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Thanks Ferenc!
I got this a few days ago but didn't get around to watching it until today.
It really is amazing. This was taped on August 6th, 2004, so it's a few
months after their triumphant first US tour. The sound, editing, and video
quality are excellent. The band's performance, of course, is simply
stunning. I still cannot believe, even after seeing them in person at two of
the US gigs, how good these guys are. There is just three of them, and they
put out this wall of sound. Shigeo is a first class guitar shredder, it's
hard to believe he is in the surf genre. Here are a couple of random
observations:
They still play matching guitars, this time Sherwood green Jazz Bass and
Strat. But the Strat is heavily modded: Jazzmaster tailpiece and trem and
only 2 pickups (black) (the middle one has been removed). I think I spotted
a white reverb unit off to the side. Shigeo was playing through a blonde
Fender amp; I think it was a custom shop Vibro-King; see
I'm curious about why most of the titles on the DVD and songs are listed in
English. Some Japanese credits appear at the end of the DVD. There is some
stage banter here and there, too bad it wasn't subtitled. Amidst the
Japanese stage banter, you can clearly hear Shigeo say "No Problem" at one
point. I'm curious if English slang has crept into their language. (It's
also quite odd to hear Shigeo speak at all, since he was silent during the
two gigs, letting the drummer do most of the crowd interaction).
Joining them on stage for "Black Sand Beach" are several female dancers, it
was quite a riot. In the credits we learn the girls all had the last name
"Fembot". Ha-ha.
The crowd is going totally freaking nuts the whole time! Whenever Shigeo or
the bass player got close to the stage, hands reached up and grabbed their
legs, pulling them in, and getting dangerously close to you know what. Whoa!
And again, not only do these guys play very well, they've got a great stage
presence, and are quite visibly having the time of their lives. This was
fully evident last spring. Again, lots of smiles and jumping around. Just
really fun to watch. We were cracking up the whole time we were watching it.
Finally there is a bonus video montage at the end of the DVD. They play
"Shark Man" while showing footage from their US tour. Included in the
footage is shots from the Brookdale Lodge and Old Ironsides (Sacramento)
shows that we went to. These shots go by super fast, but if you slow-mo them
on the DVD you can see in the crowd: me and my wife, Tsunami Tom, Trode,
Baja Marty, Mel Waldorf, Ferenc, Andy & crew from the Hypnotic IV, Ran &
Dale, Jeff 'Bigtikidude' playing bass, and that crazy Japanese chick who
travelled all the way from Japan to see them (!!). Wow, such great memories!
I don't think it's a secret, but I hear that they will be back on a West
Coast tour in March 2005. Strangely enough, this is coinciding with the
Nebulas potential West Coast tour......the possibilities boggle the mind.
Plus I hear Ran's new band The Sand Devils may get to open a show. Sounds
like another trip in the works for us!
BN
