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Prior to 1961, Southern California kids didn’t hang out at the beach all that much; you’d be more likely to see them cruising in their cars, hanging out at the ice cream / root beer drive-ins, or dancing to 45 rpm records at sock hops. Live music was a rarity, and there was no such thing as “surf music.” In short: prior to 1961, there was no “California surf culture” as we know it today.

But the new trend was on the rise that year: with the advent of lightweight foam boards, surfing caught on big with the beach-area kids; by summer this had grown into a major cultural explosion — a mass youth-movement complete with it’s own styles, mannerisms and slang.

Going into that memorable summer of ‘61, I was 15 and a fledgling guitarist with a fledgling band (the Belairs) that emulated the sounds of the rock-instrumental heroes of the late ‘50s (Duane Eddy, Link Wray, The Fireballs, Johnny and the Hurricanes, the Ventures, etc.). When we heard that a lot of these new young “surfers” were driving thirty miles south to Balboa on the weekends to hear somebody named Dick Dale play similar stuff, we decided to throw our own dances locally. The result was like jumping onto a speeding train!

We had never given the slightest thought to calling ourselves a “surf” band. But at our first dance that summer, which drew about 200 beach-area kids, a prominent local surfer came up to me and said: “Wow, man — your music sounds just like it feels out on a wave! You oughta call it ‘surf music’!!” By summer’s end we were filling halls with 1500 fully “stoked” surfers who were doing just that: over the summer they had embraced our music (along with Dale’s) as their own, and now they were calling it “surf music!”

Announcing the So. Cal. Winter Surf Fest 2012!

Sun. Jan. 22nd, 11 am to 7pm, at The Starting Gate, 5052 Katella Ave. Los Alamitos, Ca. 
$20, raffle tix for CDs and T-shirts $2 ea. or 3 tix for $5

Line up and schedule for the Winter Surf Fest

• 11am to noon - TikiTena and Sean DJ, (and between sets)
• noon to 1:15 - High Tide (with special guests)
• 1:45 to 2:45 - The Breakaways
• 3:00 to 3:50 - The Tequila Worms
• 4:00 to 4:50 - Secret Samurai
• 5:10 to 6:00 - The Eliminators
• 6:15 to 7:00 - Slacktone

Facebook page for the event

Need more reasons to come? The Winter Surf Fest is the day after Deke Dickerson's Guitar Geek Festival, and is on the big NAMM weekend. Also the same weekend is the Vintage Guitar and amp swap meet at OC fairgrounds.

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The Tormentos have a new LP! Yes, they have done it again! It has been released by Spanish Label "Buen Ritmo" in beautiful white 12" vinyl. It is a compilation of their first 10 years & 3 records to introduce them in the European Market.

Get yours while its still available!

We are pleased to present a recent interview with Bob Berryhill of The Surfaris.

Bob was very generous with his time and spoke about so many interesting topics covering the history of this great surf band.

Show #23 features a full hour of our interivew with Bob plus all the great Surfaris hits we've all come to love over the years.

· Listen to how Wipe Out came to be written in only 10 minutes!

· Their first recording experience at a very young age of 14

· Working with their first NY Producer for Decca Records

· Bob talks about his favorite guitars, amps and effects

Stop by today to our site http://theshrunkenheadlounge.com/ to download the Show

Thanks,
Noodles

DJ & Curator of The Shrunken Head Lounge
http://theshrunkenheadlounge.com

Started in 2000 by The Volanics Benny Hammond and The Lively Ones Las Vegas fill-in guy Skater j, the Vista IV started as a trad instro cover band but went on to develop a fringe regional southwest spin on surf they tagged "smooth surf, progressives surf, and traditional surf music" before breaking up in 2010. Beach Blanket Productions has released the bands final bunch of songs as "The Final Wave" available in cd and as downloads. This along with the early twin guitars of Benny Hammond and Skater j rendering of classic surf tunes in 2000's "Surf Music Undertow" have been re-released as free downloads from the official band site thevistaiv.com.

Marconi Beach Sound will be playing live at the Windsor on the 27th of January 2012. The Windsor is a real ale pub on the main road by the police station in Penarth South Glamorgan (CF64 1JE)

The set will include numbers from Beach Party, our first album and a selection from our in progress second album.. Intoxica, Munsters, Mr Moto and many more...

Come and join us if you can.

‎2012 NEW YEAR CONCERT SLIDE SHOW

BatmanTheme - Slaughter on 10th Avenue (Chicchi & Sala with JukeBox) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdVE5em6W0U

The Coconauts have finished their debut album: The Coconauts Get Coconauty!  It's finally ready to be shipped off and printed up.  It should be ready for official release within a month or so.  Get Coconaughty!!!!

Best wishes for a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. May the Holiday Season bring only happiness and joy to you and your loved ones.

COMING EARLY 2012... Our Exclusive interview with Bob Berryhill of The Surfaris and WIPE OUT Fame!

Noodles

DJ & Curator of The Shrunken Head Lounge
http://theshrunkenheadlounge.com

Hi -

Straight from Belgium, 12 tracks of surf garage instros

Go to www.myspace.com/hellotikimusic or www.reverbnation.com/hellotiki

Review (French):

www.shootmeagain.com/chroniques/2583_hellotiki_attackofladyoctopussy

Review of the first EP:

www.reverbcentral.com