There are a lot of surf festivals. I try to pay attention, but it’s hard to keep track. But the biggest most significant of them in the US is the Surfguitar101 Festival. Even if it weren’t a big ol’ 3-day event with multiple groups from all around the globe, it’s at the epicenter of surf music in Southern California. Put on by Jeff “BigTikiDude” Hanson, Art Bourasseau, and (as Jeff put it) a lot of cool friends, it’s not only a fantastic opportunity to see the best surf bands in the world, but it’s a chance to meet and greet with other surf nerds.
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Hard to Fathom indeed. Even their 2007 release Fathomless felt like a gift after a 9 year gap, but 18 years later this feels much more notable, and for reasons. In 2017 there was a GoFundMe for lead guitarist Frankie Blandino. He had a case of Dupuytren’s Contracture, which causes your fingers to "claw inward", which is not ideal for a guitarist.
As was written, in 1994 Pulp Fiction was released to theaters, effectively attaching jumper cables to surf music. Not only did this give rise to countless new surf groups, but 60's acts found a new audience, which gave way to events like the one presented to us here: a recording of a 1995 gathering of surf greats at the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach in 1995, organized in part by Paul Johnson (Bel-Airs and PJ and the Galaxies). It was truly a legendary night. I was ten years old, roughly 2000 miles away, and this was roughly around when I bought my first CD, so I can't vouch for that. But today I can get a glimpse!
Magnatech is a solo project from John Verhoef that jumped out mid-pandemic with a steady stream of releases that now totals seven LPs five years on. Each release saw noticeable tweaks and tips learned along the way until he'd worked out a pretty signature sound. Perhaps in fear of painting himself into a corner, for 312 Magnatech Fans Can't Be Wrong, there's a bit of a reset on that sound, pulling the plug from the compressor in the signal chain, for a less in-your-face sound overall but perhaps a more honest and detailed guitar.
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STORM SURGE OF REVERB
is a SURF & INSTRUMENTAL ROCK & ROLL radio show on
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Storm Surge of Reverb, like surf music in general, is a money-losing endeavor.