Hey everyone! I've just finished uploading this year's MP3 compilation to archive.org. Please spread the word and share the link. You can download all the files in a few different formats as well as stream the individual songs.

SG101 2015 MP3 Compilation on Archive dot org

If you'd like to contribute some album artwork, or you've spotted a mistake, please leave me a note in the comments.

Finally, if you enjoy the service archive.org provides, please consider giving them a donation. They provide a valuable service and have a vast treasure trove of information, books, music, audio collections, and so much more, all for free!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's compilation and Happy New Year!

It has been a very long time coming, but today I am overjoyed to announce that SurfGuitar101.com is now running on a secure https connection. I'm really sorry it took so long to get here, but there were nearly 10 years of hot-linked images in the forums that had to be dealt with. It would be unthinkable to just discard them, so a script was developed to copy all these thousands of images into cloud storage, then rewrite all forum and comment posts to use the new secure image locations. I then had to develop a way to let users either upload images to our cloud storage, or copy hot-linked images there. There were lots of other little details to attend to also. But it's finished and I'm going to grab a beer!

SG101 cares about your privacy and security!

We may have missed a few pages, so if you see browser warnings about non-secure pages or so-called "mixed content" issues, please send me a link to the page as soon as possible!

I am pleased to announce the SurfGuitar101 2015 MP3 Compilation! Our 11^th one! Just like before, this is a way for members to share music, recording tips, and to just have fun. The main emphasis is fun, so please send in an entry no matter what your skill level is. Here are the rules:

1. You must be a member of this website to submit an mp3.
2. You may submit only 1 mp3.
3. The mp3 you submit must not have appeared on any "official" release before. Likewise, please don't submit anything that is destined for an official release in the future.
4. The mp3 must be 8 MB in size or less.
5. There is a good chance the comp will end up on Archive.org. Therefore, you must agree to their Creative Commons (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No-Derivatives) License for your mp3.
6. The deadline for submitting an mp3 is Saturday, December 19th, 2015.

I have created an Official 2015 MP3 Compilation Forum Thread. Please use that thread to discuss the compilation and to get information on how to submit an mp3. Please use that thread if you'd like to find a fellow member to work with on the project. With the magic of digital recording and the Internet, remote collaborations are possible. Make your own virtual surf band! Let the comp begin!

Please check out our prior compilations if you haven't seen them already: 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014.

The Surf Guitar 101 2015 Convention will have t-shirts! A Denver based company called ilaughoutloud is bringing a limited number of these, so be sure to purchase early. Shirts are available in a range of adult shirt sizes and will be $20 each. Proceeds of shirt sales help fund the convention! Contact GINNY at imagesinthewind@gmail.com to pre-order and pre-pay with PayPal to be sure your size is available. While supplies last, shirts will be made available three days: Friday night a the Purple Orchid, Saturday at the Convention, and Sunday at the HB Pier Surf show. Pre-order or contact Ginny to let her know you're interested so she can bring enough!

Bob Spalding, guitarist for The Ventures and now V2, has agreed to an "ask me anything" (AMA) thread right here on SG101. Please submit your questions to Bob in this forum thread.

This year's mp3 compilation is now completed. Thanks to everyone who contributed! Just like in prior years I have placed a copy on archive.org for easier access. You can stream or download the entire collection here:

SurfGuitar101.com 2014 MP3 Compilation on Archive.org

Enjoy! Happy Holidays!

Mike from Green Cookie Records is generously donating five copies of the compilation CD "Search for Atlantis" for our latest contest. Five lucky winners will be chosen, so enter today. Good luck! Thanks Mike!

Now is your chance to own an official SurfGuitar101.com t-shirt designed by the legendary Fred Lammers! Multiple sizes are available in the following styles: men's, women's, and a men's long sleeve.

To reserve your shirt visit the SG101 Teespring page!

We are using Teespring to produce the shirt, and the shirts will only be produced if enough people reserve orders. Please see the Teespring FAQ for any questions if you've never used them before. The campaign will run until mid-December, and if successful, the design will be sent to the printers then. A short time later the shirts will ship to you.

If you have any questions, leave a comment or visit this forum thread.

Surf Guitar 101 is extremely happy and honored to announce that Alex Anthony Faide, the lead guitarist of the highly-acclaimed modern surf band Los Twang! Marvels, has been named the official SG101 Master Surf Guitar Instructor!  We encourage SG101 members looking to improve their playing to consider signing up for Skype lessons with Alex.  You will get full access to his prodigious talents and massive knowledge, and will receive instruction unique in its focus specifically on surf/instro music.  

Who is Alex Anthony Faide:  Alex is one of THEE most talented and celebrated guitarists in all of surf music and almost certainly needs no introduction in our community, but just in case, here’s his brief bio:  As a teenager and young adult Alex played in MANY bands in his native Buenos Aires, Argentina, but the defining period of his musical life came when he studied in - and eventually instructed for - Robert Fripp’s legendary and highly challenging Guitar Craft program from 1995 until 2000. Moving to Germany in 2000, he started Los Twang! Marvels in 2002, touring all over Europe and Latin America for the next decade, even appearing on Brazilian network TV. Los Twang! Marvels’ second album “Jungle of Twang” (2008) was voted by surf music fans #3 in the Top 101 Surf Revival (post-1980) albums, while “Sea of Glory,” the album’s opening track, was voted #2 in the Top 101 Surf Revival songs. Alex was also a professional session guitarist for much of his time in Germany, playing many different genres but specializing in rockabilly, rock’n’roll, country and ‘Americana’.  He moved back to Buenos Aires, Argentina earlier this year (which is two hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time zone).  Alex speaks fluent English.

