To not make any money

Interesting. We (Black Valley Moon) are located in Tampa. We are an all originals band. But there is actually a good market for surf around here as far as playing three hour sets at bars and restaurants go. We are more geared towards playing with other bands and outside the genre audience, so it’s a bit tougher for us.

Guitarist for Black Valley Moon & Down By Law

We haven’t recorded anything yet. I have learned 12 songs and my band is getting caught up with me. I have about another 8 I want to learn. Once we get all those covers locked down, I am going to try writing.

1. Not to make much or any money.
2. To mostly play for members of other surf bands.
3. Fewer females around than in a Mens locker Room.
4. Meeting some of the greatest people you will ever know.
5. Quickly building friendships that will likely last a lifetime.
6. Lots of nerdy conversations about your equipment, rather than what you played.

THE KBK ... This is the last known signal. We offer Sanctuary.

www.thekbk.com
http://www.deepeddy.net/artists/thekbk/
www.reverbnation.com/thekbk
www.facebook.com/thekbkal

JONPAUL wrote:

Hi Sonic Blue,

Congratulations on the progress you've been making with your trio. Hopefully you've been enjoying the process--the learning, the practicing, the interaction with other musicians, achieving a higher level of ability on your instrument, the deeper understanding of the genre from playing the classics, the sheer JOY of making music.

Because, to be blunt and perhaps sound harsh, if you have to ask the question in your topic heading, perhaps Surf isn't what you should be playing.

The moment you start worrying about anything other than the joy of making this music come alive the best you can, it will be one disappointment after another. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to take the wind out of your sails or harsh your buzz, or be the old jaded, pessimistic, disillusioned voice, but this music requires a realistic perspective.

The best and purest missionaries for this genre play it because they HAVE to--they have a deep, inner driving force that REQUIRES that they play it, whether they want to or not. There has to be a certain confidence in playing a tiny niche genre--a kind of inner secure force field that encircles you and protects you from all the negativity, critics, and "reality" of the genre.

I like to say that it is a "Badge Of Honor" to play and propagate this music and so often, that has to be enough. To aim for and succeed in maintaining a consistent level of excellence, no matter what, is an extremely honorable, noble and admirable goal. It doesn't matter how many people are in the audience. It doesn't matter how much you got paid. It doesn't matter that the crowd is full but no one liked you. It doesn't matter that it is freezing or like a sauna on stage. It doesn't matter that your van broke down on the way to the gig. It doesn't matter if you are feeling unwell. It doesn't matter if your gear got destroyed and you have to use the worst back line on the planet. It doesn't matter that you broke a string, or two, or three. It doesn't matter if your luggage got lost and you had to wear the same clothes for an entire tour. It doesn't matter that your van got broken into and everything was stolen. It doesn't matter that your wife just left you or your dog died. The show must go on because it's what you have to do for the love of the music.

....the only thing that matters is the joy and satisfaction of making that music (that you love so dearly) come alive and be authentic and pure.

Even the very best at the top of the heap that have been at it for decades still play empty rooms for little money because of their LOVE and PASSION for the music. Period.

It is about a pure music-making experience, NOT anything to do with commercial or popular success. If these things are deemed important before you've even played the first gig, than in a sense, the whole experience is tainted and biased and cannot be truly pure. And the audience will know it as well.

So, the question becomes...do you love Surf music enough to play it just for the joy of it? If the answer is no, then learn some Van Morrison, Commodores, Santana and Maroon 5, because you should really be playing in a wedding band and at least making some money playing for a crowd.

Read carefully everything Jonpaul said here and think well why are you doing this FOR YOURSELF.

If you really want to know let's see what has been said until now

• no girls at surf event: fake news. I met my wife in the scene, girls dancing in basically every country in Europe and at many US or Mexican shows. Girls, boys, kids at events and this is a great thing. Surf is for everybody.

