Menu
Radio Free Bakersfield announces the "Surf Guitar 101 Pick of the Week!"! That's right surf geetar fans! Every week you will be treated to a special surf track chosen by Brian Neal, Head Honcho @ SG101! Brian will pick out his personal faves from seminal acts as well as hot new tracks from modern bands! Just tune into Radio Free Bakersfield every week! And don't forget to check out surfguitar101.com for information on tunes, gear, history, shows & more! It's one of the few message boards on the net not populated by jerks! Oh yeah, some of your fave surf artists have been known to pop in from time to time!
Danish surf rock trio The Good The Bad release their new single '023' in February, accompanied by a new film directed by Jeppe Kostrup, who infamously created the previous TGTB video hit '030'. A video teaser of the new '023' video is now online on the bands youtube channel.
'023' sees TGTB delve into harder surf riffs than ever before, coupled with their customary short and sharp twists and accompanied by lions and war cries as backing vocals. The full '023' video will be launched on January 4th, with the full single unveiled on Febrary 13th.
'030' is now on the brink of 3 million views and is viewable here.
For more information please contact jesse@thisislethal.com
SurfGuitar101 and Double Crown Records join forces to create new surf music promotional campaign.
As many of you probably have seen by now, a brand new compilation album is coming out - Brave New Surf. What you may not know is that the impetus behind this album is twofold. First, to present some of the very best surf bands playing today. Secondly, to use this compilation as a promotional tool to expose new audiences to this great music. Double Crown Records agreed to print up extra copies of the album with the sole purpose of sending them out to music reviewers, websites and magazines. But to do this will take extra funds. Packaging and postage costs add up quick, thus we came up with this Kickstarter project.
Please go to our Kickstarter page and check out all the premiums and make a donation if you can. Absolutely 100% of all funds donated will go towards the promotion of this record and if we're successful this may lead to more releases. If you can, share the project on all your social media and email all your friends. This is our big push to get surf music out into a more public consciousness and our success depends upon you.
Remember, there is a limited time for this campaign, it concludes on Friday Dec 9th, so we have to reach our goal by then.
As announced at the SG101 Convention this summer, Surfer Joe will open a bar & diner in Livorno, Italy, dedicated to surf music and fun. The location is on the sea, Terrazza Mascagni for those of you who had the opportunity to come to Livorno before and have visited the town. We have been working extremely hard for more than 6 months to get this location that we consider very cool and unique.
There is more to this story, continue reading ...
Tim Murphy writes:
My name is Tim Murphy and in February I am launching “The Shamrock Beach Music Hour – Songs of Sand, Surf and Summer.” This weekly show will focus on surf music over the last five decades, plus great summer hits. We’ll run from the Ventures to contemporary Australian and South American surf bands, from the Beach Boys to surf garage punk.
This show will be presented to national syndicators, satellite radio and will be available for podcast and downloads.
We will leave no grain of sand unturned in our search for the best beach music. If you know bands that would like to be included on this show, have them band send us their stuff. We’re requesting music on CD (for the best quality) and any bio and discography information of the band. Attached is the address to send your material.
We will post a song list and links to the bands featured on each week’s show on our website.
I hope you can jump on board and ride the wave.
Tim Murphy
Bicoastal Meda
3624 Avion Drive
Medford, OR 97504
USA
The Beach Boys FAQ
All That’s Left to Know About America’s Band
Jon Stebbins
Foreword by David Marks, founding member of the Beach Boys
Celebrating 50 years of the world’s ultimate summer band
“The FAQ series stacks a lot of things you need to know about a band with a lot of juicy bits you’d spend years tracking down from glossies, fanzines, journals, blogs, and other biographies.” –KEXP FM (Seattle)
A great rock-and-roll story is a magnet, and the Beach Boys story has one of the strongest pulls of all. Author Jon Stebbins has been producing literary and televised Beach Boys productions for years, and now Backbeat Books’ newest FAQ title puts his mammoth knowledge of Beach Boys history and obscure lore into one entertaining, fast-paced tome. So pull up a chair or catch a wave—it’s time for fun, fun, fun in the summertime.
