Have you picked up yet your copy of The Madeira's new live CD, "Center of the Surf"?? Check out what Hunter King of Storm Surge of Reverb: Instrumental Rock & Roll and Surf Rock wrote about it:

“Here’s a secret: I love recorded music, possibly more than live music and very few bands that I love sound better than their album to me. The Madeira sounded better live, and this recording of them live sounds better than they did live... It’s an absolutely glorious amount of noise, a gigantic wall of sound that’ll leave you thinking “whoa” in-between tracks...[T]he awe-inspiring climax of the event [was] when they were joined by Jonpaul Balak and John Blair for a ridiculous 5 guitar massacre.... It really does sound massive and ferocious, and not to mention they’re played at a faster tempo than their album versions... This is a really incredible live record and perhaps the best way to hear some of the greatest hits of one of the greatest surf bands.”

After reading that, don't you want a copy of your own?? You can pick it up in person at our two shows this weekend (Friday at Kung Fu Necktie in Philadelphia with Surfer Joe and The Primitive Finks and Saturday at Asbury Park Surf Music Festival ) OR you can order it right now at either Double Crown Records or cdbaby (where you can also get the download - coming SOON to iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, etc.):

https://www.doublecrownrecords.com/the-madeira-center-of-the-surf-cd/
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/themadeira4

And here as a bit of a bonus is the recording of us yesterday practicing for this weekend's shows - enjoy!

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

Last edited: Aug 13, 2018 19:13:13

Great energy! Good job!

Please forgive more self-promtion, but many of you probably know Raleigh Fontaine as a surf music superfan. He's also been a great supporter of the Madeira for quite a while and just wrote this very thoughtful and detailed (and highly flattering!) review of "Center of the Surf". He understands the band and our music as well as few others, so to see such kind and generous comments coming from him means a LOT. I'm sure it also took some time to write all this up and it wasn't easy, but I truly appreciate it and wanted to share it with the 0surf music world! Thank you again, Raleigh!

In early 2013, I saw a short announcement for two bands playing at the South Park Tavern in Dayton. The announcement listed a name I found vaguely familiar. I dug through my Surf CDs trying to remember which band. There is was. TSAR WARS. The name was Ivan Pongracic. I had to see the show.
The South Park Tavern is a cozy, hip little bar with a few booths, some two tops and floor space for a stage at the end of the room. It was worth the trip. The Madeira held a blistering set that pinned my ears back. I bought every disc they had from a somewhat embarrassed Ivan. It was the first of many shows.
I’ve seen The Madeira ten times to date. The CD release shows for Sonic Cataclysm, Ancient Winds and Center of the Surf have all been great. In fact, The Madeira haven’t had a bad show. They’ve either been solid and good, or breathtaking. In back to back shows in Indianapolis and Bloomington, they played with the Coffin Daggers, each band trying to outshine the other for one night. I was there for both shows, and it was amazing how the bands fed off each other’s performances.
I don’t know how The Madeira perform so well. I’ve caught them when they hadn’t played together for months, and yet kicked the doors off like they were in the middle of a tour. More importantly, I’ve caught them as they’ve crested the current height of their career as a band. Sonic Cataclysm was a hot, sweaty summary of their first ten years. That was followed by the seamless concept album Ancient Winds. They spent over a year performing Ancient Winds whole as an almost symphonic performance.
Now, they’ve released Center of Surf. Recorded at SG101 in 2017, this captures the band at full power and command of their form. Sonic Cataclysm is a great live disc, but it sounds exactly like a night in a narrow box reverberating from a metal influenced band. I love the Melody Inn because it is so raw and intimate with door to the street opening immediately off stage right. It’s like a musical firecracker in a trash can.
Center of the Surf was recorded by Mark Linett and Bob Wartinbee, and mixed by Linett (check Linett on Wikipedia). The difference is astounding. Center of the Surf is as clean and balanced as a studio piece without sacrificing the lightning in a bottle of their live performance. There’s a spaciousness to the recording that allows the entire performance to come forward without bulldozing the listener.
Center of Surf recaps much of Ancient Winds, with the addition of some older works, especially Tribal Fury. Tribal Fury is a wonderful composition by Ivan recorded now for the third time by the band. Taken from their 2012 release Tribal Fires, it has a frenzied echo of a Levantine folk dance on crack. As frenetic as it is on Tribal Fires, the version that opens Sonic Cataclysm comes on like a high speed chase, and to think, they opened with it. On Center of Surf, there is a bit of glissando before it kicks in. Dane Carters drum work is a full blooded assault. The whole band fires every cylinder. You can practically feel the audience levitate. All the cuts are good. The difference is one of execution. In cycling, the best riders are good at the time trial, called the race of truth. The cyclist has to make it happen on that unique effort. Center of Surf is a ride of truth.
Contrast the versions of Journey to the Center of Surf, one of PJ O’Connor’s compositions. Ancient Winds is a masterful job, but on Center of the Surf, it’s polished to high sheen as a live work, showcasing the band as a unit. Center of the Surf is a brilliant live recording. Ivan and PJ are rightly seen as among the best guitarists in surf. Dane Carter may well be the best drummer in surf. I can always tell it’s a good night when he breaks into a wide smile behind the kit, though he’d say he’s always happy back there. I believe him. I hold the opinion the bass is the real timekeeper. If the bass is off, everything gets sloppy. Todd Fortier provides an iron spine around which the rest of the band can work. The Madeira is an excellent live band. Center of the Surf is the best effort at documenting their power and joy live.
Even more, Center of the Surf may be the best introduction you could give someone to explain modern surf music. It would put paid to the “Oh, you mean like the Beach Boys” crap. It also sets the bar for the future. Bands just coming up, and the as yet unformed musicians, will look to The Madeira and this album as a beacon in the genre. New players will still learn Misirlou, Penetration, and Walk, Don’t Run, but they will also cut their teeth on Journey to the Center of the Surf and Tribal Fires. Who knows what other Madeira songs will become part of the surf cannon. More and more bands will find inspiration and challenge in The Madeira’s catalog. Center of the Surf will be a must have disc.
See them live. I hope to see you there.
Mahalo