• no money: fake news. It's like any other genre. You are running a business, so take care of your business and do it properly. I play almost 150 shows per year worldwide and i make a living from it. I get performance money, royalties, sell records and so on.

• friendships: absolutely true. The best people are in the surf scene.

• crazy people: absolutely true. Some of the craziest people are in the surf scene. Someone even calls it "surf rock" instead of "surf music"

• fun: absolutely true. It's the most fun. Never forget about having fun. FUN is the real key to this music, you need to have fun, you have to. If you stop having fun, do something else. If you get too serious, do something else.

• volume: amps have to be used from blossom point up. So around 5-5.5. Don't be scared of the volume. Surf music means volume. Same thing. You cannot separate the two things. It's a flow of energy that goes from your feet-hands-head-guitar-reverb-amp-volume pot.

• original stuff: absolutely true. Start with covers and keep some if you want. We all do. But work on your originals. The scene need original stuff to continue developing this genre. New stuff, new material, keep it fresh. Bring new ideas of course and don't get stuck.

• fight ignorance: don't think too much, but BUY RECORDS. Listen to stuff, classics and modern so-called "surf music". Get inspiration. If you want to know what surf music is, the only way to tell is to listen to this music and get it inside your heart.

• SG101 audience is boring: fake news. Those people are great. I honestly did not like that comment at all. Some events have more dancers, some others have less dancers. The less people dance, and instead listen to you carefully, the more merch you will sell at the end of the show so don't trust anyone who tells you that non-dancing audiences are bad. BUT attract the attention on yourself. You are doing a show, remember that. Surf is not background music. The audience will react the way they want, dance or not dance, but you have to get them on you for the most time possible.

• gear: expect to spend a lot of money on it. I mean THOUSANDS of dollars. Best amps are big and heavy. You will break your back and destroy your ears. When amps become too heavy for you and music too loud, it's time to retire.

• anything else: you will discover it on your skin. But don't be worried.

• oh yes, some people will not agree with you on many things. DO what you think is best. It's YOUR music and YOUR experience. You can listen to others, take inspiration, discuss, argue or tell them to fuck off. You can do that too. It's a free world. But like Jonpaul said, if you do it, do it with your heart and soul. It's a mission. It's a necessity for our brain to play surf music.

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

surferjoemusic wrote:

JONPAUL wrote:

Hi Sonic Blue,

Congratulations on the progress you've been making with your trio. Hopefully you've been enjoying the process--the learning, the practicing, the interaction with other musicians, achieving a higher level of ability on your instrument, the deeper understanding of the genre from playing the classics, the sheer JOY of making music.

Because, to be blunt and perhaps sound harsh, if you have to ask the question in your topic heading, perhaps Surf isn't what you should be playing.

The moment you start worrying about anything other than the joy of making this music come alive the best you can, it will be one disappointment after another. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to take the wind out of your sails or harsh your buzz, or be the old jaded, pessimistic, disillusioned voice, but this music requires a realistic perspective.

The best and purest missionaries for this genre play it because they HAVE to--they have a deep, inner driving force that REQUIRES that they play it, whether they want to or not. There has to be a certain confidence in playing a tiny niche genre--a kind of inner secure force field that encircles you and protects you from all the negativity, critics, and "reality" of the genre.

I like to say that it is a "Badge Of Honor" to play and propagate this music and so often, that has to be enough. To aim for and succeed in maintaining a consistent level of excellence, no matter what, is an extremely honorable, noble and admirable goal. It doesn't matter how many people are in the audience. It doesn't matter how much you got paid. It doesn't matter that the crowd is full but no one liked you. It doesn't matter that it is freezing or like a sauna on stage. It doesn't matter that your van broke down on the way to the gig. It doesn't matter if you are feeling unwell. It doesn't matter if your gear got destroyed and you have to use the worst back line on the planet. It doesn't matter that you broke a string, or two, or three. It doesn't matter if your luggage got lost and you had to wear the same clothes for an entire tour. It doesn't matter that your van got broken into and everything was stolen. It doesn't matter that your wife just left you or your dog died. The show must go on because it's what you have to do for the love of the music.

