Thanks man, I am very glad you like it!!! You should have to get the vinyl... next time I come to the Hague.
I will be again at VaVoom Tiki Bar on FEBRAURY 17th, hope to see you there!

Lorenzo

Lorenzo "Surfer Joe" Valdambrini
(www.surfmusic.net)

Thanks Mike! I am glad you like it

Lorenzo "Surfer Joe" Valdambrini
(www.surfmusic.net)

I’ve been living with this album for quite some time now and I’ve realized that I’m way overdue to comment on it. First, I have to say that I love this record. I’m so impressed that these guys would even take on the challenge of doing such a project, and then adding some originals really increases my respect for the talents of these 2 bands. Technically though, it’s not 2 bands, it’s Germany’s best surf band The Kilaueas with their friend Gary Schmalzl and the one man italian super surf music impresario Surfer Joe himself - Lorenzo Valdembrini recording all the instruments on his songs.

As you probably know by now, each band has a side of the album, and their respective songs were recorded in different studios. It’s always interesting to me to compare the different approaches musicians take to a shared project, it enables me to hone in on the individual qualities of the people involved. I’m not saying every listener should do this, I recommend you just kick back and enjoy the tunes, but as a seasoned surf music fan I enjoy going a bit deeper.

One difference that stands out for me between the 2 bands are the drumming. Both bands feature excellent drumming, though Perzi brings an intensity to his drumming while Lorenzo has a more relaxed but also more nuanced approach. The intricacies of Jim Gallagher’s drumming approach continues to elude most drummers who attempt it, and it’s clear that Lorenzo really gets it, probably better than anyone on the planet. And as the drumming is such a huge part of the Astronauts genius, it really does honor the original music.

My first thought on listening to side A is “Wow, Ralf and Tom have really stepped up in their guitar playing”. I don’t know who played lead on what, but they are nailing it. All the guys are really nailing it in fact (kudos Jaque and Gary!), it’s truly an enjoyable listen and lets you hear the cover songs with fresh ears. The entire side is excellent, no need to pick out any standout songs but I’ll make a few comments.

Gary’s original - Deo in Expensivo - is a little more outside of the Astronauts theme, but is a very creative arrangement and worth listening to. Reverborama starts out as a pretty conventional surf riff but then the Kilauea magic kicks in on the bridge and it’s just golden. I’m a sucker for incorporating exotic melodies into typical surf music and some of my very favorite stuff is the Eleki music from Japan. So when I heard this arrangement for Koi-O-Surunara I was really enthralled by it. It’s actually much better than the Astronauts version, which comes off as more of a live demo. Astronuts#1 on the other hand sounds like a long lost Astronauts song, and could easily have fit on Surfin’ With The Astronauts. The lead work on Surf’s You Right is really great, the tone is perfect and the wild solos are so much fun. Well done! I could go on, but I’d rather people spent time buying and listening to this record so I’ll jump over to Lorenzo’s side.

I can’t understate what an achievement it is for Lorenzo to pull this off. I’ve been recording demos on my own for decades now, but I rely on a drum machine. To be able to lay down such tricky and nuanced drum tracks entirely separate from the guitar tracks and to have it sit right in there is nothing short of amazing. I hope Lorenzo will share with us how he pieced the songs together at some point.

Much of Lorenzo’s lead guitar tone is far drippier than the Kilaueas, which makes a nice contrast I think. (of course the rhythm guitar on both sides is super drippy). I’d go so far as to say nobody has made a drippier recording, nor should anyone try to go further. I think Lorenzo has found the boundaries of the drip He did a good job of making sure the melody still comes through, which is often a challenge. Like I said earlier, Lorenzo takes a more relaxed approach to the music, and I wonder if it would have been better to mix the tracks between the 2 bands to take advantage of the different styles, instead of splitting sides. In any case, it’s very enjoyable and there’s plenty to take in.

One standout tracks for me is the lone original Astrobeat Stomp the slight ambiguity of the 2nd half of the main lead melody (5th bar after the melody starts) just nails it the way a surf music crazed teen would have wrote it in 1962. Drums are mixed just right too, with the snare just low enough that you can’t be sure what it’s doing, letting the cymbals really drive the beat. The guitar tones on The Hearse - one of my all time favorite trad songs - is just great. Bright and just veering into natural amp distortion but still ringing like a bell - just really authentic sounding. On Batman, it’s the rhythm guitar that gets me, just love it!

Is there nothing that Lorenzo can’t do! Creates the worlds largest surf festival, books countless tours for visiting bands, teaches himself to play guitar and in 2 years becomes a world class surf guitarist, and now records an entire album by himself capturing a sound that many other bands have tried and often came up short. I hope every surf music fan buys this record, not only for all the great music that you’ll receive, but in support of these 2 bands, leading lights of the international surf music scene. Viva Surfer Joe and The Kilaueas!

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Awesome review, Danny!!!

Bob

A little late to the party...but man, this record is awesome! And, very nice review Danny.

https://kingpelican.bandcamp.com/

surferjoemusic wrote:
Ralf, Chris do you agree with thanking Danny for the review?)

Yes. 200%

I am really happy about Dannys Review. Its almost to much to take.

And i am really glad that i have so cool friends like Tom, Ralf, Perzi and last but not least Lorenzo and Gary who are capable to record such a good album. And they did let my play on this album..

We did the whole recodings on one day. It took us something like 8 hours? And i felt very comfortable the whole time. And so did the other guys.

If somebody had said 20 years ago to me that some day i will play in an surfband and making real records and touring international.. I should have told him to f*** off.

Last edited: Oct 10, 2016 08:53:02

I have been playing the heck out of this the last couple of days, after not hearing it for a couple of months. What a great record. If any of you do not have this, and have some Holiday money looking for some surf, go out and buy this. You won't be disappointed.

Rev

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/