I recently attended the 3- day Surf Guitar 101 festival in Long Beach. A zillion surf (and related) music bands, many new to me. My brain melted in the reverb! While all the groups were generally excellent, there were a couple special moments for me.
First was the reunion of the Aqua Velvets specifically for this festival. The band has been around since the mid 1990s, playing their special surf influenced intro music. Guitar Noir is my favorite release by this group. Throughout their set, it was clear that the band has lost nothing over the decades, a fun set and well received.
While surf music is alive and well, there certainly is a strong retro element to the scene. This was reflected by the addition of other events that accompanied the music acts. We had go-go dancers, a vintage swimsuit contest. and some great restored vehicles.
Here's last year's vintage swinsuit winner in a pose for the cover of Vintage Truck Magazine...
The highlight of the festival was the return to the US of the Surf Coasters from Japan. I've seen these guys a number other times over the decades (they've been together 30 years). They are simply the best surf band I've ever heard... incredible musicianship! The punk buzz and spiked hair have given way to grey, but the band can still play!
The guitarist, Shigeo Naka, is amazing, the technical ability, the dynamism... the best!
Thankfully lots of folks were recording, audio and video. My own recording of the Surf Coasters will soon be up on my bandcamp page. There's lots of video on this YouTube page.
Can't wait for next summer!
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