Ý At bangSheet, thatís whatís known as an expert.

Ý It didnít take me long to confirm what I suspected: I didnít know shit about surf music. My assumption was that this genre of rock lived a short, trendy life somewhere between Frankie and Annetteís beach blanket and the Surf Punks. Now, I know enough to know that surf didnít die. As usual, mainstream America just stopped listening. But over the years, this genuinely American form of rockíníroll inspired artists who went on to define entire new genres including hot rod rock and one of my own favorites, the garage band punk of the early 1980s. Surf has evolved too. In fact, surf music disc jockey Phil Dirt scoffed when asked how many bands were still doing the surf sound. "Still doing surf? Hundreds of bands - almost as many as were active in the sixties, and a few were also there then."
Ý There are bands who remain true to the vintage sounds of its early days, and those who are pushing the music in new directions ń and getting the occasional attention of critics who usually only bother to pay attention to whatís on the radio station play lists.
Ý For myself, I have spent the past month drowning in the surf, as it were, and Iím not ready to come up for air yet. The surf artists I have corresponded with donít seem too concerned with the critics. They, like the sport their music is named after, are drawn to the music for different reasons. And the damp-electric reverberations of their creations are an infectious sound bound to infect and entice all but the driest landlubbers. As Dirt says, surf artists abound. You wonít hear them on many radio stations, but the reverb is there.

Ý As I say, I grew up riding waves. First as a punk in Florida making many sojourns to spots like Sebastian Inlet, south of Melbourne, Fla., and up to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Later in life I moved to California where I sampled waves from Baja California north to the rumbling monsters that rolled out of the chilly Pacific and crashed against rocky coastlines in Humboldt County, Calif. And along the way, I listened to music. I presumed it was surf music, since I was listening to it while going surfing. But I wasnít even close. This isnít the Beach Boys. This isnít the Surf Punks. According to Dirt, this isnít even the Ventures.
Ý If we are going to write about surf music, then letís be true to its definitions. Because this music was royally screwed by timing to enjoy but a brief stint of popularity. Now, we give it its due.
Whether you look at its past or its present, trying to force surf into some basic definitions involving style, mood and message is as dangerous as an inland surfer paddling out for a big day at Mavericks.
Ý Say surf music is about surfing, and Iíll play you the Dick Dale hit "Misirlou," a song that was a huge hit when it was released in May of 1962, and again when it brought surf back briefly to the forefront of the popular music scene when it appeared in the film "Pulp Fiction." For surf, it was the first recording that Dale used the Fender Reverb ń sort of like the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. ÝÝÝÝ The problem is, this song has nothing to do with riding waves. Itís a Greek folk song.
Ý Say surfing is about emoting the feelings of a fun, laid-back lifestyle, and Iíll play you a few cuts off the Mermenís "A Glorious Lethal Euphoria" and weíll see how laid-back you feel.
Ý Tell me surf is music written by surfers and Iíll play you one of the most famous surf songs of the early days of the genre, "Surfin Bird," by the Trashmen. Clearly, this band is recognized as one of the great instrumental surf bands of all time. Theyíre from Minneapolis, Minn. (Theyíre still at it up in the Twin Cities, playing a revival tour with some other grand 60s bands from their home town.) Rick Escobar, lead guitarist for one of the fine traditional-style surf bands, the now-defunct Woodies, can hang with anyone when it comes to reverb. But surfing? "I wouldnít know a thing about surfing if you hit me over the head with a longboard," he told me. And, of course, there is Dale himself, King of the Surf Guitar. He surfed, right? Heís pictured riding a board on his first album, "Surferís Choice." But legend has it he could barely make it up on that board, and that other surfing shots of Dale were taken in swimming pools. Of course, Dale offers a different take on all of this on his Web site, where he also takes credit for inventing surf music in the early 1950s, about a decade before anyone else thinks it began. But his music and talent speak for itself. And if he wants to take credit for inventing surfÖand nuclear fusionÖand pasteurizationÖand the ribbed condom, well, by golly thatís OK by me.
Ý But letís not get bogged down. (Yeah, imagine getting bogged down in a bangSheet article.) Weíre still trying to define surf. Some surf borrows some of these attributes. But there is only one element I can find in all surf. Thatís the reverb. The sound that is surf. From its beginnings with the Belairs and Dick Dale & his Del-Tones, to new bands like the Penetrators, Pollo Del Mar and the Slacktones, it is the reverb that is constant.
Ahhh, the reverb. Just what the hell is reverb?

