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I don't get to see very many surf shows. In fact I
can count the number of surf shows I've seen on one
hand if I don't count Dick Dale more than once.
Because of this I was extremely excited to get the
chance to see ANY surf band this close to home. You
guys have already read Brian's review of The Surge
from Indy and I had met Eddie, the guitar player, at
Link Wray's show a few months back because of his
X-Rays shirt. Eddie, who's been playing since the
60's, apparently dropped what he was doing some years
ago and decided to return to his first love, instro
surf, after seeing The Penetrators in Atlanta.
So my girlfriend, her father, and I made our way over
to Stone Mountain to a pub called Will Henry's, which,
while still being a typical Atlanta area pub with a
stage, was much nicer than most of the crap dives I've
played in around here. I recognized Eddie from
meeting him before and then deduced that the guy on
stage holding the bass guitar must be the bass player
(Mike). Sticks showed up and hauled his kit in the
door a little late. I went and talked to the guys,
all of whom are very nice, mild-mannered dudes, and
then they launched into their set.
I love seeing a great surf gear setup in person. I
get to see so little of them. Eddie had a Twin Reverb
head that he'd wacked off the cabinet and recovered in
blonde with a pair of matching blonde cabs. His black
reverb tank (reissue I assume) was sitting off to the
side. He had a great looking pair of white AV
Jazzmasters. Mike had a Fender 400 bass head
recovered in a similar fashion with two cabs and a
white AV Precision bass that made me pine for the AV
Precision I let go last year. The brand name for
Sticks' kit was on the bass drum but I've forgotten it
already...Monticini? Something like that. Blue/aqua
swirl, very cool looking, and sounded great after
spending all my days standing next to a harsh,
ear-jarring, garbage can-sounding drummer for a metal
band (don't tell him I said that, his feelings would
be hurt).
They kicked it off with about a minute and thirty
seconds of a bitchin cover of The Theme from Hawaii
Five-O when Eddie's head fizzled and died. My first
though was, "Aw, crap", but to my surprise Eddie
walked to the side of the stage and pulled out another
head just like the one that'd just died on him. Yes,
these guys are serious.
Hawaii Five-O, Baja, Pipeline, a Ventures Medley,
Shadows covers, Squad Car, plus a few originals which
were all good comprised the first set, which
unfortunately was all I had time to stay for. They
capped it off with "Rippin': The Legend of Scott
Rogers," which was my favorite of the originals. I'm
sure that those of you out there that get to see surf
shows more than once every five years or so or that
get to play in surf bands would've probably just
clapped politely through a set of first-wave standards
that you've heard a million times by a million bands
and know backwards and forwards yourselves, but for me
this was one of the most fun shows I've gotten to see
in a while. These guys were all good, especially
Mike, who made me want to quit playing bass and throw
my SWR cabs into the river. Watching Sticks in action
was a real treat. I will definitely be catching these
guys again, as well as The Penetrators, whenever I get
the opportunity. I'm so glad to have these guys down
here in the southeast.
Richard
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