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

As soon as it hits iTunes, I'll be grabbing a copy. Can't wait to hear Journey To The Center and Ancient winds played live- those are two of my favorite surf tracks of all time.
Sorry I couldn't make it to the gigs this weekend, hopefully you'll get to NYC sometime soon!

Deal with reality, or reality will deal with you.

"Center of the Surf" now (finally!) available on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify and Pandora (as well as CDBaby and Double Crown Records, of course). We ran into some unexpected trouble with the new digital licensing requirements, but it's all now fixed! Just to remind you , here's what Ferenc wrote about the CD in his review:

“As great as The Madeira’s studio albums are, they are, no spoilers revealed, an awesome live band – the kind that makes your body shake all over. If you can peel your eyes away from the intensity on stage, and scan the blank stares and drooling, agape mouths of your peers, you witness a band that inspires devotion... Mark Linnett made an amazing recording. It sounds loud, you feel it in your heart and colon, even when headphone listening... The Madeira have great songs, if they didn’t, all that bluster wouldn’t help them one bit... This is a great snapshot of a band at it’s peak, in a live arena where they are completely cutting loose... Great songs, the best musicians, professional recording, beloved guests, and an adoring crowd. If you’re wondering what the best modern surf band sounded like live in 2017, Center of the Surf is for you.” (See the rest of the review here: https://surfguitar101.com/forums/post/416681/)

If you haven't yet picked it up, NOW is the time! You won't be sorry, we guarantee it!

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

Last edited: Sep 17, 2018 22:23:02

Here's also the "Pipeline Playlist", with "Center of the Surf" tied for 1st place with the reissue of Jon and the Nightriders' ultra-classic '81 live album "Live At Whisky a Go Go" and Frankie & The Pool Boys' sure-to-soon-be ultra-classic, "Spin The Bottle"! So happy to be able to share this honor with our good friends Ferenc and John (whose new epic anthology double-CD is also on the list, at number 6 - and who, of course, also played on "Center of the Surf"!), as well as with Double Crown Records, who released ours and Frankie's CDs!

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

Finally picking this up, and I'll be listening to it all weekend and beyond!

Deal with reality, or reality will deal with you.