Against my better judgment the thread is unlocked. Please, please keep it civil people. Deep breath...

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Last edited: Sep 23, 2009 19:13:09

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Last edited: Sep 23, 2009 19:14:40

Whoa Nellie...lot of heat getting generated here.
I've got an opinion or two on this subject. First I appreciate the sentiment of emperpus01's idea...trying to do something to advance the surf/instro scene. BUT his promotional idea isn't that sound from practical view. I personally wouldn't want to invest the time, energy and possibly money into covering a current popular tune because it's more than likely that song will be forgotten in the very near future. For me to cover a top 40 tune(past or present) it has to hit or inspire me in a unique way, it has to be something I can imagine my band arranging and fitting with our sound.

I think to promote any style of music you have to start with being a good band...good songwriting, performance and musicianship. Then try to work with other quality bands (not necessarily in the same genre but similar) and quality venues. I want people to see King Pelican because they like the band (music and performance) FIRST and maybe the genre second.

We have no control over the fickle nature of the music business but we do have control over the quality of the music our bands create and play. I think this is why most of us view emperus01's idea as pandering and aren't really with it.

I myself think that sometimes the "SURF" music moniker is a little too restricting in regards to how an audience might pre-judge your music. No we don't wear hawaiian shirts or do beach boys...no we don't do Ventures medleys. I also have seen enough of surf bands with the right gear and look but no real soul to their tunes...but they're surf and vintage correct so they gotta be cool - right?

I like promoting KP as an Instrumental Rock & Roll band, (I take that lead from LSJ). Yes we do a lot of surf tunes but we also do Link Wray, Freddie King tunes and covers of funky stuff from the same era. And, I write our instrumental songs with a lot of different imagery in mind...not just surfing.

Blue StingRay...you got off on a jag that ain't there. This forum is full of folks that are doing quality hard work in writing, performing and promoting Surf/Instro music that is informed/influenced by the first wave but bringing something new to the table in the current wave.

Hey, we've got to approach this like a small business...be a good band, write good songs, give a good performance and be ready for opportunities the industry(indie or commercial) might throw your way. BUT by all means stay away from get popular quick schemes.

https://kingpelican.bandcamp.com/

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Last edited: Sep 23, 2009 19:14:50

For those who wanna make money playing Surf?
I suggest you become a studio musician. You might make a couple hundred bucks per song. That's about it folks. No royalties, no big credits, your a hired gun. Welcome to the music business.
That's how it rolls.
That's what seperates us from the marketing sharks.
Surf is for real.
B-B-O

Be careful following the masses. Sometimes the "M" is silent...........................

Oh...I forgot to mention in my previous post that I never much cared for LSJ's cover of the Titanic/Celin Dion tune. I thought it was trite.

https://kingpelican.bandcamp.com/

It's true, Surf music as we know it won't be a huge thing anytime soon. So just be happy with how it is now. Maybe someday it will be something big but not now.

The Deadbeats

Wow! I'm happy to have provoked some discussion here but I never imagined the debate would get so heated.

It seems that we're debating two issues here:

1) Could surf music as it is - a vital and creative 'subculture' - benefit from a larger, more diverse following (and still maintain its creative integrity)?

and

2) is covering "contemporary pop hits" (Lord I wish I'd used that phrase instead of "Top 40") a worthwhile way to go about attracting a larger audience and promoting surf music in general?

I think that not only can the music survive intact, but that gaming the system by taking advantage of a popular song or two could turn a lot of otherwise lost music listeners on to this kind of music. I think that surf can survive and prosper like that precisely because the surf music scene today is so strong. And wouldn't our f'd up world only benefit from more people being exposed to this great style of music?

As far as whether using covers posted on youtube as a method to attract that audience would work, well I think it's at least worth a shot. I don't think it's pandering if you're interpreting a song that you actually like, or that has at least some artistic value. I keep coming back to Los Straitjackets famous cover of "My Heart Will Go On" because it demonstrates so well how even the most mundane, irritating, syrupy song can be transformed into a really beautiful piece of music by great musicians.

I do want to step up to Blue Stingraye's defense here - she's promoted a ton of surf and rockabilly shows in Connecticut and gotten gigs for a lot of bands. She even offered to personally pick my girlfriend and I up at the train station in Connecticut if we made it out for one of her shows! I think things just got a little heated here and tempers flared, which just goes to show how passionate people here are about surf music, which is a great thing. I just believe that there's room enough, and that the music is strong enough, for much more.

dp
i think that today's surf bands need more:

fire
lights
smoke
hair
skin
attitude
tattoos
catchy lyrics

and distortion.

then everyone will dig it!

Yeah, they're called The Bomboras! (Admittedly, I don't care for their songs with lyrics, but some of their instrumentals--thinking "Playa de los Muertos"--are absolutely kick-ass!

Vince

Is this something you can share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!?