The Beach Boys FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About America’s Band (Backbeat Books, $19.99) dives down deep into the legend. Great for casual fans, Stebbins discusses the album Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson’s reclusiveness, TV appearances, and solo careers. But, this book will also take readers beyond the shoreline: Why are they considered the American Beatles? What was the truth behind Murray Wilson, Showbiz-Dad? How did the band affect global warming?
There is more to this story, continue reading ...
Fifty years ago, the earliest forms of surf music were being defined and cultured in the beach communities of Southern California. It was, in great part, focused on the high school social scene; music created by and for teenagers (not by and for surfers). The emergent (and most frequent) form was the reverbed guitar instrumental (Dick Dale & The Del-Tones, The Challengers, The Surfaris, The Chantays, etc.), but the popular form of surf music was vocal (Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Bruce & Terry, etc.). Celebrating the 50th anniversary of surf music in 2011 is actually a celebration of the first four important recordings of this genre, released during the last half of 1961 (the “golden years” of the music were 1962 and 1963, so the celebration might continue for awhile!):
“Let’s Go Trippin’” by Dick Dale & The Del-Tones. Widely considered to be the first surf instrumental recording, it was released on Dale’s own record label (Deltone) in September, 1961. Dale and his band were packing them in every weekend at the huge Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa.
“Mr. Moto” by The Belairs. It’s not exactly clear when The Belairs’ first recording was available in local record shops, but it would have been very close to the release of Dale’s single. The band was from the South Bay area of Southern California, a group of small beach communities just north of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Both Dick Dale & The Del-Tones and The Belairs played equally important roles in the emerging surf music style in 1961. A large percentage of the kids who came to see both bands were avid surfers. It was the audience, not the performers, that ultimately coined the term “surf music.” The sound and energy of the style came from Dick Dale; the style and form came from The Belairs.
“Surfin’” by The Beach Boys. Part of the South Bay enclave was the city of Hawthorne, forever known as the “birthplace” of The Beach Boys. In the fall of 1961, the bouncy and danceable “Surfin’” – a vocal – quickly became a local radio hit. When the band signed with Capitol Records in the summer of 1962, the music suddenly went nationwide.
“Surfer’s Stomp” by The Marketts. They were a studio group produced by Joe Saraceno who saw their recording climb into the Top 40 and remain on the national charts for over two months in the waning days of 1961 and early 1962. It was, arguably, the first rock instrumental recording to incorporate the word “surf” in the title; certainly the first such recording to be nationally distributed (“Surfer’s Stomp” went from the indy label, Union, to the major label, Liberty in early 1962). Despite all the trappings of the winter season, “Surfer’s Stomp” made the rest of the country’s teenagers aware that something cool was starting to happen on the West Coast.
By the early spring of 1962, there was no mistaking the new genre of pop music. It was all over the radio, it had a name, and it had a certain sound and form. Happy 50th Anniversary to surf music, and a toast of gratitude to Dick Dale & The Del-Tones, The Belairs, The Beach Boys, and The Marketts.
-- John Blair
The Shrunken Head Lounge is the grooviest new surf music radio show which is gaining worldwide popularity.
We currently broadcast to over 200,000 surf fans and are looking to be the coolest Surf Music Radio Show ever!
If you'd like to be a part of our broadcast, send an mp3 with your Band name to
info@TheShrunkenHeadLounge.com
Check out the site to find archived shows ready for broadcast on any on-air and internet based radio station.
Not THE editor, of course!
But as of April 18, I'll be the online managing editor at Guitar World magazine, which is based in the lovely and talented New York City.
Some of you might be familiar with the print edition of the magazine, which has been hard-rock-heavy for a while. But the new website -- the redesigned version of which will be launched in May or June -- will be very much open to all guitar genres. Including surf/instro!
So basically, a surf guitarist will be an editor at Guitar World magazine.
Just an FYI!
Thanks,
Damian Fanelli
P.S.: Mister Neutron / Asbury Lanes / Asbury Park, NJ / May 20!!!
Victor Vector, aka Jonny Shamen, came down with a severe case of pneumonia right after the Man or Astro-Man? tour wrapped up. He's been in the hospital for over a week now. As with most working musicians, he has no health insurance. In addition, he has a wife and young child. His family could really use some help. Please take a moment and send a few bucks his way. Thank you!
