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Here is the article, for what it is worth....
Posted on Fri, Mar. 11, 2005
Surf samurais
SURF COASTERS, FROM JAPAN, RIVAL THE VENTURES, DICK
DALE AMONG GENRE'S TOP BANDS OF ALL TIME
By Jim Harrington
Special to the Mercury News
Imagine a Mexican zydeco band playing in New Orleans
or an Ohio-based Cuban jazz ensemble performing in
Havana.
Shigeo Naka found himself in a similar situation when
he led Japan's Surf Coasters on their first trip to
California in 2004. The thought of touring the
birthplace of surf rock was both exciting and
intimidating for this 35-year-old guitarist, who has
drawn numerous comparisons to the great Dick Dale.
Luckily, the reaction from fans, especially in the Bay
Area, was so favorable that Naka is bringing his
surf-rock outfit back for a larger West Coast tour
that includes a performance on Sunday at
the Blank Club.
``Last year, we were wondering whether American people
would welcome us or not,'' Naka said from Japan in a
recent e-mail exchange. ``But now we don't have any
worries. On this tour, we
are visiting Seattle, the home of the Ventures. We are
looking forward to playing there.''
Although surf rock was born on the sunny beaches of
Southern California in the late '50s and nurtured in
other port cities such as Santa Cruz and Seattle in
the early '60s, the genre quickly spread
from the land of ``Fun, Fun, Fun'' to the Land of the
Rising Sun.
Japanese kids immediately embraced both strains of
surf music -- the soaring vocal harmonies of Jan and
Dean and the Beach Boys and the roaring instrumentals
of Dale and the Ventures. Yet,
it was the instrumental side which, at its best,
delivered the sonic equivalent of riding the ``perfect
wave,'' that has had the longest-lasting impact on
Japan's music scene.
Ever since Colorado's landlocked Astronauts scored a
major hit across the Pacific with ``Movin' '' back in
1964, Japan has arguably been instrumental surf rock's
second home. Old-school bands
such as the Ventures have remained popular there,
while a whole new crop of homegrown acts has risen
over the past 11 years to help introduce the music to
new generations of listeners.
Without a doubt, the Big Kahuna in the crowd is the
Surf Coasters.
``The Surf Coasters are one of the best bands on the
planet,'' says Ferenc Dobronyi, guitarist for the Bay
Area surf-rock band Pollo Del Mar. ``They have the
technical skills, the fun, the songs
and can carry the whole thing off live. I have seen
hundreds of surf bands since I became a fan of the
music 20 years ago, but when I saw them playing in a
Tokyo club in 2003, I knew I had
seen the best.''
The Surf Coasters' journey to stardom began like Clay
Aiken's. Within months of forming in early 1994, the
band auditioned for a spot on a ``Star Search''-type
TV show called ``Ebisu-Onsen.''
The timing was right: Quentin Tarantino's ``Pulp
Fiction'' had recently sparked a worldwide surf-rock
revival. So was the band's choice of material, a cover
of the ``Pulp Fiction'' theme ``Miserlou.''
The Surf Coasters got on the TV show and, like Aiken,
placed second but won the hearts of millions of
listeners. The TV exposure quickly translated into a
record contract and served as a
launching pad for the debut CD, ``Surf Panic '95.''
Since that time, the trio has released 19 records,
including the newly available ``Samurai Struck,'' and
has established itself as the wave rider
to beat in Japan.
The next step is to try to win over American surf-rock
fans with its exuberant show and the excellent new
album, which is available at independent stores such
as Streetlight Records in San Jose.
(The band will perform a free afternoon show at
Streetlight on Sunday.)
``We started to record'' the new album ``after we
decided to do a USA tour,'' Naka says. ``This album is
for American audiences. Our first priority with this
album was to record songs that we
play in the USA.''
The songs show a band that isn't afraid to push the
boundaries of surf rock. Over the course of 20 albums,
Naka's compositions have broadened the early SoCal
sound to include bits of early
punk, blues rock, electronic music and even some heavy
metal.
``Our style is not typical surf-rock band style,''
Naka says. ``It's maybe a mixture of surf rock and
alternative.''
Over the years, the one constant has been Naka's
explosive guitar work. ``Shigeo Naka is a guitar
player on the level of Joe Satriani,'' says Dobronyi,
who is no slouch himself on a six-string.
The greatest compliment Naka has received came from
his biggest influence -- Dick Dale, the guitarist
whose reef-shattering version of ``Miserlou'' stands
as the ultimate surf-rock anthem. In
1995, Dale made his first trip to Japan and was
greeted like a messiah by fans. The Surf Coasters were
the natural choice for an opening act, and the band
made the most of the opportunity.
``The King of Surf Guitar'' was so taken by what he
heard that he pronounced Naka to be ``The Prince of
Surf Guitar.''
The trio found another champion in DJ Phil Dirt, who
broadcasts from the KFJC-FM (89.7) studio on the
Foothill College campus. Since 1996, he has
consistently spun the Surf Coasters' discs. He
also hosted the band on-air last year, and the Surf
Coasters will again perform live on KFJC at 6 p.m.
Saturday.
``Their level of musicianship was more than I dreamed,
really top notch,'' Dirt is quoted as saying of that
2004 performance in the liner notes of ``Samurai
Struck.'' ``I can't wait for their return
this year.''
The Surf CoastersWith Pollo Del Mar
and Surf Cinema
The Blank Club, 44 Almaden Ave., San Jose Where
7:30 p.m. Sunday When
$10 Tickets
(408) 292-5265, or see Call www.theblankclub.com
6 p.m. Saturday on KFJC-FM (89.7); and 3 p.m. Sunday
Streetlight Records, 980 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose,
free, (888) 330-7776 Also
© 2005 MercuryNews.com and wire service sources. All
Rights Reserved.
2005/03/12 11:38 Surf samurais
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