Abe
Joined: Mar 12, 2008
Posts: 1237
Bay Area
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 12:15 PM
ElMonstroPorFavor
Stop sticking with the extremes. Surf will not be mainstream and it wouldn't be fun if it were, but wouldn't it be nice if people were aware of the genre? I don't want surf to be cool, but if cool people were genuinely interested in it and found out about it on their own, that would be pretty great. I think less people know what surf is than blog-house or folk metal. I just want to figure out how to push it to that level where it's semi-relevant
I don't think top 40 per se is the solution. I don't think anybody has agreed with that since the first post. However, I do think that the genre has the obscurity and kitsch to go somewhere with covers of good songs (below the top 40) based on novelty. As I said before, Nouvelle Vague is the exact same thing being done for lounge/bossa-nova and it was popular
I don't think it's really selling out if you're covering songs you like, and if you like the songs you were probably already covering it anyway, so I'm not saying "GO FORTH AND COVER" and I don't think this is the idea to save surf music nor do I think it needs saving, but I don't think the basic idea of all this is stupid
 I see what your saying there, but I didn't say that it will never or it can't be big, that's why I said someday. And yes it would be cool if it was more relevant, but all I'm saying is that I'm happy with the way it is right now. And no I have no problem with a surf band "Selling Out". Ther is nothing wrong with making a little extra cash for that matter. 
— The Deadbeats
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25588
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 12:23 PM
doing a few odd ball pop songs covers is one thing.
for the fun of it.
but to be band that only does covers like this, and tries to capitalize on it, just seems sad.
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
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DannySnyder
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 11057
Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 01:05 PM
Yeah, I don't play surf rock for the money anyway, I play it to meet girls  (j/k Lady Reverb)
— Danny Snyder
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo
Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta
Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party
Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF
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DNAdude
Joined: Aug 01, 2008
Posts: 404
North Carolina
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 01:21 PM
Is "doing something specifically in order to be popular" the definition of selling out?
Look, if you hear a song, whatever its origins, and you think it would make a great surf tune, then surf it up and do it and don't worry about where it comes from.
I was in a rock band, and we took a piece of commercial fluff by Kelly Clarkson that our bass player described as "little more than fried air and production" and reworked it into a down and dirty rocker that was great, but it was because someone in the band heard the song and heard the potential and thought it would be fun, not because we said, "Oooh, let's do a Kelly Clarkson song so people will like us."
— Ralph
The Storm Surfers
Be at one with the universe. If you can't do that, at least be at one with your guitar.
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DNAdude
Joined: Aug 01, 2008
Posts: 404
North Carolina
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 01:22 PM
By the way, kudos to everybody on either side of the question who is motivated by love of the music. Stick to your guns.
— Ralph
The Storm Surfers
Be at one with the universe. If you can't do that, at least be at one with your guitar.
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emerpus01
Joined: Aug 13, 2007
Posts: 28
Queens, New York
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 01:29 PM
bigtikidude
doing a few odd ball pop songs covers is one thing.
for the fun of it.
but to be band that only does covers like this, and tries to capitalize on it, just seems sad.
That's not something I'd ever suggest either, although I'd rather hear this hypothetical all-contemporary-covers surf band before passing judgement. Who knows? With the right amount of creativity and musicianship, maybe some band COULD make that concept work, but it's not what I was suggesting.
The most recently written pop song to get the surf-instro cover treatment that I can find is Monsters From Mars' cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic", which they apparently released as a 45. There's an mp3 of it on their myspace:
www.myspace.com/monstersfrommars
Here's a live youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXc5--GneaQ
This is probably undermining my argument since the youtube video only has a couple thousand hits (granted, the song itself was a hit four years ago) but I thought it was worth pointing out because I think it at least shows that a cover of a modern pop hit wouldn't necessarily suck by default. I still think that a cover of something that's popular right now would attract a significant and unexpected audience and that there's nothing to lose in giving it a try.
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tommyalvarado
Joined: Jan 03, 2008
Posts: 512
Delaware, USA
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 02:32 PM
emerpus01
bigtikidude
doing a few odd ball pop songs covers is one thing.
for the fun of it.
but to be band that only does covers like this, and tries to capitalize on it, just seems sad.
That's not something I'd ever suggest either, although I'd rather hear this hypothetical all-contemporary-covers surf band before passing judgement. Who knows? With the right amount of creativity and musicianship, maybe some band COULD make that concept work, but it's not what I was suggesting.
The most recently written pop song to get the surf-instro cover treatment that I can find is Monsters From Mars' cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic", which they apparently released as a 45. There's an mp3 of it on their myspace:
www.myspace.com/monstersfrommars
Here's a live youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXc5--GneaQ
This is probably undermining my argument since the youtube video only has a couple thousand hits (granted, the song itself was a hit four years ago) but I thought it was worth pointing out because I think it at least shows that a cover of a modern pop hit wouldn't necessarily suck by default. I still think that a cover of something that's popular right now would attract a significant and unexpected audience and that there's nothing to lose in giving it a try.
Actually, this song was once a surf smash-hit that was turned into a Top-40 song in an attempt by Britney Spears to make Top 40 music more popular. Look at what it did for her career...
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emerpus01
Joined: Aug 13, 2007
Posts: 28
Queens, New York
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 02:49 PM
tommyalvarado
Actually, this song was once a surf smash-hit that was turned into a Top-40 song in an attempt by Britney Spears to make Top 40 music more popular. Look at what it did for her career...
Well I guess you got me there, dude. 
Seriously, what did you think of the song? Waste of time or surfy goodness?
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ErnestHernandez
Joined: Jun 16, 2008
Posts: 592
The Alamo City, TX
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 05:50 PM
Great post Calacas.
Thanks Brian.
— https://kingpelican.bandcamp.com/
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tommyalvarado
Joined: Jan 03, 2008
Posts: 512
Delaware, USA
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 06:10 PM
emerpus01
tommyalvarado
Actually, this song was once a surf smash-hit that was turned into a Top-40 song in an attempt by Britney Spears to make Top 40 music more popular. Look at what it did for her career...
Well I guess you got me there, dude.
Seriously, what did you think of the song? Waste of time or surfy goodness?
Nah, I wouldn't call it a waste of time, but I wouldn't call it "surfy goodness", either. When the song first came out, I recognized that it (and other tracks that I heard from that album/era) had kind of a "James Bond/Spy" theme influence. The song just feels too rushed and chaotic for me to consider trying to cover it, or for it to feel "surfy". These guys went for it and gave it their best shot, and I really do like bands like this, but the song just doesn't work for me, that's all. I honestly can't think of a single contemporary pop song I'd consider doing a surf-instro version of. Sorry.
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