally the musicians are garage players? I don't know. I know I am not done with jazz, or my certain brand of it. But I don't think it is going to get the majority of my creative energy, at least for the next phase of my music career. As long as that may be. For now, I am proud that I have brought into existence a musical dream of mine, that started many years ago on a magical Halloween night....Boss Nova!

I wish I had a bit more for you to listen to at the moment. We are in the middle of making our first recording "Lo-Fi Zone". I should be done before the fall. It could be done as soon as the end of July, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist. What I do have is a little teaser version of the tune "Boss Nova". This was originaly written by the Studebakers (Alex Coleman, Jason Wiedenhamer, Trevor Grenier, Tim Richter). arranged by myself, Josh Rickard. We have adopted this tune as our Theme song, and usually play it near the beginning and the end of our shows. I hope you enjoy. And it was Lovely meeting all of you!

Josh Rickard

Boss Nova (Teaser) by The Boss Novas

https://thebossnovas.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/TheBossNovas/

https://www.facebook.com/TheBossNovas/

https://thebossnovas.bandcamp.com/releases

Last edited: Jun 22, 2017 16:24:59

Welcome to SG 101, damn glad to meet you. . .

Happy Sunsets!

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