Jake, thanks for the nice report. Looking forward to the next instalment...

Tim O
oestmann guitar

tunes

clips

diceophonic
WHAT! no Portland show

I drove down from Bellingham for last night's show - you should definitely think about driving up to Seattle for tonight's show (although it sounds like there are only about 65 tickets left, according to Leon "Shake The Shack" Berman). Definitely worth the drive!!

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

The first Seattle show was unbelievable. 350 people packed the Tractor Tavern!!! It goes to show the power of radio. Leon Berman from KEXP did a masterful job promoting and packing the show! Wow. The Surf Coasters were tired from a very, very long day of travel, but they did not dissappoint and played two encores.
Sorry, no show in Portland or San Francisco. That's the way it goes. But if we show the band lots of love, maybe we can convince them to come back!

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Alright, Night two at Slim's Last Chance.

The venue is not much of a venue, it is a bar/local hangout with a stage. However, they appeared to have rented a great sound system and hired the old soundguy from a great club called the Crocodile Cafe. He made all the bands sound great.

We were first. We hadn't practiced some of the songs in months, but it really came together. It was the first time I ever intentionally brought my '66 Jazzmaster to a gig. I was very happy with it. Also, my first time playing a Fender in two weeks, it took several songs to get comfy on the 7.25" radius and the 25.5" scale and then it felt great.

Pollo played second again. I sung their praises last night and I felt they sounded even better tonight. The crowd wasn't nearly as large or into the music but it just sounded really tight. Highlights were Annabelle Lee, Hall of the Mountain King, and A Flash of Green which they played even better than last night. Also, Kudos to Pollo for playing a different set. King of Hawaii and Surf Coasters both played identical set lists both nights. This was the first night I got to speak with the rest of the members of the band. Really great guys. Jeremy made some really funny comments.

King of Hawaii was next. All of their songs seem so familiar to me and I can't place a single one. To me, this is a good thing. It keeps me involved, albeit perplexed. Got a chance to visit with them as well. Really nice people. My only regret is that I couldn't make out the keyboards very well. The keyboardist seemed to be using a flywheel on her very expensive looking keyboard and I wish I could have picked it out.

Surf Coasters. Same set, but played with more energy as the jetlag has less effect on them. Kuri probably played the best out of any of them. He was the best I've ever seen him, which is saying something. The musicianship of these guys blows me away. Shigeo's tone is huge. Also, I was watching his right hand on Bumble Bee twist. The man does some insane string skips, specifically double picking on the g and hitting the next note on the e, while double picking and he doesn't even lose a fraction of a beat. It is always smooth, even, and at the same speed. Absolutely nuts. That is how you double pick. I can do it, but I am nowhere in the league that Shigeo is. Another also... Also, I am 95% sure Naotaka didn't have a double bass pedal but it definitely sounded like he had one several time. We all got to spend time trying to chat with the members of the band. God bless them for putting up with our attempted conversations.

The best of times...

If you are on the fence about not going, please come out to a gig. These guys are a very special band and musicians like them don't come around every day. As far as top guitarists go, Shigeo has to be one of the best there is, and I'm talking all-around and not surf. I also get the sense that he is not unleashing his full-potential in the Surf Coasters. So yeah... It is just really great. Even if you are turned off because it isn't trad, or even surf, just keep in mind that it is really great music, great musicianship, and top-notch showmanship.

And finally... The CD rules. Please buy it at the show. Grab a t-shirt as well. $25 will get you a shirt and CD. Buying will hopefully entice them to come back again next year(a long shot from what I understand).

Thanks Jake, and your point about making it out to see them is very well put and spot on.

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

Danny, you are going to try and tell me that his support hose don't fit well?

The Surf Coasters and Pollo Del Mar rocked the house at the Blank
Club in San Jose tonight. It was as big a crowd as I've seen around
here (with the exception of the Mermen and the Dickster). The Surf
Coasters seemed to be very moved by the enthusiastic response
they got. To say that they were phenominal is a huge understatement.
The new material is quite different, but I loved it all. At times, Shig
had this fusion thing going that reminded me of Eric Johnson (I know
that the so called "wankers" and "noodlers;" aren't popular to most
of the members here, but I like Eric Johnson's playing a lot). Defin-
itely not traditional surf in any sense of the word, but I'd give them
better than 5 out of 5 stars if it was possible. The highlight for me
was smokin' "Intruder".

As always, Pollo Del Mar was great. I never heard them play as loud
as they did tonight. There were times I could barely hear Jeremy's
drums!!! I will definitely be at Moe's Alley on Tuesday night. I'm
gonna try to shoot down to The Purple Orchid in El Segundo for their
show with Slacktone next weekend. Domo arigato, Surf Coasters!

Bob

Bob

Last edited: Sep 08, 2008 02:20:35

Hello all from Japan!

Though I was pretty exhausted on Friday night, having just flown in from Detroit and dealing with a 3-hour jetlag, the Tractor Tavern show was amazing, absolutely amazing. I was also VERY fortunate to be with Ferenc as he picked up the Surf Coasters from the airport and took them to the radio station for their live performance, and sit right in front of Shigeo's amp while they played (WOW!!! I actually recorded 90 seconds of them playing on my camera - I'll try to make that available when I return home). They are such incredibly friendly and gentle people, it was a real joy to just be around them. And what talent!!! Everybody talks about Shigeo, and probably rightly so, the guy is truly astonishing. But I tell you, Naotake is a monster drummer, and I think that Kuri is probably the best bass player playing in surf music today. They're so much fun to watch, too, they all have great stage presence, and play with such joy! I especially get a kick out of watching Kuri, that guy exudes joy! Anyway, I can't wait till the Purple Orchid show!

One more thing: it was great to see King of Hawaii (of whom I've been a fan for ten years) and the Mercury Four, both bands sounded really good, but Pollo especially were mind-blowing on Friday. I've played with them many times over the last ten years, with both the Space Cossacks and the Madeira, in fact as recently as a month ago, but they tapped into something bigger on Friday. That was by far the best I ever heard them sound. I think I enjoyed them even more than the Surf Coasters - I poop you negatively!! Having 300+ people going nuts probably helped.

Anyway, thanks to Ferenc for dragging me around and more importantly for doing all the work to get the Surf Coasters to the US again - we owe you big, my friend! (Nice to see you credited as their US manager in the new CD's liner notes, too!)

Ivan

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
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The show at the Blank Club kicked ass!

I cringed while Beachkrieg played. I was BLOWN AWAY by Pollo Del Mar. Ferenc, you guys kicked ass! Then the Surf Coasters came on and ripped through their set. Go see these guys; their stage show is impressive, fun, and full of energy.

Thanks again Ferenc for bringing these guys to the states!

Science friction burns my fingers.

My brain hurts!