JoshHeartless

Rio
Donda estan los hearteaters?

i dont understand that. spanish, i presume?

Where are The Heart Eaters? That's basically what it means Josh.

I am super sweet
www.myspace.com/thetremblors

Underage, AND trying to cross an international border? With gear, no doubt?

You should travel with a crack team of highly trained legal professionals. Or bail bondsmen.

We'll see ya another time,

Rio

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/rockinrio.delrosa

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/TheHighTides

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/pages/The-Blue-Demons

you guys were in a tough spot, there was no guarantees no matter what you did

I get hassled just trying to cross the border to go on a family holiday sometimes

regards,

rio

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/rockinrio.delrosa

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/TheHighTides

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/pages/The-Blue-Demons

When we played California in 1996, we didn't have any work permits whatsoever and had dismounted our guitars to fit in the suit cases when passing U.S. customs. Luckily it went well but we heard about other European bands that had been caught and sent back to the old country right away.

T H E ✠ S U R F I T E S

well maybe most of us can all get together for a smaller show, just a bunch of surf bands, to make up for us. i was really looking forward to seeing all of these bands as well. we have never even played with any other surf bands, for christ sakes, and we were really looking forward to finally showing the surf community what we were all about.

maybe in a couple months? maybe also in a venue that doesnt require a work permit out of us. the friends of mine played a place called "call the office" in london, is that good venue? hell, maybe they can come out with us to make it not an all surf show, get more veriety of people in, you know? they are like an old school poppy punk band, they're neat.

The Tremblors on Facebook!

The Tremblors on MySpace!

What a great weekend! Thanks to all the bands, I was sad to hear about the Heart Eaters as I was looking forward to seeing you live.

Hey, I do believe Demon and I are doing this again next year!

DanO

http://www.vondrats.com

First off, I want to say that this year's surf battle definitely topped last years! The venues were better, turn-out was better, and this year's shows included out of town bands. I'm sorry Josh and the guys didn't make it over, though. We missed them.

Night one started off at Rancho Relaxo with Burnin' Sands of Edmonton, Alberta. This 3 piece band didn't waste any time getting the place going, playing a balance of covers and originals. They did this after 2 days of driving across the country. Right after the Burnin' Sands started, people started to file into the place until it was full.

By this time, the Robots from Oshawa were up. Steve, who leads the band on guitar, has really grown over the past year. He played a set of reverb-soaked tunes that were fantastic! Baja Marty would have given the reverb seal of approval. Steve played both "Bomboras" back to back and demonstrated some tank surfing during the set.

The show ended with the Blue Demons, from parts unknown; one of my favorite bands for puns and antics. They played some new material in addition to some of their other set tunes, which included some clever covers and a few originals. This years show did include Penny Whistleton and the Blue Pussy. I was a bit bummed that the "Empire Santo" video was not ready yet, but apparently it's in its final stages of editing. The video will be available for viewing on Youtube when it's done.

Now for night 2! A band from Ottawa called the Reverb Syndicate played. Hurray for the theramin! haha - they used it in a couple of their tunes. They played a set of spy-fi flavored music. At the end of the show, they gave me their CD, which I have not listened to yet (I will soon!).

Next up on the stage was the Burnin' Sands again. They had a totally different set list than night one. WOW, I thought they were excellent on night 2. Night one was great, but there was something way more intense about the second night.

After the Burnin' Sands was the Eradicators. These guys are definitely seasoned musicians. They perform a mix of covers and originals, but their covers definitely have their own twist to them. This year, they had a different drummer from last year, so that definitely changed the dynamics as well.

Last, but surely not least, were the von Drats. You may remember last years head-hunter get-up. This year, they could not let the crowd go without some good ol' fashioned entertainment. So, here come the guys onto the stage, complete with togas on. HAHAHA, it was great. They had girls following them feeding them grapes. As they proclaimed themselves the winners of this surf battle and any surf battle to come, for that matter (no real winners, just for some crazy fun), they started their set with the "Hawaiian War Chant." As they played, a new permanent member joined them on stage. It was a surprise to the crowd: Steve of the Robots is now a member of the von Drats, which brings them to a 5 piece. MORE REVERB! Damn, these guys really got the crowds going. It was a good mix of surf/garage, ending of course with "Louie Louie" & "Shout" to complete the whole toga theme in the spirit of Animal House. I don't know what tricks they have up their sleeves for next year to top this!

I have many pictures and some video to share. My camera's video option was acting up on me half of the time, but I did manage to get some night 2 action. I still have some time here in Canada to spend with friends. I'll be guest DJing with The Blue Demon tomorrow in the middle of the night. I guess that's early Thursday morning, technically. I'll be back with more later.

I want to thank everyone here in Canada for their kindness and hospitality. I love it here. Thanks for making my visit such a pleasurable one. I would love to come back again next year!

-Kristena

"Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty

Thanks for the review Tena! I'm with you and DanO on this one - the battle just seems to get better and better. We're going to have to see what we can do next year.

Trevor von Drat

http://www.myspace.com/vondrats

Rio
don't know where this "von Drats's won the battle" ideation comes from

That's what I love about this battle, all you really have to do is say you won. It's one of the benefits of not actually handing out any prizes ;)

Trevor von Drat

http://www.myspace.com/vondrats

so are we gonna get a whole review of your trip, or just the show?

welcome back

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Jeff(bigtikidude)