Did it! got the tickets, got a place to stay. CANNOT WAIT!

Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com

This weekend, go if you can

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Yup

Jeff(bigtikidude)

i just got home (almost 10 hour drive) i didn't take pictures inside but here's a small taste of the venue which is the old convention center at asbury park. with the threat of rain they moved the entire event inside.

www.surfintheeye.com

Looking forward to show reports, pics, and video!

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
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"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

I don't have any pics or videos, but what a great weekend!
It started out for us on Friday with a show at the Fun house in Bethlehem PA with our pals the Great White Caps. They really tore the house down, playing well into the night. I don't know how they made it to Asbury so early the next day, we didn't manage to make it till about 4:30 that afternoon. Unfortunately that meant we missed some of the bands. We got there in time to see Surfer Joe put on a brilliant performance though. All the bands were firing on full cylinders and really show what a great time for this music it is. Got to see some old friends and made plenty of new ones too. Spoke to Ivan for a bit, and got another opportunity to see the Madeira put on yet another intense, and masterful set. It's incredible how tight these guys are. les Agemenmonz were excellent and they really know how to rock a tunic! Met a couple of the Surfrajettes who were hanging out all day. We didnt get to see them play but they were very nice and very cool Hopefully we can play a show together in the near future. Met and spoke with Pierre from the Obsedians and talked about playing in Canada with them.
It was really good to see so many amazing bands all at once. I wasn't familiar with some like the Men in Grey Suits, but they were also excellent. Satan's Pilgrims closed it out, and it was great to finally see them. As soon as they were finished, it was off to the After party at the Anchor's Bend next door where we played to an amazing crowd (if any of you are reading this, thank you!).
Vincent really does an outstanding job getting this thing together and really deserves a debt of thanks and a standing ovation!
Then... as if the weekend wasn't already good enough, we had the privilege of opening for Dick Dale the next night in Newton NJ. This is our fourth time supporting him, and it was a last minute booking and the best possible way to close out a too good to be true weekend!

https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger
http://coffindaggers.com/
http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com

Last edited: Aug 20, 2018 14:39:00

Thanks for the nod Hunter! WARNING - This is an extremely long post detailing my trip to the APSMF. Read at your own risk!

It was truly an amazing time for me. I came up and met my good friends Bob, James and Tim and we drove up to NY together from the Airport. We started off walking around Friday in Brooklyn and visited Otto's Shrunken head for a cocktail and then went to Katz for a truly outrageously stellar Pastrami sandwich and some half sour pickles. We caught the SP show that night at a bowling Alley/Bar Venue (VERY COOL!). SP absolutely tore the house down, however the Nebulas had a very enlightened performance and I think played some new songs! (We need another album boys!) But Saturday started off like a dream for me. I was barely able to choke down a double espresso before I was talking to Raleigh about some very cool Hawaiian music, and then found myself talking to the Lead Singer of Godspeed for about 2 hours(I now refer to him as Asbury Dave!) while we walked down the pier and looked at all the flea Market and retro Arcade amazingness and he told me the story about when they opened for Dio at the outdoor Stone Pony stage and he yelled "This is our F$!#ing Show" and threw the mic down which did not please Dio's wife too much apparently! However I did see him later on at the show so I think we have a convert! I didn't catch all of the show as there was so much to do on the Pier (not the least of which was some really amazing people watching), I did however catch Surfer Joe and I have to say that the Surfy Bear sounds better and better(it probably helped that Surfer Joe didn't miss a note and seemed to be speaking in Japanese the whole time!), but I never did find the supposed Surfy Bear counter that was to be manned by Ted Pilgrim, although I did have a drink in hand before noon so that may have had something to do with it There were also some excellent performances by The Great White Caps, The Volcanics, Frankie and the Pool Boys, and Men in Grey Suits, but I really enjoyed the Black Flamingos set as they played some excellent jazzy renditions of some spy classics with a dancy surfy twist! Truth be told I had seen all of these bands at least once before in the past (however I think this a standout show and was the best I had seen all of them perform as they were ALL on point!), but the only band I had never seen was Les Agamemenonz. I started listening to LA when I heard Tropicale Triste on NSSR and it immediately caught my ear. They were a bizarre sight when they entered the stage with their toga's and DePinto guitars (which the lead guitarist instantly traded out for Frankie from the Volcanics Lake Placid Blue Jaguar with painted headstock Excellent Choice BTW and thanks Frankie for that!). Once the technical hurdles were over they cranked into their first song and immediately I got transported to an alien land of poly-rhythms and dark dissonant tones. One thing that struck me at once was that this band has an amazing technical ability that they displayed with style and grace. It took several songs for the crowd to really notice them, I think at first they were either too taken aback by them or just didn't know what they were hearing, however after a few songs everyone started really getting into it. At one point Bob Surf-King grabbed me and said "Do you hear violins???? How the F@%& are they doing that?). It was truly an incredible experience listening to this band live in this particular venue. They utilized the sonic stage they were given to the max with what seemed like effortless virtuosity. So, multiple crazy rhythm shifting drum solos later, the announcer delivered the next fantastic news, The Madeira! Needless to say I love this band and see them as often as I can because I'm never disappointed. When they kicked off you instantly knew this was going to be a brutal assault on your senses and boy did they deliver! One thing I have not mentioned is that the year prior the show was completely out on the beach, and that seemed to really fit the acts that were there that year as it seemed like a somewhat lighter cast of players (myself included). However this year was held inside because there was the constant threat of Rain (which hit in small doses throughout the day). And of course the convention hall is quite cavernous (can you say MAXIMUM REVERB!!!) Well when the Madeira finally lifted off and found full volume in songs like Apes of Wrath and the Saracen, it was Maximum Rock'n'Roll! JonPaul and I were marveling at how Ivan's Guitar basically sounded like Iron Maiden in that setting (a pure coincidence I'm sure!). It was a stunning set with tons of raw power that rammed the Reverb straight into my brain until it just left me dizzy! Once their set was over I had to go walk the Pier once again and come down off my high (drink some water lol!). I survived this time, but only barely! I finally made it back to the convention hall And just when I thought things couldn't get any better, one of my all time favorite Surf Bands took the stage with their Red Shirts and Black Capes. Satan's Pilgrims is a band that has consistently delivered the Raw Northeast Low-Fi Surf sound and is undoubtedly one of the best Surf bands that the 3rd wave has ever produced. The first time I saw them was in 1997 in Chapel Hill with the Bomboras, and from that moment on I was a huge fan(incidentally they have just re-released the shirt I bought way back then which is a red ringer tee with Dracula in a Graveyard. Super cool!). They kicked it off with Vampiro like they had the prior night at the bowling alley, but that's where the similarities with their set ended. They played all of my favorites including Music to Watch Girls by, the Godfather Theme, Creature Feature, Badge of Honor, Surf Lyre and so many more. Their songs are perfect retro classics and they nailed the entire set and whipped the crowd into a frenzy! They also were playing a few new songs that were released that night on a Hi-Tide 7" which I highly recommend you pick up (new favorites for me!). But then just as they were ending a song something happened that I have never seen before, Ted broke the snare drum! Now you can't really blame this on Ted, you have to realize that punishing ordeal this poor snare had been through all day, not to mention that Dane from Madeira had just gotten done beating that thing like a...... well you get the idea! However not to fret! Vincent came in and saved the day with a fresh snare drum so SP could finish off the set and end the night. I haven't mentioned Vincent yet, but this guy is amazing. At one point Bob and I were wondering where our 2 buddies we came with had gotten off to, well apparently they attended a class on mixing cocktails somewhere in the Convention Hall Complex where none other than Vincent himself served them their mixed drinks(and keep in mind this is during the shows)! WTF! He was on and off the stage, over at the merch table, helping with instruments, I don't know how he does it! This guy was everywhere at once! My hat is off to Vincent, his wife and Hi-Tide. The amount of work that goes into these shows is truly monumental but they both appeared to pull it off with grace and beauty! Kudos! I was so exhausted at this point (it was after midnight) I had to get some food so I headed over to the Anchors Bend which is right outside the doors of the convention Hall. But just when I thought it was all over the Coffin Daggers started playing! I had seen them last year when I was in Brooklyn and was amazed at their technical abilities. They have a very moody eastern sounding organ song which I'm always very happy to hear entitled "The Sinister Urge", if you haven't heard it check it out! The band is very versatile and never fails to take you on a musical journey. I also got to eat the best hamburger of the trip while listening to this and finished the evening up on a surf music high! The next day the Pool Party was rained out so everyone huddled in the Billiards room of the Asbury Hotel and sipped on cocktails and beers while we got to hear an awesome party band The Primitive Finks, and the Surfrajettes who delivered a very retro and relaxed sounding set which went a long way to curing my hangover! All in all I got to hang out with a bunch of friends and eat amazing food and listen to some truly amazing bands. What a trip! I don't know how they can top this year, but knowing Vincent I'm very eager to find out! Congrats to everyone this weekend on making it such an incredible time for me!

Jeremy

The weekend was a blast! I came and went a fair bit, so I didn't catch all the music, but what I did see was excellent!

One lowlight first: The indoor convention hall. I know this was out of everyone's control moving things inside due to weather, but the acoustics in the venue were unfortunately just really, really bad. The room was super echo-y and washy sounding, which when you play with heavy reverb (as everyone did) only makes the problem worse. On multiple occasions I tried wandering around the venue to explore where the sound might be cleaner, but I never really found it for any band. Maybe things sounded better right in front of the stage, but I stupidly forgot to bring any earplugs so I didn't want to get too close. It's really too bad, because it stole from a lot of great performances by multiple groups. Especially for bands or songs that have a denser and more aggressive sound there were moments where songs became almost indecipherable into just mushy noise - super unfair that the acoustics of the place basically punished anyone who pushed their playing to the edge.

A few highlights: For me the home stretch of three headlining bands was just sublime. I've already seen the Madeira and Satan's Pilgrims, and they both delivered just as I'd hoped. The Madeira played an absolute monster set: mostly their more aggressive songs, with a nice mix of newer and older material, and almost all of my favorites. I hadn't seen them in a few years, so I hadn't heard any Ancient Winds material live (except for the couple songs that got unveiled at their Sonic Cataclysm performance), so it was nice to hear that stuff at full force. God damn Ivan really pushes his amp to the brink! But unfortunately that also meant the Madeira's set was probably the worst casualty of the venue acoustics. It's too bad, because they gave a phenomenal performance.

Satan's Pilgrims were exactly the party I was hoping for. It was clear at a few points that they were a bit rusty, but for the last handful of songs they really locked in and hit another level. The Godfather was probably the song that brought the crowd into the palm of their hand in a way that no other band managed all day. They killed it! Almost literally too, since Ted broke his snare drum in the middle of the song. Scorpio 6 and Haunted House of Rock were both highlights, and Boss BSA was probably my favorite of their set. The final buildup to close it out was transcendental, and I was feeling it! Even though they messed up the very end

Ultimate highlight: Les Agamemnonz! I've liked their music since I first heard them years ago. They have a super trad sound with lots of quirky, unconventional changes, arrangements, dynamics, noises, and more. It makes for some really interesting, fun music in their recordings, but holy crap they really took it to the next level live! I LOVED their set, even more than I was expecting to, and I had high hopes. Ben is a very imaginative guitarist and songwriter, and I really like and appreciate his unique style, but I didn't realize until I saw them how really the lifeblood of the group is Andre on the drums. The whole rhythm section is great, but he so effectively both anchors and drives them with his super unique drumming. Clear jazz influences, coming effortlessly in and out of the standard surf beat with all sorts of imaginative rhythms with just tons of interesting fills and accents in almost arbitrary places because, hey why not? It makes for a really interesting style that almost flirts with being disorienting, but still stays true to the song. He and the rest of the band as a whole were also so adept at changing dynamics in a really fun way, almost as if they're just toying with their own music, but still in a way that doesn't diminish or distract from the heart of it. I was so impressed! They really opened my eyes to how much more dynamic and melodic space there is to explore in this genre, which is all the more impressive considering how they still somehow feel like a trad surf band! Plus they have a great stage presence and are clearly having a ton of fun, which was really infectious to watch. One of those rare bands that makes you fall back in love with surf music all over again. J'aime Les Agamemnonz!

I also had a blast catching up and hanging out with friends, many of whom I haven't seen in years. Unfortunately I didn't get nearly enough time with everyone, and missed some people entirely. Regardless, it just felt good to get back into the scene with the fun folks in this community. Thanks everyone who helped make it happen!

They were fantastic!!

wooza wrote:
Les Agamemnonz!

Paul
Atomic Mosquitos
Bug music for bug people is here!
Killers from Space

I'll just pile on! Les Agamemnonz were the highlight for us too. So many great bands. Also finally got to see Frankie and the Pool Boys. They had a few tech glitches in terms of volume and mics but they took it in stride as professionals and played a great set! It was good to reconnect with some folks I hadn't seen since the Instro Summit 2014 in Durham, NC (like JonPaul) Excellent show, high fives to Vincent and all the people who put tons of effort into this event!! We had a GREAT time!

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