Well the day started off pretty gloomy and foggy. Which I like , but people kept complaing when the sun was gonna come out. Well they got their wish, it cleared up and got hot, too damn hot in my opinion.
First up for us was a new band that most of us hadn't seen yet. The Marauders( sp?) I guess the drummer was in an original band from the 60's by the same name. But I don't know much of the history there. I heard that they had opened up for Dick Dale's New Years eve show at the Coach House. They are all older guys, but with some nice equipment. Old Showmans and Twins, and some huge late 60's or early 70's monster Fender bass amp that must have weighed about 150 lbs. They did mostly covers, but snuck in a few originals. Pretty trad. sounding, with a little bit of modern keyboards on tunes like Telstar. They did the not too often covered Bullwinkle pt.2 by the Centurions. Gotta dig that tune.
Next up was the Glasgow Tiki Shakers, who were filling in for The Detonators who had to cancel. The GTS's are fast becoming a new favorite of alot of us. As they are all great musicians, and do a mellower, cooler version of surf than anybody else. Their bass player Joyce really nails down the low end along with drummer Bruce, who is also an animal and always ends up dripping in sweat after a gig. And the amazingly soulful and talented Bill McGlynnon on guitar, keep an eye out for their cd soon (I hope).
Then we had the rare apperance of the Boardwalkers in Daylight. They have about 3 or 4 sets of material that they can do (Trad. covers, or out there originals). So I asked were they gonna play it Trad. or twist some minds with there version of modern instro madness. They went for the latter. Which was good considering that most of the bands were more on the trad. side that day.
After a bit of a delay waiting for their other guitar player, The Insect Surfers took the stage a bit late, and made up for lost time by sizzling thru alot of their classic tracks, and a few new ones. Be on the lookout for info for the 20th anniversary show for the Veterans of the West Coast scene.
Last up was the Eliminators, after a few years of very low visibility (private gigs mostly). They have made a vow to bring it back to the old school sound they used to have. No more reissue guitars and new fender amps. They broke out all the sweet gear, and tore it up the way they used to, Rippin' and drippin' like they were a group of teens back in the 60's. They played us a few new tunes from their upcoming 3rd cd, some songs form their 2 cds and a few classic blazing covers of 60's surf shredders.
Nothing beats seeing a great surf show at the beach, with tons of eye candy walkin around. The only thing better would have to been kickin it in a hammock with a cool drink in my hand.
Don't miss the last HB Pier show on August 6th with Fabulous Nomads, Slacktone, Pollo Del Mar, Chum, and Outterwave
Jeff(bigtikidude)
What BTD said. Great line-up, great show, great sights. I got less sunburned than usual at the Pier, and I also got to see a vagrant arrested right in front of the stage. What more could one want from a surf show?-Warren
Everyone almost got to see Big Tiki Dude & I play a drum solo on the vagrant. Good thing for the bum BTD & I are mello dudes.
I have to concur with everything BTD said. Good show. The Tiki Shakers continue to grow on us with their music & off stage are fantastic people.
The Eliminators.......... Man, if these guys came along in the 60's, they might be legends. What a sound. Great covers (Hawaii Five-0 & Moment of Truth) & excellent original material (El Buracho, Cross Steppin) & some others. My only disappointment was that due to time constraints they didn't play Punta Baja. I'm also told they are working on Baja Re-ba. The show June 1 at Bella Terra in HB should be a blast. As I will be in Hawaii, I'll miss it. Life is tough.
I will be there for the July 22 show on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. This will be outside on the fantail of the ship. This promises to be an epic event. Tickets are $65 which includes dinner & The Eliminators playing for 3 hours. This is the Long Beach Lifeguard centenial celebration. It is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased at www.longbeachlifeguard.com. Proceeds go to the Vanguard Cancer Foundation & Miller Childrens Hospital.
With the smoking tiki heads & the surf vids playing on the big screens, this may be the coolest event of the year. Plus it is for an excellent cause, sick children.
Well I gotta say thanks to BTD & HBKahuna for all your help and saving my neck with the vagrant and HBPD for responding so quickly to take care of the problem. That'll teach vagrants to mess with the band promoter. Despite dealing with vagrants and having to replace The Detonators at the last minute with Glasgow Tiki Shakers plus trying to figure out a lineup that works for everyone it was the most fun I've had so far this year. I guess the moon or something must be aligned correctly because all the bands that have played so far at the museum have been at the top of their game and tighter than ever. The Eliminators have certainly gained back their original dynamite sound and all the bands couldn't have been more on fire. The Eliminators now have their band logo surf board and a Fender guitar hanging in the museum on our newly created surf music wall of fame next to Dick Dale's 1954 guitar shadow box display. My greatest reward came yesterday from the Insect Surfers with the delivery of a bouguet of fresh cut flowers that I watch hour by hour change from buds to gorgeous flowers...They just happen to be in my favorite color purple as well. Thanks Insect Surfers. thanks also Marauders, GTS, Boardwalkers & Eliminators