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On May 14, KFJC presents The Fifth KFJC Battle of the Surf Bands. In keeping with the tradition of the legendary Surf Battles of the early 60s, bands are given 15 minutes to present their best material and show, making for a fast paced and exciting 4 hour event. The biggest change this year is a move from the beloved Hotel Utah in SF, to The British Bankers Club in Menlo Park. The BBC is a big, full service restaurant and will easily hold the expected crowd, and will allow minors. Menlo Park is also much closer to KFJC's home.

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The Fifth KFJC Battle of the Surfin' Bands

History: During the golden age of surf music in Southern California, Los Angeles radio station KFWB held monthly dances for teens featuring local surf bands like The Chantays, The Surfaris, The Bel-Aires and hundreds more. These bands would become known as the fathers of the surf rock sound, recording hits like Wipe Out, Pipeline, Penetration, Mr. Moto and Miserlou. In 1963, Del-Fi Records releases an LP featuring the best bands from the KFWB Battle of the Surf Bands series.

Today: Bands continue to create and perform surf music and stations like Los Altos Hills' KFJC. Though the station is known for it ecclectic playlist, KFJC has long been dedicated to instrumental surf music– many DJs regularly include surf cuts on their shows, and DJ Cousin Mary's show, "The Reverb Hour," runs weekly on Saturday nights at 8PM.

On May 14, KFJC presents The Fifth KFJC Battle of the Surf Bands. In keeping with the tradition of the legendary Surf Battles of the early 60s, bands are given 15 minutes to present their best material and show, making for a fast paced and exciting 4 hour event. The biggest change this year is a move from the beloved Hotel Utah in SF, to The British Bankers Club in Menlo Park. The BBC is a big, full service restaurant and will easily hold the expected crowd, and will allow minors. Menlo Park is also much closer to KFJC's home.

To those who might say, "All surf music sounds the same," the Surf Battle lineup displays the variety available in the genre. There are trad bands (those who adhere strictly to the vintage sound) and prog surf (bands who have pushed the sound beyond.) For Aloha Screwdriver, this will be one of their first shows, while The Berzerkers have been playing for 20 years, and for The Eldorados, this will be their curtain call. Most of the bands are local to the Bay Area, but The Mighty Surf Lords will be representing Reno NV and The Neptunes are coming in from Fresno. Some of the bands have never left home, while Pollo Del Mar has staged several international tours. Two of the bands have promised new releases, and others will have homemade CDRs for sale. Bands like Meshugga Beach Party feature an outrageous stage show while other bands rely on jaw-dropping chops to awe the crowd. Some of these guys gig all the time, while The Lava Rats have been dormant for a couple years and are reforming just for this show.
One thing all of the bands share is a passion and dedication to surf music. "When you are playing in such a vastly unpopular genre as instrumental surf, a sense of camaraderie, or perhaps a bunker mentality, is sure to form amongst the musicians" said event producer and guitarist for Pollo Del Mar Ferenc Dobronyi. "The KFJC Surf Battle is a chance for all the bands to get together and share tips on surf friendly venues, see old friends, and have a party."

The Battle of the Surfing Bands show is a benefit for community sponsored KFJC Radio. The door charge and all profits from sales go directly to helping fund the station. The show will be recorded for release as a KFJC fundraiser CD. The bands are all contributing their performance to support the radio station that has supported them over the years.

KFJC Battle of the Surf Bands
May 14, Doors open at Noon, music from 1-5PM
The British Bankers Club, 1090 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
$10 donation requested to benefit KFJC
Audio broadcast on KFJC 89.7, and audio and video webcast at kfjc.org
16 bands, featuring:
Pollo Del Mar, Meshugga Beach Party, The Neptunes, The Berzerkers, The TomorrowMen, The Deadlies, The Lava Rats, The Eldorados, The Deadbeats, The Mighty Surf Lords, Frankie & the Pool Boys, The Reefriders, Trivalve, The Wander Ins, Aloha Screwdriver, The Del Mars