I was there all three days and without knowing anyone in person, it was a bit overwhelming. I had one of the reserved seats and did talk to the folks at my table, and they hadn’t heard of the forum. They also didn’t seem especially into surf music per se, but we’re digging hot rod culture, rockabilly, tiki, and other adjacent stuff, and that is great. But I was really hoping to talk deeply with some like minds.

It was difficult to find space and time to talk with the crowds and noise - but none of this is a complaint, it was a cool experience. I did let a couple of the recognizable musicians know how much I enjoyed their work, and I threw around my merch money to support them although I don’t need much stuff.

I was hoping to connect with some of you who know so much and patiently answer questions, but that didn’t happen. I was thinking it could be cool to have a different wristband (or extra wristband) for forum members. Or maybe a designated time and place for a member meet n greet? I found it a little difficult to start engaging with random people, especially when they were part of a group. My go to was asking where they were in from, but I wasn’t able to really connect. Probably a me thing - I don’t usually go to events like this. But it was cool to meet the couple of you that I did, and the music was great! I made field recordings of the Scimitars set, the Q&A session, and the Atlantics tribute set. When I get home I’ll figure out how to get them posted somewhere, although it looked like some big guns were doing more serious recording.

I’d also repeat my thought from another thread that I’d be especially into more seminar/workshop style programming such as music theory/technique, gear show and tell, more focused history, etc. I realize I’m probably in the tiny minority of attendees but I was really hoping to nerd out and elevate my understanding of the genre and scene, but instead I just saw some great performances- which is great! Well worth it. But, that was my experience and those were my reactions. I doubt I can justify the expense of attending again, but I do have deep appreciation for all who made it happen and I hope they continue to do so.

We missed you this year, Bob

I'm going to have a recap on my site but it'll be a while. It took me a month to finish mine for Surfer Joe, though hopefully it'll be quicker for SG101 (I was still on vacation for another two weeks for Surfer Joe).

That said, Facebook is very easy for posting pictures and videos, moreso than a forum, and the forum lacks the dopamine hit of instant likes etc. I hate feeding the facebook machine (that's why I put my thoughts on my own site) but I get it. I also think a lot of people stuck around for an extra day and are still flying back in. I'm still decompressing a bit myself.

re: rfcii's post

I hope you keep coming. I definitely found it overwhelming the first year, but it's good to know that people want to talk and make friends.

I definitely agree about having a better means to talk though. There have been years with an actual meet & greet beforehand and I really appreciated those, and in previous years there was an afterparty at the Tonga Hut which I thought was awesome, gave me a better opportunity to actually get to know people. I think the fact that the venue is built into a hotel kinda kills it -- some people just chill in their room.

In theory three days at an event should be enough to get to know people, but it's always been pretty shallow chat for me, and I hate trying to talk above the music.

ALL THAT SAID,

It was pretty killer. Satuday's lineup was damn near flawless, and big turnout too. I felt like last year would be hard to top, but I'd say the same about this one. I'm bummed that so many friends caught covid right before, it had me really worried that we'd see bands having to cancel.

Storm Surge of Reverb: Surf & Instro Radio

Patrick, thank you for your wonderful post. It absolutely mirrors my experiences at SG101. I was really looking forward to meeting you. I look forward to meeting you the next time that you attend.

Bob

I wish you could have come!

I’ll get some more photos and videos uploaded soon, but here is the last song of our last set.

-Eric

New music!
https://thedesolatecoast.bandcamp.com/releases
Spotify

Also:
https://theverb.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theverbseattle/

Patrick, thanks for the kind words, it was great meeting you and chatting up a bit. I really appreciate the detailed post and glad you had a good time.
Hoping to see you in future events!
Bob, you were dearly missed, Hope you are feeling better now.
Hunter, great catching up.
Thanks to everyone that came over to talk, give feedback on the performance, and, of course, all those who bought the new album and other merch.

Ran

The Scimitars

There was a meet n greet in the pch on Friday 2-5,
But not well promoted by me.
Next year I’ll plug it more.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Here's my experience at the SG101 fest.
Our planned mini tour of the west coast got off to a rocky start. The crowdstrike dilemma delayed our flight by 4 days and we were forced to cancel a few shows. We finally made it to California and headed to Las Vegas which would've been our next show.
We played at the Red Dwarf, a pretty cool dive bar, and the next night at the Fat Cat Bar which was conveniently located in the Hotel we were staying at. Both shows went well and were well attended.
The next day we arrived at the Golden Sails as the Lords of Atlantis were playing. We unloaded our gear and checked into the hotel room. Met Big Tiki Dude and got our bearings. Jeff does an outstanding job getting this together and deserves a world of thanks for all his efforts. We ran into our buddy Kurt from the Jagaloons so it was all off to a good start.
I won't give too much of a review of bands, they were all great, and I don't want to slight anyone, but man what a line up!

