Thanks for the fantastic review, Noel, and for your kind words as well as for everything you did, Don!
My apologies for being MIA the past four days. The truth is that I had been battling a sinus infection for a week before this weekend's shows. By Friday I had started feeling better, but then the incredibly tiring weekend (without very much sleep at all) set me way back, and by Monday morning I had been left feeling utterly miserable. Alas, I'm teaching a an accelerated summer course with three-hour lectures every day, and it's taken every ounce of my energy to just do the work I had to these past three days. Fortunately, I have four days off starting Friday, so I'm hopeful I'll finally kick this for good.
Anyway... I wish I could write fully about show since it really was one of our very favorites from the past 12 years as a band! I'm NOT exaggerating! It will be one we will not soon forget. Don did an incredible amount of work to make this thing a success - and a success it truly was! BIG success, I'd even say! Some 200 people there over the course of the night, and though it was a very large club (a beautiful, English-looking old church now converted into a brewery and a live music venue), by our fourth song pretty much the entire space in front of us was completely full by people (the photos above were taken in the first couple of songs and don't really reflect the way things were most of the night) that weren't just enjoying our music, they were very enthusiastic about it! Hey, that does NOT happen very often! Don, Guy Moore (with the Rockin' and Surfin' Show on Cincy radio) and all the many local surf bands have really done something special in Cincinnati over the years - there's a full-blown surf music SCENE there now! A sheer miracle! Turns out there were also a bunch of people there from Lexington, KY, an hour and a half away, where there is also a surf music radio show - The Weekend Wave on WRFL, Fridays 5-6 pm (also online). Something seems to be happening around those parts!
Special kudos go to The Grateful Surf who sounded fantastic, with Ron White (also of the AmpFibians - whose new mini-album Enigma of the Deep I picked up at the show and absolutely love!)) on lead guitar and Don on rhythm. They truly sounded fantastic - Ron is an excellent surf guitarist - and it was his birthday! They played a bunch of classic surf tunes, some Shadows (Theme for Young Lovers - my parents' song!), some classic rock tracks done surf style, and several third-wave songs, including at least two by the Bambi Molesters (Bikini Machines being one, I forget the other). Black Kat Devils opened and they are fairly new (I think) local 3-piece who did a great job, too. An amazing thing about them was their setlist, which consisted almost entirely of third wave covers - I heard (again) the Bambis (Intensity), Jon & the Nightriders (Moving Target), Los Twang! Marvels (Rancho Cucamango), the Fathoms (Groovy Boots), and many more by Daikaiju, MoAM?, Los Straitjackets, etc., etc.! I was blown away! Kudos especially to their rhythm section, drummer Ryan and bass player Jeremy(? I think?), who were TIGHT and really kicked ass! This is a very promising band, and I hope we'll get to play with them again.
Well, a night for the ages, for sure! It really cannot be overemphasized how enormous the amount of work was that Don and his wife Beth did for this show. They spent all of Saturday, starting at 10 am in the morning, setting up the stage and the sound system as well as the recording rig. And of course in the past several weeks an enormous amount of promotion. We're deeply grateful for the surf, Don!!!
Let's not forget Noel who emceed the evening! It was SO good to see him again, after several years! He is probably the kindest human being there is! and he drove FAR - six hours one way, I think! He also picked up Greg Cadman on the way, in Youngstown, OH, who had a very nice surprise for me and my dad - but I don't have it in me to write about that. Needless to say, Greg is awesome, and he rules! Thank you, Greg! Hope we can play Youngstown soon!
Here's very much hoping we can do this again soon!!
(Now to bed!)
—Ivan
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Last edited: May 25, 2016 21:17:45