Thank you, Ferenc for sharing. Jamie is right, this is a treasure. John from the The Atomic Teen Idols, thanks for sharing your Southern Surf Syndicate ID card. That's a priceless artifact. If you are ever the victim of a break in and that's the only thing missing, well, it wasn't me.

Rip's journal reminds me of the hallucinogenic writing of Hunter S. Thompson. It may not be exactly what happened, but, in every way that matters, every word is true.

I wasn't there at all for any of that tour. Didn't even know about until this thread, but thanks to Rip's journal and Ivan's pictures, I'll always remember it. And later on, when the dementia kicks in, I'll swear I was there. "...I remember playing skeet golf on Lookout Mountain with Rip and Big Woody..."

-Tim
MyYouTubeChannel
My Classic Instrumental Surf Music Timeline
SSS Agent #777

Here is the Neptuna's Set fro Surfari USA
I am working on more! Sorry about the crappy video, but they were recorded on Hi-8 and had to transfer them through firewire to an old Mac.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjBUliQne6g

I do need your help! I would like to know the name the second song!
Thanks
Guy

Last edited: May 13, 2018 19:48:05

So as I recall, no one every refers to this tour without the prefix "ill-fated". How long did it actually go before it fell apart?

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

So as I recall, no one ever refers to this tour without the prefix "ill-fated". How long did it actually go before it fell apart?

It was an odd tour in that different bands started in different cities. J&TNs first date was on the 21st in Atlanta at the Variety Playhouse. I think it was at that show where the term "ill-fated" was defined. Others could provide more color, but the promoter was not pleased that the turnout that night wasn't all that great. So, he cancelled the rest of the tour, not wanting to lose more money.

Mike Palm and a couple of others (Rip probably) got into a heated argument with the promoter in the Variety Playhouse office after the show. Some of the bands packed up and went home. J&TNs had our return plane tickets for a few days later, so we decided to go ahead and play the dates we had signed up for, knowing we wouldn't get paid anything. We got the promoter to at least rent us a van for the next few days. We all laughed about it afterwards (but certainly not at the time).

www.johnblair.us
www.soundofthesurf.com

Last edited: May 14, 2018 10:52:33

I'm not surprised J&TNR finished those dates. Not that anyone likes not getting paid, but from Rip wrote about the spirit of sharing equipment and camaraderie it seems to still be the attitude that describes the scene today, and a noticeable lack of ego. Good on you guys!

BTW, HUGE HUGE thanks to Ferenc for posting those reports by Rip! I had never forgotten them and it was a true pleasure to be able to read them again. Thank you, brother!

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
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Here's my report - it was in one of the early issues of the Continental Magazine. I'd edit it, but it seems more appropriate just to copy and past it as it originally ran in the magazine:

SURFARI USA
Story & Photos by Sean Berry

I just got back from this year's Surfari USA concerts. Now that I have recovered from my experience I am able to put together a report from the shows I attended.

Here goes...

A couple of weeks ago I flew down to Atlanta to attend four instrumental
surf concerts that were part of the first annual Surfari USA tour. The
concerts featured bands from all over the United States, including Jon &
The Nightriders, The Volcanos, The Penetrators, Agent Orange, The
Neptunas, Thee Phantom 5ive, The Space Cossacks, The Atomic Teen Idols, and others. The tour began in Texas and swung through the deep South, finally going up the East Coast. I saw shows in Tuscaloosa, Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Nashville. Here is a rundown on what I saw and heard...

Friday, June 20th
Driving my grandparents' Plymouth Voyager I drove from Atlanta to
Tuscaloosa, AL, taking in the scenery along the way. It was pretty hot outside, but I was comfortable in the air- conditioned rig. I stopped for a quick n' dirty meal at the Waffle House (they are at every exit in the South), where I ordered a big waffle and hash browns 'scattered n' smothered'.

I also stopped at the Talladega Speedway to visit the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame, which had about 100 race cars on display.

I pulled into Tuscaloosa around 5:00 and looked for The Chukker, site of
the show that evening. I found it without any problem, so I turned my
attention to finding food and a record store called Vinyl Solution, which
was recommended to me by Rip Thrillby of The Penetrators. I found the
store and talked to the clerk about the local scene and The Penetrators,
who he called Tuscaloosa's 'hometown heroes'.

