Okay, here is a crap load of photos from Sunday:

http://picasaweb.google.com/bgneal/SG1012009ConventionWeekendHuntingtonBeachPier

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

1. Penetration, Lead Carol, Jeff(btd) Bass, Rick R Rhy, Tony drums in F#?
   11:10
   

You've got #3 wrong Jeff. Somebody I know was playing 2nd guitar. How do I know this?
Cause we jacked up the entire bridge section of the song!
;D

Be careful following the masses. Sometimes the "M" is silent...........................

Cool. I didn't want Rick to have to take responsibility for that. ;D
All kiddin' a-side. Carol did a great job on that tune!
Good job Carol!

Be careful following the masses. Sometimes the "M" is silent...........................

I am CRIMINALLY late getting to this, I know. Sorry about that. After the giant L.A. weekend, I went to San Francisco for the rest of the week to see some old friends, and visit some of the places I used to haunt when I lived there. I flew back that Saturday and turned right around and hit the beach in South Carolina with the fam for a week. It was all a much needed getaway, I can assure you. I lost my father very suddenly on July 4th, so this was all very therapeutic for me. The convention was something that was not only a great time, but meant a great deal to me particularly at that time, because my father not only taught me to play guitar, but our major bond (and a close one at that) throughout my life was always music. We even spent a long evening watching the great Tom Principato (a guy he took me to see at 14y/o) a month before this happened... something I'm SO glad for! A weekend spent celebrating music that I love with such great people was some of the best therapy that I could have asked for. For this, I am eternally grateful. Now with Spanky's passing, it's bittersweet gushing about it, but hell... he's a major part of this whole thing, isn't he?

Friday was a whirlwind only topped by Saturday. Jeff suggested we all get together for some pizza before the Purple Orchid show, and what a great idea it was! It was so good to meet new people, and see others I hadn't seen in some time. It was a great lead-in to a fun night. The bands were all great. Simple as that. The Surge! is my local fav, and as is evidenced by many of the comments in this thread, they were in top form all weekend. I always almost pity the band that has to follow them (my band had to face that at the last Surf Fest.... talk about pressure!!!), but The Boardwalkers didn't miss a beat. I really didn't know what to expect from them, and I REALLY enjoyed the set! The Insect Surfers were just as wild and energetic as I expected them to be, but there are no words to explain the live experience of that band, and in particular Insect Dave. His energy is both mesmerizing and exhausting! HA! After the show (and the joy of watching Will, a grown man, fight with a tiki mug like it was the idol in Raiders Of The Lost Ark), Jeff BigTikiDude was kind enough to put up Sticks, Richard and I at his house. Many thanks for that, Jeff! If you ever get crazy and hit Atlanta for Surf Fest or something, you've got a place to stay.

After a couple of hours (literally) of sleep, we all got up and hit The Starting Gate for the big day. We got some breakfast, staked out our spot for the day, and generally got settled in. Then the jam session began, and what a great thing was! I really didn't know what to expect with this, but it was so fun seeing perfect strangers play songs together, and with such gusto and joy. I thought Will would pass out from stressing about The Endless Summer, and just as I told him about 14 times... he did great. I really mean it when I say everyone did. I thought it all came together beautifully. I have to thank EddieK for including my in the Journey To The Stars performance. I've been watching these guys play for a couple of years now, and to be able to share the stage with them was not only an honor, but tremendous fun! Getting to see John Blair tear the shit out of Depth Charge (a song I obsess over myself), Dave Wronski blow my mind with a couple of songs, Paul Johnson, Bob Spickard and all of the guests that shared the stage made me wonder how the rest of the day could even hold up. Thankfully it did, and it did beautifully.
The Detonators: Way to set the tone, guys! No "gear up" to the good bands.... solid from the onset.
The Boardwalkers: more of the same from the night before, and that's certainly a good thing!
The Sand Devils: Dark and moody is RIGHT! Ran, your tone is amazing. Now... please record something.
The Surge!: I gush about you guys all of the time. It's deserved, and I'm glad the California guys got a dose. Way to show em how we do it in the south!! Surf Party sounded absolutely CHANNELED from The Astronauts. I was all saucer-eyed.
The Reventlos: 1. Perfectly placed in the flow, and a wonderful change of pace. Great vibe, and a REALLY interesting take on the genre. 2. Thanks to Matt for the use of all of the great gear! Because of you, I'm likely going to try to get my hands on a Bassman. Thanks?
The Secret Samurai: Holy crap! I hadn't had a lot of exposure, so I was really curious to see what these guys were like. Good lord, man. Ryan... what a player!! You make that Strat SCREAM!
The TommorowMen: Another band that I had heard a ton about, but didn't have much exposure to... and another eye-opening experience. I was a bit saturated at this point (and positively BLEARY-EYED from running on 4 hours of sleep for the past 36+ hours), so it's a bit of a blur, but I really enjoyed the set, and I am loving the CD. Can't wait to hear more, and to see you guys again whenever I can.
The Ghastly Ones: I'm not afraid to admit that I was most excited about seeing them, and now I'm most excited to say that it did not disappoint AT ALL. I would love to have seen Necrobella and the whole undertaker getup, but this is merely a quibble. GREAT show! Norm... what a SUPER nice guy!! So great to meet you!
The Verbtones: Yet another band that I heard tons about, but hadn't much exposure to... and another great impression. Kyle also makes that guitar SCREAM! His energy rivals Insect Dave, and while I was so saturated that I was virtually leaking, it was a great end to the day, and the promise of a good start at the pier on Sunday.
After this event, and considering the amount of sleep we were on, I was very glad when Sticks told me that he got a hotel room across the street, and if Richard and I wanted to pitch in in lieu of going to the next show, we were more than welcome. While I would have loved to have seen Outerwave and Tsunami Blue, there was NO way I was going to be able to make it, or enjoy it if I tried. I happily took Sticks up on his offer. We were all completely sacked out by 10:30!! HAHA! Ahhh, getting older....

