The real surfing music is instrumental
– Dick Dale
Surf Rock, maybe more than any other genre of music had a uniquely American start. In Orange County, California to be exact. And it was started by one man. Dick Dale. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But close by and hot on his heels over in South Bay were the Bel-Airs, and their classic Mr. Moto. It wasn’t long however before there were dozens of surf bands popping up all over the place. And you didn’t need to be by the ocean to get away with it either. Consider The Trashmen from Minneapolis, active from 1962 to 2016… Lance over at Surfmusic.com maintains a list of surf bands both retired and existing that has over 2,000 entries worldwide.
The hallmark of the sound is wet, ‘drippy’ guitar work characterized by plenty of reverb, meant to imitate the sound of waves. From a technical standpoint this reverb was accomplished either by an outboard reverb unit, or eventually by circuitry built into the amplifier. Guitars and amps of choice invariably being Fender.
Rapid picking is another distinctive element of surf music. You just need to see someone like Dick Dale play to see what I am talking about.
There are two distinct types of surf music, and actually the purists will tell you there is really only one. You see, surf music started as instrumental only. An extension of some of the already popular music of the day being made by Link Wray, Duane Eddy, and others. Instrumental only is considered by many to be the one and true type.
The other type popularized by bands like The Beach Boys had vocals. Although The Beach Boys; at least Brian Wilson, didn’t characterize their music as Surf, but rather (self importantly) as The Beach Boys Sound. Dale himself thought of surf music being instrumental, but that didn’t stop him from recording vocal tunes.
There’s only so much a person can write about any type of music, and surf music is no exception. At some point one just has to go and listen to it live. This is just what I did the other day. Yes, here it is 2023 and you can go and hear new surf music. So if you have the opportunity, do yourself a favour, and go see the Surfajettes. (Not to be confused with the Surfajets from Vancouver)
The Surfrajettes are a four-piece outfit from Toronto. Comprised of guitarists Shermy Freeman and Nicole Damoff, bassist Sarah Butler, and drummer Samantha Maloney. They have been together since 2015, and not only do they look the part with their mini-skirts, sky-high beehives, and go-go boots, they play the part as well.
Their debut 45 single “Party Line / Toxic” was released in 2018 on Hi-Tide Recordings, followed up by Hale’iwa Hustle / Banzai Pipeline” in 2020
2020 and most of 2021 was spent writing and recording their first LP “Roller Fink” which was released worldwide April 22, 2022 from Hi-Tide Recordings / Virgin Music.
We saw them playing as the opening act for The Reverend Horton Heat. Really tight band. Super precision bass playing and maniacal drumming were the perfect back drop for the two surf guitars. They played for about 40 minutes to a very enthusiastic and appreciative crowd. If you like surf rock (and who doesn’t) then it will be worth your while to check these great musicians out.
If you can’t get to a gig to listen to live surf music then the internet is gonna be your friend. Check out the aforementioned Surfmusic.com where you can get an extensive list of FM radio stations, Internet radio stations, and podcasts that cater to surf music. Spotify also has some great surf content.
Down in Doheny where the surfers all go
There’s a big beach blondie, named Surfer Joe
He’s got a green surfboard and a Woody to match
And when he’s ridin’ the freeway’s,
Man, is he hard to catch
Surfer Joe
Now, look at him go-o-o-o-o-o
Surfer, Surfer, Surfer Joe-o-o
Go man go-o-o
Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, Surfer Joe
He went down to Huntington Beach one week
For the annual surfer’s convention meet
Hangin’ five and walkin’ the nose
And when the meet was over
The trophy was Joe’s
Surfer Joe
Now, look at him go-o-o-o-o-o
Surfer, Surfer, Surfer Joe-o-o
Go man go-o-o
Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, Surfer Joe
Okay let’s go!
Surfer Joe joined Uncle Sam’s Marines today
They stationed him at Pendleton, not far away
They cut off his big blonde locks, I’m told
And when he went on maneuvers, Joe caught cold
Surfer Joe
Now, look at him go-o-o-o-o-o
Surfer, Surfer, Surfer Joe-o-o
Go man go-o-o
Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, Surfer Joe
Ah, ah, oh – ah, ah, oh – ah, ah, oh
Poor Joe!
– Ron Wilson