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don't believe Blue StingRaye is a member here
so I am taking the liberty of re-posting her review of the amazing
SURF-ROCK SHINDIG at OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD Feb 4th for all to see
Unsteady Freddie (thx to everyone who made it such a great night)
Last Saturday's Surf Shindig (www.catch-the-waves.com) was probably
one of the best yet for a variety of reasons. First of all, this was
the first time all four bands had played as part of an Unsteady
Freddie Surf Shindig at Otto's. Several of the bands traveled quite
far, The Clams from upper CT, The Mofos from Ithaca, and the East
Coast Tremors all the way from Cape Cod, MA. Thanks goodness we had
locals, The Outpatients, to represent our hometown of New York!
For many in the audience this was the first time we had heard one or
more of the bands. But best of all was the fact that this was the
most professional and organized Surf Shindig yet. Freddie & Otto's
really have this down to a science and it showed.
The Outpatients (www.theoutpatientsband.com ) stepped on stage right
around 10 p.m. and kicked surf-butt with a very well put together set
of all instro classics. They filled the back room of Otto's with a
truckload of twang and reverb. The ability that these gentlemen play
with is a tribute to the bands that they cover and their tunes, such
as Link Wray's Slinky, the SCOTS' Skullbucket and the very bluesy
music of Fred E. King. Exotica, blues, western, swing, surf and all
wrapped in reverb. My only complaint is that the set was too short,
but it was time to make room for The Clams.
And The Clams (www.geocities.com/wedontsing/) need lots of room as
they are a FIVE-piece bucket jam packed with Jimbo, Brain, Dano,
Magic Wanda & Oceana. You gotta love the Clamdiggers in matching
white boots & ocean-view dresses. They are classic & classy. The
Clams opened with Wipeout, which is all it took to bring the folks in
from the bar. The room quickly became filled with folks dancing in
the aisle to My Favorite Martian and Jimbo bouncing bass in Clam
Nebula. My favorite tune of the set and the night is the Calms
version of Telstar, which starts out sweet & dreamy, but the pace
picks up as does Dan-o's playing. The set closed with Miserlou, which
Tricia Tarantino promptly dubbed the NESMA national anthem. I must
agree!
I wasn't prepared at all for what happened next. The Mofos
(www.mofosonline.com) happened, that's the best way to put it. I
should have known when I saw the Marshall stack belonging to the bass
player Eric that we were in for a wild ride. The crowd was packed,
not even breathing room and inches from the stage. I had never seen
the Mofos before. They play all instro with accompaniment by a
interpretive and talented go go dancer named Maria. Gary's powerful,
metal-like lead guitar playing drives the audience to the edge of a
cliff and dares them to jump. It was a mix of Sabbath, Zeppelin, and
surf. And Matt never missed a beat on the house kit. When their set
was over I think the whole room felt as if they had run a marathon,
so it was off to the bar for refreshments while we waited for the
last band, The East Coast Tremors.
The East Coast Tremors (www.eastcoasttremors.com) are a talented and
generous band. I don't ever recall a band offering to give their CD
away to an entire audience before, but that's what the ECT did at the
end of their set on Saturday night. (Actually, I am listening to it
right now.) The ECT line up - Dave: rhythm & lead; Jared: also rhythm
& lead; Jeff: bass; and Lee: drums. There is a 5th ECT who couldn't
make it, Chris: organ & percussion. But if you were lucky & smart
enough to stay for the last band you are probably listening to them
right now too. The ECT is a clean sounding trad surf band with two
lead & rhythm guitarists that play off one another and routinely
change places, even during the songs. They are a finely-tuned surf
machine. The music ranged from the latin-lovely Chupa Cabra to gypsy-
ethno surf. However, it was all hard-hitting without being skull-
splitting. Pity they hail from Cape Cod. I guess we all better take a
road trip to see them, like they just did for us. (Think I'll play
the CD again!).
Well, this brings me to the end of the Unsteady Freddie Surf Shindig
Numero Dos. I eagerly await the rest of the year. Te amo my amigos &
amigas. Hasta Luego!