We woke Sunday fully rested and ready to take in the legendary Huntington Beach. We hitched a ride with the gracious Eddie and Karol Katcher, and got there early to get set up and walk around a little. What an AMAZING setting to spend an afternoon, not to mention take in a day of great surf music!!
The Verbtones: Glad to take it in on full rest. Once again, great energy, and a SWEET tone! I'm looking forward to getting more familiar with the CDs. Way to kick it off!!
The Surge!: More of the same, in my opinion. No surprise, either. I loved getting to see my friends playing here, and seeing them really revel in it. Way to go, guys! You done good, fellers.
The Reventlos: Another great change of pace for the afternoon, and perfect placement. I won a Reventlos CD in the raffle the day before, and seeing them twice this weekend makes me really excited to dive right into it.
The Eliminators: I'll also fully admit that seeing The Eliminators was the next thing I was most excited about for the weekend. I've been a big fan for many years, and now with John Blair playing with them as well.... HEAVEN. What a great show they put on, too. I only wish my video camera's battery didn't crap out midway through their set.
The Glasgow Tiki Shakers: Sadly, I didn't get to see much of them. We decided to take a walk around after a bite of food at this point, and I only got to see a couple of songs (thankfully, one of them was Intoxica). From what I saw, I will say that I am amazed at what a huge sound they get from 3 people. Given another chance, I would love to see their full set. Of course, we all then made our way to Don The Beachcomber's for dinner and The Duo-Tones. Dinner was great, the drinks were epic, and the music was nothing short of MOVING. I couldn't help but sit back and imagine how much my Dad would have enjoyed seeing these guys play together, and witnessing the wonderful music and skill that they used in perfect partnership the way only seasoned pros can do it. It was just really amazing. All the more amazing.... how genuinely kind and gracious these two gentlemen were as well. It was a great treat, and a perfect end to a FANTASTIC weekend.

Many many many thanks, first and foremost, to Jeff BigTikiDude Hanson. HUGE job... HUGE success. I am glad to have been there. More than you know. Thanks also to you and your family for so graciously opening your home to perfect strangers. I hope I can return the favor.

Additional thanks to: Sticks and Richard for being such great and fun travel companions. Eddie & Karol Katcher for so kindly dragging us around with you wherever you went, and for just being a lot of fun and good people. Jack "WoodyJ" and his brother (Don? I'm so awful with names! :-() for letting me tag along with them Sunday night and Monday to the airport. Staredge Will for being a generally good natured guy, and good person to hang around with. Carol & Son, Midwest Surf Guy, Danny, Ryan, Kyle, Tuck, Brian, Unsteady Freddie, Ferenc, Insect Dave, BigWaveDave, Robbie Reverb, and all of the great people I met in L.A. (no way to keep everybody straight...haha)... like everyone keeps saying, I only wish I got to sit and talk to people a little bit more. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every band that I saw, and that is extraordinary. I had a real blast, and I can't wait to do it again!

I took a crapload of pictures. When I get them sorted and uploaded to my Photobucket, I'll probably just get a link up.

• Jamie
  SSS Agent #181
  Cartoons drenched in reverb!
  The Mystery Men?
  El Capitan & The Reluctant Sadists

BillyBlastOff
Cool. I didn't want Rick to have to take responsibility for that. ;D
All kiddin' a-side. Carol did a great job on that tune!
Good job Carol!

i take full responsibility for briefly wandering off into a different arrangement that i play with someone else....thanks billy for dragging it all back together.

www.surfintheeye.com

Great report Jamie, thanks. I still plan on writing some stuff up about Sunday also.

Bob Spickard was very happy to play with the Eliminators.

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

Thanks for the great review Jamie and the kind words. It was great to finally met you!

Ryan
The Secret Samurai Website
The Secret Samurai on Facebook

Hey Norm......please let Necrobella know that I think I speak for ALL the men of SG101 when I say...she was missed!!!!!! I'm pulling for the SGVs next year though. Loved you guys.

Will

"You're done, once you're a surfer you're done. You're in. It's like the mob or something. You're not getting out." - Kelly Slater

The Luau Cinders

shivers13
Thanks Will! Necrobella sends a blushing thanks as well! This yearly event is cool on many levels. It's not only a gathering of cool bands from all over the states, but it's also a chance to meet SG101's face to face from all over the states too. Many from places we would never get to play. This year was bigger than the last and I think it's gonna keep growing. See ya at the next!

Norm

Can I play something with you in the jam?

Will

"You're done, once you're a surfer you're done. You're in. It's like the mob or something. You're not getting out." - Kelly Slater

The Luau Cinders

I vote next year make Ran official SG101 mixologist

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF