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Ok, since no one wants to give an overview, I'll do it.
First up was Roger and The Wraybands. Steve (Panchinsin - CP guitar
player) and I actually stumbled upon these guys. We heard another surf
band was playing a club the week before we were so we had to check them
out. Anyway, they open the show with Walk Don't Run...but do the '64
version! Spot-on and a very cool start. They do a few standards but
also throw in a bunch of obscure covers like "TR6" from The Sandals
(Endless Summer SDK), "Midnight Surfer" (which they re-titled "My
Turban's a'Burnin" and dedicated to the troops in Iraq) by Jerry Cole &
His Spacemen. A great set!
I didn't get a chance to talk gear with those guys but I'll e-mail them
and get a list. I don't think they are on here.
Next up was The Troubadours. Wow. If you've seen them, then you already
know. If not, well, I'll try to explain. They do a Shadows tribute (I
don't need to go into who the Shadows were/are, right?). And they do a
damn fine job at it. To give you an idea, I was in the front (where the
bar is - the stage is in the back) talking to a few friends who came in
and one of them asked if the Shadows band started yet because he swore
he thought that a CD was playing. Yup, they're that good. Ivan (Space
Cossacks) handles the Hank Marvin part to a 'T' while his dad, Ivan
Sr., takes care of the Bruce Welch rhythm guitar. Perfect. The surprise
was that there were different songs than from the Exotica set. They
even played "Big Boy", a song Roger (from The Wraybands) requested.
Great stuff. Oh, Ivan played a Strat (black) thru a Vox (I'm guessing
an AC60) while Ivan Sr., played a black Tele thru a white Vox (once
again I'm gonna guess an AC60). Scott played a matching black P-Bass
thru a Sunn head.
We, The Cocktail Preachers, played next but I won't go into it because
I thought we had a bad night. Quick gear rundown: Steve - DeCola
Jazzcaster custom guitar thru a hot rodded silverface Princeton. Bruce
used his Fiesta Red AV Jag thru his modded silverface Bassman. I had my
Wilson Bros VMB-55 (black) bass thru my Bassman 400 head with the 410H
bottom. Rick used his red sparkle Trixon drums (you should see these
things! The front of the kick is, I think, 18" while the back is 22".
Crazy!).
Anyway, last up was The Reluctant Aquanauts. Another great surprise!
After talking with Bill here and a few failed attempts to see them at
The Big C Jamboree (A rockabilly Jam night held in Chicago the first
Thursday of every month), I didn't know what to expect. What a great
show! These guys are top-rate musicians and had a great set. Originals
even! They did Ventures melodys as well as classics. From the matching
black old-west sheriffs outfits (including cap guns and white Colonel
Sanders ties) to their vintage sound and their very young dancers,
totally enjoyable. Watch for these guys in the future! From what I saw,
Bill had a blackface Super with his CIJ LPB Jazzmaster, Matt had a AV
Oly White Jazz bass with an Ampeg head and Frank had Fibes drums. I'll
let Bill fill you in on the exact details.
I also must mention that there was a great turn-out. Especially
considering that there were Tornado warnings and some pretty heavy
rain. In fact, the guy who runs bookings said that there was a better
turnout than they had for the Punk Rock Fridays (with no rain) the
night before. Look for another surf show at The Lyon's Den at the end
of summer. We're already planning it.
Thanks to everyone who made it out as well The Lyon's Den. Also thanks
to Roger & The Wraybands, Ivan & The Troubadours, and Bill &Surf The
Reluctant Aquanauts. It was a great night for instrumental music.
I have pics and video that I need to post somewhere. Once I find a
spot, I'll let you all know.
I hope I didn't forget anything...
Phil Tiki
The Cocktail Preachers
