BrentD
Joined: Apr 07, 2009
Posts: 149
Michigan
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Posted on Aug 04 2023 08:06 AM
I don't want to start a debate on the limits of the genre, but I find I often dig mellower songs by surf bands. Although I love the punk rock attitude and intensity of the genre as a whole, I think the slow stuff is a nice change.
What would you think about a surf-ish band that focuses on playing mellow stuff? Examples of some of my favorites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9c8acZnfnQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnDZ7yb5g-c&t=13s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ko1MTnBzR8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rwfqsjimRM
Source material could bend the genre a bit, pulling from Hawaiian lap steel stuff, soundtracks, classical, etc.
Viable?
— Neptune Trojans
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25534
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Aug 04 2023 09:16 AM
Love it too, but needs to have good melody, and a good rhythm that compliments it.
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
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weird_oh84
Joined: May 24, 2023
Posts: 168
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Posted on Aug 04 2023 11:47 AM
BrentD wrote:
I don't want to start a debate on the limits of the genre, but I find I often dig mellower songs by surf bands. Although I love the punk rock attitude and intensity of the genre as a whole, I think the slow stuff is a nice change.
What would you think about a surf-ish band that focuses on playing mellow stuff? Examples of some of my favorites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9c8acZnfnQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnDZ7yb5g-c&t=13s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ko1MTnBzR8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rwfqsjimRM
Source material could bend the genre a bit, pulling from Hawaiian lap steel stuff, soundtracks, classical, etc.
Viable?
I agree …. Not everything needs to be break neck speed …!
I personally prefer the down beat , mysterious , rhythmic sounds myself
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Goldenbirdies
Joined: Jun 21, 2018
Posts: 36
Indianapolis, Indiana
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Posted on Aug 04 2023 12:16 PM
Total 100% CLASSIC moody surf jam here. Seeing how "Pipeline" by the Chantays is one of the all time surf classics, I'd say moodiness is entirely appropriate to the genre. There's some compilation albums called "Surfer's Mood" that lean towards the more mellow side of things. Worth digging around the crates for.
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nismosurf
Joined: Mar 04, 2013
Posts: 76
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Posted on Aug 04 2023 01:36 PM
I’ve been leaning more this way recently also. While I will always love modern, driven stuff along the lines of the Ghastly Ones and MOAM, sometimes I just want some laid back, day at the beach surf jams.
J
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ArtS
Joined: May 09, 2008
Posts: 1335
Isle of Kent, MD
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Posted on Aug 04 2023 02:13 PM
If you're going to be mostly a "mellow" surf band, you'll work great at a lot of happy hours at dock bars. Here's my take:
1) Pick songs with mood and melody
2) If you write them yourself, make sure to vary tempo and drum beats
3) Do not play several mellow songs with similar beats that are in the same key. Your audience will fall asleep.
4) Spice up the mellow songs with a good mid tempo/up tempo song every 5th or 6th song. Nothing heavy, just up tempo.
5) Don't stop after every song so you keep the mood. Segue from one song to the next.
6) I think this type of band could be very popular in the summer months. Most of our female fans like the mellow stuff better; good for water views and cocktails...
BTW - Paradise Cove is awesome!!!
— Surfcat
NEW - MARCH OF THE DEAD SURFERS (Released Oct 17, 2024) - Agent Octopus
YOUTUBE Video - March of the Dead Surfers NEW
AGENT OCTOPUS - BANDCAMP](https://agentoctopus.bandcamp.com/)
SPOTIFY LINK - AGENT OCTOPUS - SURF
Last edited: Aug 04, 2023 14:21:36
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DaveMudgett
Joined: Mar 17, 2019
Posts: 162
Central PA
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Posted on Aug 04 2023 03:19 PM
I personally get bored if a band sticks totally to one approach. I think atmospheric surf music is an important part of the genre, and I find some surfish bands just completely ignore it and go pedal-to-the-metal for 3 hours. On the other hand, I'd probably be yawning after 20 minutes listening to just subdued, mellow instrumentals. Sorta like an overdose of Yacht Rock. Some is cool. A whole night of it? Not for me, thanks. I know I like to hear bands mix it up. I guess it might work for wallpaper/background music gigs, but I really don't like doing those. I often feel that I'm treated like a servant at a cocktail party at a high-society mansion. It's not why I play music.
