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--- In , "supertwangreverb"
<supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
>
> I didn't buy many "new" surf cds this year. Most of the time I buy
> a new CD it turns out to be some modern progressive sounding surf
> crap.
Bill, I must say that this statement by you left me more than a bit
bothered. I know this whole trad vs. prog topic has been beaten to
death, but I just had to pipe in with a couple of thoughts:
1) I'm not sure what you mean by progressive. Are we talking the
Mermen here? Though I do on occasion enjoy them, my tastes
definitely fall on the trad side. But I got the feeling (probably
erroneously) that you're saying even many trad bands are too
progressive. I'm not going to argue your taste here, it's yours and
subjective and that's all there is to it. But I think it's not
really fair to dismiss a bunch of cool musicians who love surf music
for being too progressive cause they don't sound exactly like they're
playing in Orange County in 1963.
I have some 600-700 surf music albums, both old and new, and it's
exactly ten years now that I've been a part of this scene (started
getting really into it in the Summer and Fall of '04 when I joined
the Cowabunga discussion list), so I know what I'm talking about.
And here is what I found from my experience: '62-'65 surf music has a
feel that has not been captured by ANYBODY since then! No matter how
good, how dedicated, how anal, it just hasn't been done. There's a
particular sound and feel to authentic, original surf music that has
remained in that era and that cannot be recreated. Many bands that
try to only do that end up being quite boring, unimaginative,
unexciting and repetative. My biggest recommendation to young bands
it not to put any unnecessary blinkers and limitations on themselves
by deciding they're going to sound exactly like Eddie & the Showmen,
the Astronauts and the Fender IV, and nothing else.
Now, does that mean that everybody should pull out their digital
multiprocessors, Jacksons, Peaveys, etc.? Absolutely not. In my
opinion the bands that have been the most successful on the creative
level in the last ten years are those that loved and understood the
genre so deeply that they were able to internalize it to such an
extent they could leave their own imprint and personality on it while
very much remaining faithful to it. My favorites that I believe did
this are the Fathoms, the Penetrators, the Bomboras, the Woodies, the
Boss Martians, the Treble Spankers, the Volcanos, Satan's Pilgrims,
Jon & the Nightriders, and more recently the Nebulas, Husky & the
Sandman, Langhorns, the Bambi Molesters and several others.
(Slacktone and the Surf Coasters sometimes go too far out for my
taste, but when they nail it, brother, watch out!) I really think
that none of these bands sound like they came from '63, but they all
indisputably sound like surf music - GREAT surf music!
I LOVE trad surf. But I want to see it continue to develop and
grow. That doesn't mean the Mermen, it doesn't necessarily mean
Slacktone or the Surf Coasters. But it does mean doing something
CREATIVE, new, different. Imagine if the Belairs said, geez, this
Mr. Moto song just doesn't sound enough like the Ventures or the
Fireballs, we better add make it fit that mold a bit more. Or if DD
never did Miserlou, cause it was just too, well, WEIRD!! All that
aggression and speed, and those strange tonalities, and that crazy
guitar tone! Nope, gotta go. Or if Eddie & the Showmen scratched
Scratch cause nobody had played lead guitar in that flashy of a
manner in surf music. Or if Randy Holden & the Fender IV dropped Mar
Gaya cause it was too relentless and disturbing. Every one of those
moments was a major step forward for surf music, and is now accepted
as a normal part of the genre. But when it was introduced, it was
strange and new. Remember that Paul Johnson had to pull his car off
the road the first time he heard Pipeline cause it was so different
and exciting!
I've recently been rifling through old posts on SG101, and I happened
across the one where I forwarded Randy Holden's email to me to the
site. I had forgotten what he said in there, so it was nice to be
reminded. It was after he received a CD or two from me where I put
the best of '90s surf music on there. His response was that judging
by those recording his opinion was that the new surf music was
considerably better than '62-'65. Though I have a huge soft spot for
the originals, and they always transport me to a that perfect place
in time that was Southern California in 1963, by any objective
measure I totally agree with him. There was much more good surf
music that has come out in the last ten years than did in the first
three years of surf music. Maybe not classic surf songs, but overall
much greater quality as a body of work (somebody find me more than
three original surf bands that have recorded as much quality material
as the Fathoms...)
So, why dismiss so many new bands that are probably trying to do the
same thing that you are doing with the Reluctant Aquanauts - try to
leave their own imprint in this historical and somewhat exclusive
line of surf musicians playing the music they dig the most? Not to
say that you've gotta like everything (I sure don't). Not all
musicians and bands are created equal - some are much better than
others. But I think you should at least give them a chance. Believe
me, I know it's expensive to try to keep up with all the surf CDs
that come out, but buying only one new surf CD from '04? Doesn't
seem right for a self-described fan of the genre. In addition, the
best way that we can increase the chances of our bands to get greater
exposure, more sales and more gigs is by supporting the CURRENT scene
as much as possible. The Space Cossacks would never have gotten
1/10th the exposure if it wasn't for bands like the Penetrators and
Satan's Pilgrims, and yes, even the Mermen, helping us out. And I
think that applies to many other great bands from the nineties.
Everybody benefitted from the great excitement and energy that
existed in the whole genre at the time.
Alright, I'm getting off my soapbox now...
> The one I did buy that was from 2004 was The Nebulas - It's
> Go Time! Which I surprisingly liked. I've been told their first
> album was slightly better, but I enjoyed this one.
They're both awesome albums. The Nebulas are truly one of the
brightest stars of the current scene. I'm working on going to see
the Surf Coasters, Slacktone and the Nebulas in Hermosa Beach on
March 5th (or whatever it is), cause that's about as good as it gets
today, I think.
However, I hope that in the next week or so I'll pipe in with a large
diatribe on Euro Surf. I think that most US fans of surf music are
really missing the boat cause IMHO some of the very best surf music
today is coming from Europe. More on that soon....
Ivan