It was time to head over to The Chukker for the show. On the bill were The Penetrators, Squid Vicious, The Atomic Teen Idols, Johnny & The Shamen, and The Mystery Men. I finally got to meet The Penetrators, who I had only communicated with via e-mail and telephone to this point. They are the first band with a release on my new record label and we had worked on the whole thing without ever meeting. One of my reasons for coming down to the shows was to promote the new 7" record, but we only had the sleeves ready. Nevertheless, we were able to get the word out on the single and everyone was pretty excited about it.

The show started at about 9:30. The Penetrators decided to go on third instead of the headlining slot to allow the out-of-town bands to play longer sets. This goodwill gesture backfired, since the number of people in the club peaked during their set and most of the people left once it was over.

The Atomic Teen Idols played next and won the crowd over with their energetic mix of surf & ska covers and originals. They had travelled further than any other band on the tour, all the way from Olympia, WA. The evening ended with a long set from Squid Vicious. One thing I learned right away is that bars in the South don't close. The show was over at 3:30 AM and we didn't leave the club until 4:30 AM. As we walked outside I noticed a blueish tint in the early morning sky. It was time to find a place to crash for a few hours until I had to make the long drive back to Atlanta.

Saturday, June 21st

It was a long drive back to Atlanta. I hit a heavy rain storm at the
Georgia-Alabama border that had traffic on the freeway paralyzed.
Motorcycles pulled off the road under overpasses to keep dry. Once I got
through it was clear all the way into Atlanta. I stopped by my
grandparents' house to say 'hi' and take a quick shower before heading
downtown to the Variety Playhouse. Tonight's show was the focal point of the whole tour, eight bands on the bill and a theater with a capacity of
over 1000.

Unfortunately, the show started much earlier than I thought so I missed
Squid Vicious and The Atomic Teen Idols. When I walked into the theater
Los Perdidos were onstage, playing cool instro tunes with go-go dancers groving to their swingin' rhythms. Next up were The Volcanos, a great 4 piece combo with a couple of releases on Estrus Records. They wore matching blue shirts and black pants. Their tunes were drenched with reverb and really got the crowd going. I have waited a long time to see them live and they didn't disappoint.

The Penetrators were next, playing a set virtually identical to what they played in Tuscaloosa. They opened each night with the first two tracks from the new 7" (whatta way to plug the new release!).

Following them were The Space Cossacks, playing a cool mix of originals and covers. What I love about them are their choice of covers (stuff from The Atlantics, The Ventures, Dick Dale, and others) and their guitar sound - pretty amazing.

The Neptunas came on stage and were one of the highlights of the tour.
This all-female trio doesn't have the skill that the other bands possess,
but they more than make up for it with their energy and their banter with
the audience. Next up were the veterans of the tour, Jon & The Nightriders. They have been together off and on for at least 18 years and have put out several fine albums during that time. Their originals and covers had the crowd (and members of the other bands that were now spectators) in awe. It was great to hear them play 'Baja', 'Penetration' and tunes from their latest release 'Fiberglass Rocket'. By this point I was pretty tired, but I managed to make it through half of Agent Orange's set. They were pretty cool, more punk than surf, but still loads of fun to watch.

Sunday, June 22nd

I got lots of sleep and was ready to hit the road to Chattanooga. My
brother and his girlfriend joined me for the trip. The drive was fairly
uneventful, except for all of the billboards for Rock City and Ruby Falls
(a couple of tourist traps just outside Chattanooga). They didn't need to
convice us, since we had already planned on going to Rock City prior to
the show.

If you haven't heard of Rock City here is a quick description. It is located on Lookout Mountain, high above Chattanooga, and features a winding path through all sorts of unusual rock formations (some natural, some man-made).

There's Mushroom Rock, Balancing Rock, and Fat Man's Squeeze, along with a rope bridge and a view of seven states. The
highlight is a cave at the end of the path with coral glued to the
ceilings and tons of gnomes illuminated by black lights. It was the best
$9.75 I have ever spent.