- John Blair, author, The Illustrated Dscography of Surf Music

Ý Yes. Thatís it. Thanks John.
Ý OK, so the drummers, bass players and those occasional vocalists of surf bands may not be pleased to see the guitar take the bow for the sound that is surf. But itís hard to deny it when you listen. Like surf legend Nat Young out on the nose of his longboard racing the lip, a surf guitar ranges up and down the melody of any great surf song. It drives with the beat. Like a great surfer reading a wave, the surf guitarist knows the boundaries of a song. The drum and the bass lay it out, and the guitarist flirts with the edges, seeing just how far he can take it before cutting back into the heart of the song.
Ý Escobar, guitarist for the Woodies out of the Bay Area, gave me his own definition of surf. "Well I can only speak for myself but I define surf music, as a melody, no melody, then there's no tune," he wrote. "Think of any great music in any style and the melody just sits in your head for years. Other than that I say it's the delivery. In this case itís drums, bass, mostly Fender guitars and amps with a whole lotta reverb."
ÝÝ I think I understand what he is saying. Itís like surf music is what the artists do to the songs. On the Woodies CD, "Swimmin in the Reverb," (still available through POP Records ) Rick and his talented team produce a driving album, rich in an experimentation of sounds.
Ý "Our goal for that band was to have fun and be true to the original 60's style with some added punch to it," Escobar said. "We just took it as a challenge for ourselves to attempt to recreate the early surf sound."
Ý You hear elements of everything from Flamenco guitar on songs like "Spanish Word," to the Eastern pulsations of Indian music on songs like "The Swami." But the constant is the reverb dancing its way across each song. (Escobar, by the way, is now working on a CD drawing from country, surf, jazz, blues and the kitchen sink ń with, of course, the required reverb ń and weíll be looking for it here at bangSheet in about a year.)
Ý Allen Whitman, bassist for the Mermen boils it down even further.
Ý "Surf music can be defined as a specific genre involving straight 4/4 beats, simple chord structures that augment a (hopefully) memorable electric guitar melody that has reverb," he said.ÝÝÝÝ "Anyone can write or play it."
Ý Letís not try to get too analytical with surf, because the bottom line is this stuff is just a full-tilt blast to listen to. The songs are mostly minus vocals, and high on energy. And that is what helped surf catch on in its early days.
Ý Phil Dirt has written the Old Testament and the New Testament of surf. According to the Book of Dirt, surf got its start from the sounds of the great rockers and guitarists of the infancy of rock in the 1950s. Artists like Link Wray, Duane Eddy, Chet Atkins and Les Paul are credited by Dirt as planting the seed for surf.
Ý OK. You know what? Fuck this. All Iím doing here is ripping off Dirt. Heís written all about this, and all Iíll do at this point is filter it and make it less accurate. Especially since I havenít heard half the shit heís talking about. So do this. Go read his pageÖIíll wait.ÝÝÝ Go read it. NOW! Ý

Ý There. Thatís much better.
Ý Now, after 7,000 words, you know that surf was inspired by the early masters of rock. Now you know that surf itself spawned many other spinoff forms of music.
Ý And you know that the earliest pioneers of the surf sound were about trying to see what sounds they could create with the new toys that had been invented. The reverb discovery was sort of likeÝ "Wow, check out what this will do." Itís to their credit that these artists took it well beyond that, inspired by musicians from other forms of rock. Dale was, for example, tuned into Hank Williams, who, like Dale, played his guitar left-handed and upside down. These early masters of reverb took music from across the world and said, "Hey, look at what I can do to this." In the process, a new sound emerged.
Ý But it was a sound that struggled to maintain its definition. For purists, surf got lost in the beach blanket bullshit of Frankie and Annette. Much of the stuff that came out of that era would not be considered surf by Dirt ń he isnít even willing to add the Beach Boys to the list of surf bands.
Ý Todayís surf musicians arenít so hard on the beach party era. Both Escobar and Whitman told me they loved the old Beach Boys tunes.
Ý "I think surf did help expose kids of the 60's to Rock and Roll," Escobar said. "A billion bad beach movies and some fine music came out of that time period. It lacked lyrics but wasn't a threat to freaked out parents."
Ý But surf is like that bright kid with the wonderful future who died too young. And if you need another reason to hate mainstream rock, Iíll give you one. It killed surf. To be specific, the British invasion killed it.
Ý

- Phil Dirt

Ý For a few brief moments, surf was still king. In fact, the Rolling Stones actually opened for the Trashmen. And I suppose if you want to talk childish sappy vocals, itís hard to get worse than the Trashmenís "Surfiní Bird."
Ý

"Well everybodyís heard about the bird. /Ý Well a bird, bird, bird, bird is a word." (repeat this mantra about 20 times before transition into "Pappa ooo mow mow pappa oo mow mowÖ" You get the point.)

Ý There have been a few brief bursts back into the popular scene, once in the early 1980s and again with the brief attention from "Pulp Fiction." But mainstream America has never been much of a way to judge whatís worth hearing anyways.
Ý Today, surf music is strong on the West Coast, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, but in your town itís likely you wonít be able to hear much reverb on the local radio station. That doesnít mean the surf isnít out there. From Cleveland, Ohio, to Alabama and Texas, the surf sound is alive. And that may be the saving grace of todayís music scene. So many people are becoming so disgusted with the mainstream that theyíre seeking out the nooks and crannies for new sounds and in the process rediscovering some old ones.
Ý Donít presume that todayís surf is just a nostalgic rehashing of the sound created years ago. Like any genre, surf has evolved, as each band takes it in a different direction.
Ý Again, Escobar, from The Woodies: "My attraction to surf is its unique sound created by healthy dose of reverb. As far as genres I don't think it's much different than playing bluegrass, Texas swing or any other style that's not in the mainstream anymore. But it all is still cool nonetheless."
Ý I wish I had a few more months and a few hundred dollars to buy old stuff and learn more about both the early days and the new sounds.
Ý Surfers often have what they call secret spots. They are places only they know about, where the waves break perfectly when the wind is right and the swell is running. And they will go there, hide their cars and paddle out to savor a few perfect waves all to themselves. I can give you a map to a really choice spot up in Humboldt County if you mail me $10 or a new surf CD. Because unlike surf music, I have no soul. (Thatís my conclusion you rat bastards. Did you like it?)

Ý