A few words about the lessons directly from Alex:  “The emphasis will be on the mechanics of playing guitar with a pick rather than theory (which can be easily studied elsewhere on the internet). We will work on the student getting better through a body of exercises and quality practice concepts.  Some of these exercises may seem very simple on the surface, but are quite difficult at the proper intensity (determined by the student’s current abilities).  The possibilities are endless, and all skill levels are welcome. (My coaching can also lean towards learning repertoire rather than particular techniques.) There will be a focus throughout the study on generating good guitar tone, and I can also aid in the search for the right gear, effects, accessories and general surf-music paraphernalia, as well as sounds and bands, old and new.  The regular program of study would consist of (roughly) a lesson every two weeks, which should leave enough time for the student to practice and experiment using newly learned techniques. Particular requests and wishes are welcomed, naturally!”

How much:  $45 for an hour of coaching/instruction. Alex is offering the first half-hour session for free, during which the student’s capabilities and needs can be assessed, and an appropriate program of study calibrated. Payment would be made through Paypal to alexanthonyfaide@hotmail.com

Testimonials:  There have been three Surf Guitar 101 members who have taken Skype lessons with Alex and here is what they say about their experiences:

Noel Squitieri: "Alex Anthony Faide is a guitarist's guitarist. As a guitarist, he is thoughtful, powerful, sensitive, inventive, hard-working, musical, artistic, and dedicated. In a word, brilliant. As a guitar teacher, Alex is patient, diligent, kind, generous, enthusiastic, and encouraging. Alex has been my guitar teacher since March 2014. Despite some concerns, there really isn't a limitation to taking guitar lessons using Skype. I enthusiastically and without reservation recommend Alex to anyone looking to study guitar."

Jeremy DeHart (The Monterreys, ex-Aqualads): “I started taking lessons with Alex and he immediately corrected some fundamental issues with my guitar playing that has led to a better foundation for my tremolo picking and a more robust ability to produce a better tone. He is very concise and extremely knowledgeable about all areas of the guitar, and I can't recommend his instruction highly enough. He has fundamentally changed the way I approach the guitar and practicing, and it has vastly and quickly improved my capabilities as a guitarist.”

Ben Johnson (The Deadbeats, ex-The TomorrowMen): “I've only taken a few months' worth of lessons from Alex, but even just an introductory round with him has been hugely helpful and illuminating! Alex's self-admitted approach is to teach "how" to play rather than "what" to play, and so my focus with him has been more on technical exercises than songs, but everything I've learned has been deeply applicable to more musical pursuits - both in playing and writing.  If you want to get better at playing the guitar, and want to really get to know the instrument better than you do, talk to Alex. His help has already introduced me to an array of important details I might have otherwise missed or ignored - things ranging from how to milk the most tone out of both your hands (yes, both matter!), to developing a much more musical feel for the entire fretboard. After a few months of work, I can feel that my left hand is more limber, with my fingers more independent of each other, and my right hand is more steady with a more confident attack. And, just as important, my ears are more open! Not only is Alex an incredible technical talent to help your fingers, he's also an astute and inspired musician with a perceptive emphasis on the feel of what you're playing and hearing. It's a very holistic approach to the guitar, and he does it well enough that it even cuts through the technological limitations of Skype. It's helped me greatly as a player, listener, and writer. And he knows enough to school just about anyone on all fronts - you're bound to learn something, you can't lose!”

The future:  There are early plans to develop a packaged curriculum (in both text and video forms), a guitar study class aimed directly at the surf community, to be sponsored and hosted by SG101, and initially aimed at two areas: tremolo picking speed and scale dexterity enhancement. Stay tuned for further announcements.  

What to do next:  If you wish to take advantage of your first free lesson, contact Alex through email at alexanthonyfaide@hotmail.com, Facebook at www.facebook.com/alex.a.faide or Skype at instrofreak. 

I am pleased to announce the SurfGuitar101 2014 MP3 Compilation! Our 10^th one! Just like before, this is a way for members to share music, recording tips, and to just have fun. The main emphasis is fun, so please send in an entry no matter what your skill level is. Here are the rules:

1. You must be a member of this website to submit an mp3.
2. You may submit only 1 mp3.
3. The mp3 you submit must not have appeared on any "official" release before. Likewise, please don't submit anything that is destined for an official release in the future.
4. The mp3 must be 8 MB in size or less.
5. There is a good chance the comp will end up on Archive.org. Therefore, you must agree to their Creative Commons (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No-Derivatives) License for your mp3.
6. The deadline for submitting an mp3 is Saturday, December 20th, 2014.

I have created an Official 2014 MP3 Compilation Forum Thread. Please use that thread to discuss the compilation and to get information on how to submit an mp3. Please use that thread if you'd like to find a fellow member to work with on the project. With the magic of digital recording and the Internet, remote collaborations are possible. Make your own virtual surf band! Let the comp begin!

Please check out our prior compilations if you haven't seen them already: 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013.