I completely missed Strings Aflame and didn't get to watch the Lords of Atlantis since we were still loading in and getting our bearings, but I was talking to Ivan a bit later and he introduced me to Ferenc. Within earshot were Martin Cilia and Marty Tippens trading licks and jamming at the Alemeda guitars booth, as a guitarist it was intimidating even casually listening - so I knew I was in for a challenging gig.

The WHYs were fantastic and we'll worth your time. Their merch table was next to ours and they seemed thrilled with our Eleki album, and despite the language barrier we developed a good rapport with them.
The Scimitars were a breath of fresh air and do something totally unique, yet fits with surf so well.
Dirty Fuse from Greece followed and again offered up something very unique with a bouzouki taking the lead and dovetailing very nicely after the Scimitars.
Surfer Joe tore it up as usual. You've got to really admire Lorenzo's dedication and effort. Surf music ambassador indeed!
The Surfaris came on next and were excellent reminding everyone where it all started. Ok, maybe it's just one original member, but they kept it super authentic.
I got to speak to Bob Berryhill for a bit and asked a bunch of nerdy questions. I was very surprised to learn that the bass guitar on Wipe Out was recorded direct. I didn't think that was done at the time. Also that Pal studios where it was recorded was purchased by Zappa in '65. He gave me a Surfaris sticker which I promptly slapped on my guitar case.
It was a trip to go on after the Surfaris and right before Untamed Youth, talk about a great slot!
I felt we played well, and I really tried to ride the wave (no pun intended) the other bands created. The audience was great and we felt very welcomed and appreciated. Thank you!
Untamed Youth were absolutely ripping doing some great renditions of stuff like Midnight Run from the Pyramids and other classics.
Although I'm not very familiar with their material, the Ghastly Ones were excellent and I'll definitely seek out their records. Lots of creepy fun!
And that was just Saturday! I was pretty exhausted by then, so it was great having our hotel room a few short yards from the venue.
Went to breakfast the next morning at a place called the Local Spot a short walk from the venue and ran into Ivan, Jeremy, and Dane from the Lords of Atlantis who were sitting with Larry, and Chris I think? Sorry guys, I met so many people it's hard to keep it straight, but some great conversation trading crazy Dick Dale stories of which there are many. Turns out Ivan won the strat raffle and I really can't think of anyone more suited to winning it!
Back at the venue the Will Glover Q&A was underway. It was followed by the Legends of 60s Surf jam. I didn't see much of it as my attention got diverted by band business, and conversation with forum members I was meeting for the first time.
It's great to put a face to people i only know by screen names and forum posts.
I also met some radio show guys like Clint Beachwood and Hunter from Storm Surge of Reverb. Great meeting you guys and thanks for the spins!
Up next were Ivan Pongacic, Martin Cilia, Dane Carter, and John Paul Balak doing their Atlantics/Shadows tribute. They totally nailed it. what can you say about two brilliant amazing guitarists trading leads? Dane is a powerful and tight drummer, and John Paul is a musician's musician. I could never handle as many sets as he does!
At one point at the end of the Shadows F.B.I, Ivan made an upward movement with his guitar neck on the last chord, and it coincidently matched Hank Marvin making the same exact movement on the video playing behind them! Pure chance, but they couldn't have planned it better.if they tried.
Sadly I missed the Surf Zombies, but they come highly recommend.
3 Balls of fire were very interesting with their extra percussion and searing strat tone. They had a noir-ish vibe to them.
The Volcanics were... volcanic! I didn't catch their whole set, but what I did see was pretty cool.
The Nebulas came next and were intense to say the least. I don't know how they handle wearing those masks, especially in the summer!
I'm really glad the Boss Martians are back in action. They bring a real classic rock n' roll intensity that reminds us what it's all about in the first place. Plus they're really nice guys to boot.
I didn't catch much of the Outta Sites because I was busy getting ready to play, but what I did hear was great. They had a British Invasion kind of thing going.
Our second set consisted of some newer numbers and songs from our Eleki album.
I thought it went well, but I was exhausted and completely overwhelmed by this point and hit a couple clams here and there. Even though I was a bit wonky by then , I still really enjoyed playing the second set, and the audience enjoyed it, although probably also beyond exhausted.
I didn't check out much of the Tiki room, but I did see a bit of the Verbtones and they were tight and energetic. Sadly I missed the other bands.
All said, this was an incredible event.
It's great to see old freinds, and make new ones. The crowd was so friendly and supportive. I met and spoke to so many people those two days that I'm sorry if I'm forgetting anyone or any bands.
Thanks to everyone involved!

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

Last edited: Jul 31, 2024 13:22:40

Thanks for all the show reports!

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

Vincent, both sets by your band were great! Did you come by to talk with Unsteady Freddie? I ask because I was sitting right behind him.

Patrick