....the only thing that matters is the joy and satisfaction of making that music (that you love so dearly) come alive and be authentic and pure.

Even the very best at the top of the heap that have been at it for decades still play empty rooms for little money because of their LOVE and PASSION for the music. Period.

It is about a pure music-making experience, NOT anything to do with commercial or popular success. If these things are deemed important before you've even played the first gig, than in a sense, the whole experience is tainted and biased and cannot be truly pure. And the audience will know it as well.

So, the question becomes...do you love Surf music enough to play it just for the joy of it? If the answer is no, then learn some Van Morrison, Commodores, Santana and Maroon 5, because you should really be playing in a wedding band and at least making some money playing for a crowd.

Read carefully everything Jonpaul said here and think well why are you doing this FOR YOURSELF.

If you really want to know let's see what has been said until now

• no girls at surf event: fake news. I met my wife in the scene, girls dancing in basically every country in Europe and at many US or Mexican shows. Girls, boys, kids at events and this is a great thing. Surf is for everybody.

• no money: fake news. It's like any other genre. You are running a business, so take care of your business and do it properly. I play almost 150 shows per year worldwide and i make a living from it. I get performance money, royalties, sell records and so on.

• friendships: absolutely true. The best people are in the surf scene.

• crazy people: absolutely true. Some of the craziest people are in the surf scene. Someone even calls it "surf rock" instead of "surf music"

• fun: absolutely true. It's the most fun. Never forget about having fun. FUN is the real key to this music, you need to have fun, you have to. If you stop having fun, do something else. If you get too serious, do something else.

• volume: amps have to be used from blossom point up. So around 5-5.5. Don't be scared of the volume. Surf music means volume. Same thing. You cannot separate the two things. It's a flow of energy that goes from your feet-hands-head-guitar-reverb-amp-volume pot.

• original stuff: absolutely true. Start with covers and keep some if you want. We all do. But work on your originals. The scene need original stuff to continue developing this genre. New stuff, new material, keep it fresh. Bring new ideas of course and don't get stuck.

• fight ignorance: don't think too much, but BUY RECORDS. Listen to stuff, classics and modern so-called "surf music". Get inspiration. If you want to know what surf music is, the only way to tell is to listen to this music and get it inside your heart.

• SG101 audience is boring: fake news. Those people are great. I honestly did not like that comment at all. Some events have more dancers, some others have less dancers. The less people dance, and instead listen to you carefully, the more merch you will sell at the end of the show so don't trust anyone who tells you that non-dancing audiences are bad. BUT attract the attention on yourself. You are doing a show, remember that. Surf is not background music. The audience will react the way they want, dance or not dance, but you have to get them on you for the most time possible.

• gear: expect to spend a lot of money on it. I mean THOUSANDS of dollars. Best amps are big and heavy. You will break your back and destroy your ears. When amps become too heavy for you and music too loud, it's time to retire.

• anything else: you will discover it on your skin. But don't be worried.

• oh yes, some people will not agree with you on many things. DO what you think is best. It's YOUR music and YOUR experience. You can listen to others, take inspiration, discuss, argue or tell them to fuck off. You can do that too. It's a free world. But like Jonpaul said, if you do it, do it with your heart and soul. It's a mission. It's a necessity for our brain to play surf music.

The hell YES!

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

New Single is out!

https://waikikimakaki.bandcamp.com/album/rhino-blues-full-contact-surf-single

Waikiki Makaki

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

**surferjoemusic wrote:

revmike wrote:

More good points from Lorenzo.

I would like to comment on 2 of them. Make sure you do BUY surf music. It supports the artist, the scene, and expands your horizons. there is so much great surf music from all eras, and with financial support more will come.

Protect your ears so you can be a senior citizen still playing, and hearing surf. This is extremely important IMHO. I have AR 25 ear plugs that I always wear live. As an "older" guy, my hearing has remained excellent, and I contribute that directly to wearing ear plugs.

Rev*

What did you just say?

SURF IS GOOD

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

Last edited: Jun 10, 2020 11:53:47

What an interesting thread!!! Loved hearing all the perspectives! Lorenzo's post just above was absolutely fantastic, and I would second almost everything he said - while also pointing out that his own experience is probably quite unique due to many different reasons. But it does show what IS actually possible playing surf music.

Yesterday on Facebook I was reminded that the first surf music show I ever played was on June 8th, 1996, 24 years ago - the Space Cossacks opening for the Mermen at the Black Cat in Washington, DC. Since that show I have played somewhere in the range of 300-400 shows, in 22 different US states and seven other countries (and two countries where I just got up and guested on a couple of surf songs with other bands). The amazing thing about this is that, unlike Lorenzo, at no point was I attempting to make a living playing surf music, I had a full-time job during that entire period. And since that first surf show 24 years ago I have not had to play a single show in a band with a singer.

I decided in '95 (at the age of 26) that I had to play surf music. It was not a calculated decision, it was something I absolutely had to do, the pull was just too strong. I had been into surf music for a few years before that (beginning with my deep love of the Shadows from the age of 10, discovering real surf music - the Challengers - in '86 and at the same time starting to read about both the first and second wave, then in '91-'93 starting to be exposed to more surf music through basically accidents, and in '94 diving in to the full extent), and my love of it was gradually intensifying, by '95 becoming all-consuming,, buying dozens of surf CDs every month. Then I got to see Laika & the Cosmonauts live twice in '95, and after that second time, it was a done deal, I knew what I had to do. When I started the Space Cossacks at the beginning of '96, my ambition was basically zero, non-existent. I just wanted to play some covers of my favorite surf classics in whatever tiny Washington, DC club would be willing to have us. When I look back on these past 24 years I can't help but be completely blown away by the defining role that surf music has had in my life since then. Like Lorenzo I also met my wife (married 19 years next month) through surf music. I met most of my best friends through surf music. I got to see an astonishing amount of the world through surf music and have some of the greatest experiences of my life through surf music. I got to record six studio albums of original music of which I'm deeply proud and which seem to have touched a lot more people than I ever could have imagined, and played some shows that I will remember to my dying day. My primary career has been as an academic economist, it's provided a very good living and I love my job and what I do. But if you ask me how I think of myself, how I self-identify, the 'surf guitarist' part would probably be slightly bigger than the 'academic economist' part.

That's what surf music has meant in my life. I never ever expected even 1% of it all when I formed my first surf band. But that's the great thing about life, right? It's full of surprises! Being involved in this scene has been an immense blessing, and I cannot imagine my life without it. It would have been dull, dull, DULL!!!

I hope that helps a bit.

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: Jun 10, 2020 12:26:52

I just started to write my story but suddenly remembered that I’ve already did it

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

New Single is out!

https://waikikimakaki.bandcamp.com/album/rhino-blues-full-contact-surf-single

Waikiki Makaki

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

Time and experimentation gave me a different view on equipment and loudness, as I have been playing surf since 1963 and performing since 1965. I avoid playing loud enough to get ears ringing, and my hearing remains normal at age 73. Audiences and venues love my tones and painless volume through a multi-effects pedal, solid state amp head and light neodymium speaker--as do I. I can dial in any tone at any volume and carry my equipment without strain or injury. My performance tones range widely and are about the same as my recordings (on Pandora, Spotify, YouTube, Bandcamp, etc).

If you want to sound just like someone in particular, sure you need to use the same equipment. Still, we all treasure individuality and difference, so why not in equipment as well as compositions. The only fenders I have are on my car.

Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com

Last edited: Jun 10, 2020 15:50:41