3.02.2010

Surf Rock Sucks!!!

Remember when Swing music got cool again in the 90's? Cherry Poppin Daddys were on the radio all day and your sister was taking swing dancing lessons. It was fun for a little while and then you never wanted to hear that shit again.

I fear we as a surf community have adopted a trend very similar into our music scene. It started with the acoustic, Jack Johnson, type of sound. Which was not bad at first. Then everyone with a surfboard and a acoustic guitar started to churn out doodoo music. In a retaliation against this we decided to go the opposite direction and start straight up copying 1960's garage rock. And of course, it sounds like shit. Don't get me wrong, its catchy music. There is a reason it is a trend. it is mildly appealing until you hear it a few more times. The Velvet Underground did it back in the day and it sounded great. It was new and challenging music. This new surf related garage pop is bullshit.
There has got to be some surfers out there that can make something we can be proud of. Maybe not. I honestly have not seen anything of that much importance come out of the surf music scene since Dick Dale. Now that was some badass surf rock.

If you don't believe me then watch this music video. If this does not prove my point then nothing will. Surfing is great, but it's music is a kook.

28 comments:

A. Swanson said...

hahaha where have you been all this time?

Nigel S. Peppercock said...

I wish JFA was around to kick people in the nuts, then steal their girlfriends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdMTybElVgk

Danimal said...

For a while there was this straight edge hardcore surf band called "Head High."

I'll do some interweb surfing to see if I can dig something up. They had songs about offshore winds and deep tubes.

Anonymous said...

YESS!!!!! MASSA TOM YEEEESSSSSSSS!!!

Nigel S. Peppercock said...

SUBLIME

Anonymous said...

Trashmen and the Cramps kicked arse.

all modern music sucks, no matter who's makin it.

Jack Johnson and Eddie Vedder: proof that surfing and musical ability are mutually exclusive.

ion dissonance said...

can't watch that video for the same reason I can't watch American Idol. I don't like to feel uncomfortable for other people.

snoogins said...

i'm glad the 90's swing trend came back long enough for the movie swingers to be made though, shits funny

TJ Ridings said...

40 oz. to Freedom is the shit.

Anonymous said...

I submit the Surf Punks as an exception to the rule. So bad it's good.

ras said...

sublime -but dammit if there aren't a shitload of sublime sound-a-likes now

TJ Ridings said...

that is the problem ras. originality.

Anonymous said...

The V-Guns had a song called PUNCHOUT AT BOLSA. and another called BEACH BLANKET MASSACRE.

They were so awesome

mimicool said...

truth. been thinking about this so much lately. surfers really need to step up to the plate and make some non-shitty non-boring music. if its even possible. i saw japanese motors open up for modest mouse and they were boring as hell. alex knost seems so forced sometimes. plenty of good bands happen to have surfers in them. but not enough surfers happen to be in good bands. whats the deal?

lil Joe said...

LONG LIVE THE V-GUNS

vacuumthevoid said...

I want to hear some Peter King and "The Surfers" (with Machado and Slater) ppffffffhahahaha.

vacuumthevoid said...

or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXHYFLmNCtc

Anonymous said...

really makes you wonder how machado has gotten away with doing such totally lame shit. i think the drifter was the nail in his coffin.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ion dissonance said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ion dissonance said...

the pitfall of these types of posts is that we get morons like beetlejuice commenting.

Anonymous said...

Just fuck any conflation of surfing and music. There are no good examples. The Cramps are from New York. Lux Interior was not a surfer, which is why he made sweet surfy music. Surf music should be recognized as having nothing to do with surfing. Jan & Dean sold millions of records to the Inland Empire. They weren't surfers, they were rockstars. And Jim Belushi's movie-star blues rock band sucks balls. Black Francis used the surf music more as a conceit than statement about boards & bitches. Alex Knost should fuck a gidget and keep hanging ten. And Andrew needs to stop drumming for them. Shit is getting fucked. Just check out Surfer Blood. They're not even surfers.

TJ Ridings said...

right on anonymous dude. I'm glad you brought up surfer blood. there are many other ocean/surf related bands popping up. Wavves and Best Coast are other good examples. Pitchfork.com sucks their dicks all day long. They play low-fi, stoner, indie shit. It has nothing to do with surfing and guess what? It is some bullshit dogdoo music. There is no substance to it. I hear what is appealing about it, but then it goes no where fast.

snoogins said...

i have a soft spot for best coast, saw them the other day and really enjoyed it. enough to pick up three of their 7s too (at only 5 bones why not). i like em on a nice sunny drive to the beach if i don't feel like listening to minutemen or ccr haha

TJ Ridings said...

more power to you snoogs. A lot of folks like them right now. Stick to Minutemen and CCR. They are proven bands. I just don't think Best Coast is gonna make the cut.

Anonymous said...

fvck that! we live in a fvcked up world where "Dude! I've got my cool surfer hat, surfer tennies, surfer shirt, surfer car, i listen to surfer music"..... blah blah blah. listen to what you want, wear what you want, surf what you want and leave the lemming shit to the fvcking lemmings! quit trying to impress folks with your fvcked up pretender surfer shit! just sayin'

soulglider

Anonymous said...

check out good music at:

sethpettersen.blogspot.com

TJ Ridings said...

good music my ass. fuck whoever put the automatic music player all the way at the bottom of the page. forcing people to listen to music and then hiding the player is pretty shady.