This topic has interested me for some time. The Buckaroos has a unique sound as compared to the standard Country fare of the ‘60s. It isn’t much of a stretch to imagine them pulling off a Surf tune and doing it justice. Likewise, I could imagine any number of Surf bands playing Buckaroo or one of Buck’s other instrumentals and absolutely nailing the sound.

Jaguars were not solely designed for Surf, IIRC. I recall reading that they were conceived as a Country instrument, but hit just about the time that Surf reached critical mass and they turned out to be the Surf axe for a lot of players. I had a CIJ RI of a ‘66 Jag and it absolutely nailed the bright Tele sound. I remember taking a solo on a Country piece with that guitar and the Tele-playing rhythm guitarist in the band looking at me agape because I had out Tele’d his Tele.

The great migration of people from Oklahoma to California brought some interesting musical influences to the area. OK was a hotbed of Western Swing and, of course, Country. The people that settled in the Central Valley helped to spawn the Bakersfield sound, while those whom settled nearer the coast brought their influence into a different setting with the movie industry nearby. There was a strong Country music scene throughout SoCal and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Country Rock was centered in the LA music scene. Was there crossover from the Surf music world? Ask Jim Messina.

While genres have their use, I prefer to build my musical boundaries to be flexible. When I was a small child, listening to the Rock n’ Roll of the late fifties, it struck me that this was not all that different from the Country music I heard at the time. While Surf music is distinct and has traits which are unique, it is not without external influence. Before Surf there was the Instrumental Rock of Duane Eddy and others. I believe that Surf grew from those roots, but with unique characteristics which were not shared by other genres. In many ways, Surf replaced the Instrumental Rock that came before it and there was very little in the way of Instrumental Rock until Santana came along.

However, during the sixties, Buck and the Buckaroos played plenty of instrumentals. They weren’t Surf Guitar, but they definitely had some common ground. IIRC, Don Rich played a Mosrite for a time, and you can’t get much more Surfish than that.

The timing was fortuitous. I was born in 1954 and my older sister listened to early Rock n’ Roll, so I heard the music of the late fifties and early sixties as it first hit the airwaves. Surf came along when I was about seven years old and I heard it in real time as it grew. I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and watched as Rock n’ Roll became Rock, a time of mixed blessings. At the same time, Buck Owens was knocking them out of the park one after another with some great Country music that even Rock fans could appreciate. It was a great time for music.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

Ditto. I'd love to form a surf/bakersfield style band. Synchro, you available? I'm not too far from you and have a drummer in Benson.

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-2020
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html

Sending you a pm.

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-2020
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html

FritzCat wrote:

Just saw THIS on bandcamp today.

. . . and I bought a copy. These guys are fantastic! This is perfect, from my perspective. It’s great Surf and the Bakersfield element adds nicely. One thing I really like about the Bakersfield Breakers is that they are nailing the sound I like. Some modern Surf bands sound harsh to my ears and some overdo it on the reverb. These guys seem to have found a great balance. They are definitely not schmaltzy, but they are not harsh. They sound like Bakersfield, and they sound like Surf.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

Hey All,
It’s Keith from The B Breakers. Just wanted to say thanks for all of the nice things you all are saying about our second release Dune Buggy. It means so much to have people that appreciate and get what we are trying to do. Thanks again.
Our first release is also available from Bandcamp and it is titled - In The Studio With The Bakersfield Breakers. Also Streaming on Spotify, Pandora etc. as The Bakersfield Breakers and The B Breakers.

Great stuff Keith,
I gave In the Studio a spin on Spotify while I was at work today. Looking forward to hearing more.

BB, do you live in LA? I’m looking for a bassist who wants to do something Bakersfieldy-Burbankish.

Squink Out!

JohnBBreaker wrote:

Howdy, friends! Another BBreaker in the mix - this is John, the bass player. Big thanks to Fritz and Synchro for the push and the nice comments!

Welcome to Surf 101, John. Some real fine folks at this forum and now we have two more.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

synchro wrote:

JObeast wrote:

BB, do you live in LA? I’m looking for a bassist who wants to do something Bakersfieldy-Burbankish.

Sorry to have to bear disappointing news, but these guys Surf the other ocean. They harken from the city that never sleeps, or at least the immediate surrounding area.

It could be worse, imagine being a Surf music fan whom has lived in Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona. There might be some waves to Surf in Lake Superior and I guess you could torture the definition of surfing into covering skiing the Colorado Rockies, but the only thing one can Surf in my current digs are the Dust Devils.

Keep looking, my friend. There are Surf Music fans hiding in places you’d never expect to find them. Players are out there too.

Hmm, Colorado, Minnesota, even Arizona...nah, there's never been any legendary bands from those states, not even in the 60s!!!...

All kidding aside, Bakersfield Breakers, I am thoroughly enjoying checking you guy out!

http://www.satanspilgrims.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Satans-Pilgrims/8210228553
https://satanspilgrims.bandcamp.com/
http://www.surfyindustries.com

Last edited: Dec 19, 2017 12:15:46

spskins wrote:

synchro wrote:

JObeast wrote:

BB, do you live in LA? I’m looking for a bassist who wants to do something Bakersfieldy-Burbankish.

Sorry to have to bear disappointing news, but these guys Surf the other ocean. They harken from the city that never sleeps, or at least the immediate surrounding area.

It could be worse, imagine being a Surf music fan whom has lived in Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona. There might be some waves to Surf in Lake Superior and I guess you could torture the definition of surfing into covering skiing the Colorado Rockies, but the only thing one can Surf in my current digs are the Dust Devils.

Keep looking, my friend. There are Surf Music fans hiding in places you’d never expect to find them. Players are out there too.

Hmm, Colorado, Minnesota, even Arizona...nah, there's never been any legendary bands from those states, not even in the 60s!!!...

All kidding aside, Bakersfield Breakers, I am thoroughly enjoying checking you guy out!

Yep, except The Trashmen, Bob Dylan, The Astronauts, Johnny Smith, Bill Frisell, Duane Eddy and Lee Hazelwood, nobody would ever have heard of these places.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.