It was about 8:00 by this point so I decided to head down to The Bay for
tonight's Surfari show. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the show
had started at 3:00. I had missed The Atomic Teen Idols, Thee Phantom
5ive, Squid Vicious, The Penetrators, and The Space Cossacks. There were only 20 or so people in the club. Needless to say, a wave of depression suddenly hit me. The cover charge was only $5 - if you do some quick arithmetic you'll soon realize that the bands weren't gonna make squat on this show. Morale was down, but the music that I did get to see was amazing.

The Neptunas were playing when I got to the club. They pulled out all the stops, with versions of Agent Orange's 'Bloodstains', as well as 'Hawaii 5-O', and 'Walk, Don't Run'.

They also had one of the Atomic Teen Idols on stage doing some
go-go dancing, then stripping down to his boxers on a slow number. Jon & The Nightriders played another smouldering set of high-energy instros, including 'Baja', 'Surf Rider', 'Surf Party', and 'Penetration'. Since it was only 10:30 or so they let The Space Cossacks play a few more songs to close the evening.

At this point there were doubts that the Nashville show would even
happen. Bands were out of money, the crowds to this point were small, and Nashville was another long drive away. I was going to go, show or no show. As it turned out, the show went on and it was probably the best one of the whole tour.

Monday, June 23rd

It took about 2 hours to get to Nashville, taking in some beautiful
scenery along the way. I was surprised to see how large the city is, just
about the size of Seattle. I started the day in the touristy part of town
and got lunch and did some window shopping.

Then I headed out to the 'burbs to find United Record Pressing, the company doing the vinyl for The Penetrators 7". They gave me a tour of the plant and showed me how a record is made. Our single was set to be pressed the following day, so I didn't get to see it come off the press. Still, it was really cool to see the whole process (they were working on some rap records while I was there).

My next goal was to find the club for this evening's show, no easy task
in a town of this size. After an hour of searching I finally found it.
Outside the club were various members of Thee Phantom 5ive and The
Neptunas haggling with the club owner over details of the show. I met up
with them and we hit some nearby thrift stores and grabbed a bite to eat
at the pizza joint across the street.

I missed Squid Vicious, since I was busy backstage taking advantage of
the stash of free beer. I came out to catch The Atomic Teen Idols, with
The Neptunas go-go dancing behind them. This was The Neptunas' only
appearance on stage that night, since the club owner didn't have the
money the promotor guaranteed for them.

The Atomic Teen Idols were definitely one of the highlights of the entire
tour. If you have a chance to see them do so, you won't be disappointed.
Thee Phantom 5ive were next, featuring a dancer with a hula hoop and a
boogie board. It was great to see their live show, featuring tunes from
their various EP's and several choice covers. The Penetrators followed,
playing a 45 minute set of tunes from their CD and our new 7", along with
'Stampede' which was dedicated to Jon & The Nightriders. Unfortunately, I think Jon was backstage during the tune taking advantage of the free hooch.

Jon & The Nightriders ended the evening with yet another blistering set
of amazing insto surf rock. It was amazing to see them three nights in a
row, an opportunity that I will probably never get again. The party
didn't end though. I joined 3/4 of The Penetrators and 1/2 of The Atomic
Teen Idols at a pad near Vanderbilt University for a long night of scotch
n' water and continuous rock n' roll on the hi-fi. When I finally had
enough it was 6:30 AM. After a couple of hours of sleep I had sobered up
enough for the 3 1/2 hour drive back to Atlanta.

Musicwise, Surfari USA was a huge success. It is rare to have the
opportunity to see so many great surf bands all at once. Yet the
promotion just wasn't there and many promises were left unfulfilled.
There may not be a sequal, but the memories from this year will last a
lifetime.

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

Last edited: May 15, 2018 08:01:43

Great stories, or maybe not so great if you were there at the time. Makes you feel a little more appreciative for the present day surf music festivals.

Where did the idea for this tour originate?

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!

Wow! What else is there to say. I made time to watch the 2 videos. That was cool. When those were made, it was difficult to buy surf music. I found some guy in Salt Lake City that sold me some cd's before I found POP Records with Ferenc.

Last edited: May 15, 2018 20:02:05

Did the Chantays ever actually play the Virginia Beach and DC shows?

Paul
Atomic Mosquitos
Bug music for bug people is here!
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