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Brook Hoover plays guitar in The Surf Zombies, an Iowa based surf/instrumental/garage band. The interview was conducted by David Lilly.

David Lilly: What was it that led you to playing guitar? Do you play other instruments?

Brook Hoover: I received an acoustic guitar for Christmas when I was 14 and took lessons from a local guitar teacher. Sight-reading was going pretty slow, but I found I could match pitch from records, tapes and tv shows and that led to jamming with my friends in the basement and a life-long love of music. I play drums and bass in order to produce demos and song ideas. I also like to sing.

David: Keith Richards strongly encourages starting with acoustic. I understand what you’re saying about sight reading. Once I learned a song on clarinet, I didn’t need sheet music. I’ve rented electric guitar, electric bass and tried harmonica over the years. I’ve never stayed with anything though. I suspect that’s due to not having anyone to jam with. Do you enjoy playing by yourself just for the sake of playing and it being fun for you?

Brook: I live to explore and practice the most basic fundamental aspects of guitar playing. The hardware is pretty interesting too. I am especially fond of Fender amps. Just locating the notes on the fretboard and understanding the patterns is pretty therapeutic for me. I really think it is healing to listen to music as well as play notes. I study more complex excerpts of songs but can't remember much. I live to improvise and write.

David: What kinds of music do you like to play the most? Also, what or who do you like to listen to?

Brook: I love to dig in and play blues chords and try to fashion melodies, riffs and chords to fit chord progressions. Also studying basic jazz chords and progressions. Improvising and creating new music is probably my favorite thing to do. I also enjoy designing lessons for beginning-level students.

I listen to Iowa Public Radio (https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ ) for a variety of new and classic music that is under-represented by commercial radio. Also I have many old favorites that are the usual suspects of rock and blues pioneers. Anything from the 20's-current is something I'd listen to. I am fascinated by Jeff Beck. I spent the last few years obsessing over Los Straitjackets and The Damned. A lot of British stuff. Hard rock, Bowie, Iggy Pop and always The Ramones. Obscure local releases by my friends and colleagues in Iowa takes up a good amount of listening time. And then I have to review a lot of my own mixes and demos to try to remember them to finish them or perform them live is probably the bulk of what I listen to. Also IPR.

Zvuki Dedov, meaning Sounds of Grandpas, embraces the beauty of imperfection and the nostalgia of old technology. Inspired by stumbling upon a Tarantino movie OST CD as a child, this Eastern European artist embarked on a 10-year journey to discover the essence of 60s American music. The result is their latest single, "Volna" (The Wave), a revival of the surf rock genre that captures the timeless vibes of the past.

Headbang to the beat on streaming platforms:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/zvukidedov/volna

Stomp the gas pedal for a post apocalyptic road trip unlike any other! 12 tracks of modern surf mayhem, with another classic Rude Commissions cover art masterpiece.
The visual story that started with an ink sketch on the cover of Hang Zen and a beachside rumble on the cover of Showdown, now explodes into a furious chase across a post-apocalyptic landscape on the cover of Road Trip. Musically,  Road Trip blows up the wasteland with a road trip for the ages!  Hot rods, motorcycles, and a desperate chase under the bloated sun of a dying world.  Will our erstwhile monk escape to peacefully surf again, or will the gang catch up and learn a deadly lesson written in fire, steel and blood?  

Buy it now - Link

This is the way.

Katoomba, The Blue Mountains, Australia - July, 2023 -

Kincaid and the Memetics release "Storm Front," our new garage surf-inspired sonic adventure.
It’s a blend of lo-fi and low brow production garage surf with 11-tracks.

Available on major platforms, the album beckons you!

Follow Kincaid and the Memetics on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kincaid_and_the_memetics/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081270662207

Bandcamp: https://kincaid01.bandcamp.com/album/storm-front

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/66EMQVdzTVxB47YYQY2P99?si=tO2RTWJQQNOc37TUyKD5kQ

Enjoy!

Patrick Kincaid

Hello everyone!

My name is Domagoj and I’m a guitarist from Zagreb, Croatia. I recently dropped my first surf rock EP called “Whips of the Navajo” and I’d like to hear what you guys think about it.
My biggest influences are Bambi Molesters an Space Cossacks.

Links to my EP:
Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1ojvbYov8ic0uojDfLDLZsKZXDY0AfqN
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3Y14xfujP81eaxYvHFAlWC?si=b0FYXkk-Q4ewB41MiSwBNQ