I agree that the slower stuff needs really strong melody, rhythm, and for me, I tend to like a certain level of complexity and harmonization. I like to take classic standards and put them through the surf music lens. Morricone, Tiki/Hawaiian, pop/rock standards, even jazz standards. I also play steel, and I want to bring that in more. The more atmospheric stuff is where I want to focus more on steel. I mean, Sleepwalk is not a surf song, but it works great in a surf band context, and so does a lot of other steel guitar music.
— The Delverados - surf, punk, trash, twang - Facebook
Chicken Tractor Deluxe - hardcore Americana - Facebook and Website
The Telegrassers - semi-electric bluegrass/Americana - Facebook
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MichaelK7
Joined: Jul 01, 2018
Posts: 106
NYC
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Posted on Aug 04 2023 09:52 PM
I dig the mellower stuff as well- if I were playing in a band thats what I'd like to concentrate on, although I'd definitely follow ArtS's advice and play a more uptempo song every so often.
— Deal with reality, or reality will deal with you.
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4417
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Aug 06 2023 07:51 AM
DaveMudgett wrote:
I personally get bored if a band sticks totally to one approach. I think atmospheric surf music is an important part of the genre, and I find some surfish bands just completely ignore it and go pedal-to-the-metal for 3 hours. On the other hand, I'd probably be yawning after 20 minutes listening to just subdued, mellow instrumentals. Sorta like an overdose of Yacht Rock. Some is cool. A whole night of it? Not for me, thanks. I know I like to hear bands mix it up. I guess it might work for wallpaper/background music gigs, but I really don't like doing those. I often feel that I'm treated like a servant at a cocktail party at a high-society mansion. It's not why I play music.
I agree that the slower stuff needs really strong melody, rhythm, and for me, I tend to like a certain level of complexity and harmonization. I like to take classic standards and put them through the surf music lens. Morricone, Tiki/Hawaiian, pop/rock standards, even jazz standards. I also play steel, and I want to bring that in more. The more atmospheric stuff is where I want to focus more on steel. I mean, Sleepwalk is not a surf song, but it works great in a surf band context, and so does a lot of other steel guitar music.
While Dick Dale was known for shaking the rafters with Miserlou, at least his albums show a mix, and there tends to be a fair number of mellow tunes. Summer Surf really grabs me. It stands in its own, as a good song, and perfectly fits the vibe of the early ‘60s.
Most bands mix it up, and setlists frequently include a slow number every so often, to allow the audience to cool down a bit. Kiss did Rock and Roll All Nite, but they also did the ballad Beth, which was quite a chart success; far more so than Rock and Roll All Nite.
Our very senses crave novelty and change. I love spicy Italian Sausage in Marinara sauce, but it needs the contrast of other flavors in order to truly work. Without that, it quickly loses its edge. OTOH, while a bite of something sweet can be refreshing, a steady diet of sweets would get old, quite rapidly.
Contrast is quite useful, in music. Classical compositions frequently shifted moods, as the movements progressed. Rhapsody in Blue changes moods frequently. When I contrive a setlist, I might start off fairly strong for the first few songs, then either cut directly to something more relaxed, and build back to higher energy, or possibly reverse the pattern and taper from the hard hitting towards the mellow, then eventually hit hard with something a bit in your face. Because I tend to play a lot of middle ground material, I tend to lean in the direction of the second pattern, using the faster and harder-hitting songs as punctuation points.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4417
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Aug 06 2023 08:48 AM
Thinking further about Dave Mudgett’s post; there are indeed a number of approaches. Around the year 2000, I took a break from the tech world and drove semi trucks for about 8 months. I could listen to whatever I wanted, but I found that late in the run, Rock n’ Roll would sort of hypnotize me. So I listened to fairly soft Jazz to keep my interest level high and help me to remain alert. There is was, 11 PM driving through the desert listening to Bill Evans playing the softest, most mellow Jazz imaginable and it worked to keep me awake, because the harmonies were complex and retained my interest. There was an excitement and energy, but it was the inverse of Rock n’ Roll, because the harmony, not the beat, was the source of the energy.
Classical music can make an interesting platform for interesting Surf. Mozart wrote some interesting and lively pieces. He didn’t have electric guitars, or 6G15s to work with, but he definitely got a lot from the tools he had to work with. Hop some of his songs up with a rock beat and a driving electric bass, and I’d wager that it could be pretty good as Surf. Bach, as staid as he was in many ways, wrote pieces that have been well adapted to modern beats and instrumentation.
One of the things that draws me to Surf is that much of it does not utilize Blues based changes for every tune. Minor key explorations and songs such as Miserlou are a far cry from the Blues based roots of much Rock n’ Roll. There are plenty of Surf tunes which are based on Blues changes, but it’s far from ubiquitous.
I would like to hear Surf music that uses complex and novel chord changes. In other posts, I’ve mentioned a set of chord changes that I’ve been trying to work into a Surf song. Well, I’m still trying to forge this into a coherent song. The chord changes can be packaged neatly into an 8 bar motif, and I like that but it moves pretty quickly and there’s not a lot of time spent on each chord change, and it requires an 8mbar bridge to get back to the starting point. I’m also thinking of a 12 bar motif, spacing the changes differently, which allows me to revisit the I chord. In this case, I would still use the 8 bar bridge after playing the 12 bar pattern twice. I’m afraid that if I do it that way, the Music Cops might come after me with a vengeance. 
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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Tele295
Joined: Feb 16, 2012
Posts: 153
Rincon Beach, California, USA
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Posted on Aug 06 2023 10:33 AM
DaveMudgett wrote:
I agree that the slower stuff needs really strong melody, rhythm, and for me, I tend to like a certain level of complexity and harmonization. I like to take classic standards and put them through the surf music lens. Morricone, Tiki/Hawaiian, pop/rock standards, even jazz standards. I also play steel, and I want to bring that in more. The more atmospheric stuff is where I want to focus more on steel. I mean, Sleepwalk is not a surf song, but it works great in a surf band context, and so does a lot of other steel guitar music.
Nice to see another steel player here! What kind of surfy songs are you doing on steel? Lately I’ve been gigging Baja, Endless Summer, Taboo, Equinox (yeah, Coltrane, baby!), Quiet Village, In My Room, and of course, Sleep Walk on my Stringmaster. I am quite grateful for Andy Volk’S surf steel book.
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4417
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Aug 06 2023 06:48 PM
Tele295 wrote:
DaveMudgett wrote:
I agree that the slower stuff needs really strong melody, rhythm, and for me, I tend to like a certain level of complexity and harmonization. I like to take classic standards and put them through the surf music lens. Morricone, Tiki/Hawaiian, pop/rock standards, even jazz standards. I also play steel, and I want to bring that in more. The more atmospheric stuff is where I want to focus more on steel. I mean, Sleepwalk is not a surf song, but it works great in a surf band context, and so does a lot of other steel guitar music.
Nice to see another steel player here! What kind of surfy songs are you doing on steel? Lately I’ve been gigging Baja, Endless Summer, Taboo, Equinox (yeah, Coltrane, baby!), Quiet Village, In My Room, and of course, Sleep Walk on my Stringmaster. I am quite grateful for Andy Volk’S surf steel book.
I’m a lap,steel owner, but I’d be exaggerating to call myself a lap steel player. I’ve used an 8 string C6 tuning and an 8 string E7 tuning. I’d love to do more with it, but there are only 24 hours in a day.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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cambeezy
Joined: Jun 26, 2007
Posts: 399
Cleveland, Ohio
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Posted on Aug 07 2023 12:02 PM
A key to "Mellow Surf" songs would be the word sunset:
Sunset Surf - Verbtones
Sunset at the Wedge - Vara-Tones
Sunset - Surfer Joe
Sunset Beach - The Sentinals
As ArtS mentioned, just don't string them together 
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Redfeather
Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 883
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Posted on Aug 07 2023 12:32 PM
These guys pretty much knock "mellow surf" outta the ballpark. Maybe "surfish" is more accurate.
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LittleKahunaCraig
Joined: Jan 09, 2008
Posts: 385
Orange County, CA
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Posted on Aug 08 2023 05:51 PM
We’re big fans of the mellow side of surf. Here is the title track of our latest release played live recently.
— Craig Skelly
Little Kahuna
www.littlekahunamusic.com
The Breakaways
The Curl Riders
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