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You know, it just struck me after reading your excellent explanation
on the 'phylogeny' (I know, sorry, but I didn't sleep through high
school Biology) of Surf, that a very similar historical pattern
occured with Bluegrass music, although the timeline encompasses
earlier periods on the calendar. The third revival, which brought in
the stuff they characterized as 'Newgrass', prompted incredible
disagreements and turf wars between those who had a very
conservative approach, and thought that combining bluegrass
technical stuff with other genres, jazz, classical, swing, rock,
was a blasphemous transgression. In some ways one could argue that
those tensions led to the 'breakdown' of the scene, although,
the 'jazzgrass' hybrid survived in a few small separate threads, and
even some of the most aggressive innovators returned to their roots,
eventually (Tony Rice), fr instance.
I mention this only because Surf, like bluegrass, emerged as a 'new'
form of musical expression that combined elements of different
traditions in an original way, caught on like a fever and peaked,
then waned, then went through a rediscovery phase, a couple of
different times--the most recent in bluegrass being the Cohen bros
movie a couple of years ago, and now, both forms seem to have a
permanent home in marketing toolboxes for selling stuff, or in film
soundtrack composers libraries.
I have had this argument for many years, whether there is ANY
relation between surf and bluegrass -- and I will state the obvious
again -- one of the original libraries of guitar techniques in surf
clearly came out of country music--Dick Dale played country before
he became King of the Surf Guitar, and there is the rockabilly
tradition, definitely an influence--also, both bluegrass and surf
employ double picking, also, both rely heavily on minor modes and
minor scale progressions--in bluegrass, they call it sawmill tuning,
think-- pretty polly, or east virginia, or walking boss or shady
grove. Also, in both forms, there are flat out, balls to the wall
rhythmic sequences that have certain aspects in common. The
influence of Clarence White, formerly of the Kentucky Gentlemen,
later, the Byrds, is obvious in the playing of Jim Thomas, as well
as other notable surf guitarists, fr instance.
Not to put too fine a point on it, I just think its an interesting
contrast and compare type of thing. Obviously, the feel, the
ambiance is different, but still...the breakdown form can be
ultimately traced to the music of the Gypsies, or Rom, as can some
aspects of Surf.
One final note -- I have heard bluegrass bands do curious versions
of pipeline, and miserlou--so some leakage has occurred in both
directions.
I always thought that the conflict in the surf music world, between
the traditionalists, and the progressives, was interesting, because,
sometimes, in a conflict or disagreement, there is a nugget of
information that is missing from both arguments, which tend to be
incomplete, or one sided. I like to pick apart that nugget to see if
it contains any gold. There is magic in conflict. In nature, great
accidental beauty is sometimes the product of conflict.
J
--- In , Phil Dirt <phildirt@r...>
wrote:
> The answer to "are they really that discrete" depends on whether
you
> define them from a musicological or time period point of view. Most
> people on these lists seem to mean time periods, but that does not
jive
> with the music's evolution or sound.
>
> First Wave: The Heyday
>
> The beginning (post all precursors because you just have to draw a
line
> in the sand somewhere) was 1961 with the Belairs recording of "Mr.
> Moto" (5.61) and Dick Dale's recording of "Let's Go Trippin'"
(8.61).
> Neither represents the sound of surf, but historians will generally
> agree this is where it started.
>
> The sound evolved rapidly, and by 1962 with the advent of the
reverb,
> took on the signature sound. Perhaps the most stereotypical surf
> instros is the Chantays' "Pipeline." Within the first wave, there
were
> actually many different sub-set sounds. Dick Dale. The Chantays,
the
> Belairs, Eddie and the Showmen, the Surfaris, the Original
Surfaris,
> the Sentinals, and others all had unique sounds.
>
> By '63, some changes began to creep in, such as hot rod titles and
> sound effects. By '64, space and sci-fi were new influences, again
> changing the sound significantly. By '65, the end was at hand. The
> first wave is generally from 1961 through 1965, with a few odd
singles
> and surf guitar influences following through the remainder of the
> sixties.
>
> Second Wave: The Revival
>
> The revival was just what its name implies, a rejuvenation of the
first
> wave sounds and styles. In some ways, it was more of a reliving of
the
> past. It also often has bands lumped in that were really the
beginnings
> of the third wave (more later).
>
> The probably poster band of the revival was Jon and the
Nightriders. In
> '79, they cut 4 tracks and issued a seven-inch ep. Contemporary to
them
> ('79 and '80) were Cowabunga (SF Bay Area), the Surf Raiders, the
El
> Caminos (pre-Vibrabeams, Tidetones, and Surf Piranhas), the Wedge,
and
> the Evasions, among others.
>
> This "wave" continues today in the trad bands.
>
> Third Wave: Rebirth
>
> Just like the original wave, when surf was in constant evolution,
the
> sound inevitably began incorporating new features and ideas. Just
as
> the first wave took influences from Spanish, Mexican, Flamenco,
West
> Coast Jazz, Country, and the Islands, and added sound effects,
space
> themes, and varied the lineup to include new instruments over the
first
> few years, so the "revival" would give birth to reinvention.
>
> Beginning as early as 1979, the seeds were sown for the third
wave. The
> Insect Surfers (then in the DC area) brought surf ideas into their
> sound before moving and dropping the new wave for surf reborn with
> non-traditional instruments and sounds. The El Caminos (pre-
Vibrabeams,
> Tidetones, and Surf Piranhas) were a hybrid right from the start
with
> rockabilly drums and their demented diving lyrics and commentary.
The
> Halibuts can be seen in either the second or third wave. I think of
> them mostly as third wave because they merged ska with traditional
> sounds for a significantly different sound.
>
> The burst of creativity in terms of volume did not come until
around
> 1989 and 1990 when San Francisco area bands suddenly used surf as a
> platform for a new direction. This sparked the ongoing trad wars.
> Notable among the early cart up-setters were/are the Ultras, the
> Mermen, and Pollo Del Mar. From these bands influence, eventually
> hundreds of bands were freed from seeing surf as a museum piece,
freed
> to transgress into bold new territory. This is where many of
today's
> bands descend from.
>
> From a volume of bands and releases point of view, it's more like a
> calendar.
>
> First Wave: 1961-1965
> Second Wave: 1979-1986
> Third Wave: 1989-2000
> Fourth Wave: 2002-present.
>
> The trouble with this definition is that many of the bands have
little
> in common. It's not a cohesive sound by any stretch amid any of
these
> periods.
>
> That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
>
> Phil
>
> --- Rob Campbell <mantid@g...> wrote:
> Would anyone be able to run down the "waves" of surf music, and a
> representational act or album for each? I've tried searching and
its
> too nebula-ous of a term.
>
> What wave are we on now? Are they really that discrete?
