From Surf Rock to Beach Goth (Weeks 8 and 9)

Instead of tackling the reading assigned for these two weeks I have decided to do a bit of a surf music history from the 50's to today. This is not an in-depth history, Crowley's Surf Beat is the go-to in that department, instead I am encompassing some bands/artists that flew under the radar during this time we've been covering music. Now, not all of these artists are what "we" would consider surf, most just take the elements surf rock brought to music (three-chord structure, reverb, "hazy" and "wave-like" guitar structures, and songs about the ocean). Hopefully you enjoy: (And count this as a blog post...)

The 1950's...in Technicolor.

Now the 50's is a weird time to cover as just about all of Crowley's book analyzed music in this decade, so here are some tunes that may have not gotten recognition.

Roy Orbison:

Roy Orbison's saddened croon seems as far from surf music as one can get, but the intricate-yet-simplistic guitar chords are staples of surf music. The Western-motif, made famous by Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, rooted itself in the surf-scene of this time period. Orbison's sad song about a heartbreak, not brought on by the ocean, definitely had a place on the radios of many surfers.

Buddy Holly:

Much like Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly's Western ballads utilized the same structures surf rock songs would later mimic. Holly however, really loved to take his guitar tone to whole new heights with his very intricate guitar solos and use of reverb. Now, if you asked Mr. Holly if he was a surf rocker he'd probably laugh and adjust his glasses. In this instance though, maybe today is "the Day" he rode the waves.

The 1960's... man, haha.

The hippy and drug culture of the 1960's definitely had an effect on surf music, and it shows in the psychedelic effects used. With the sheer amount of bands formed during this time I will try to keep it limited to about two very important selections. Notably, one song from the Los Angeles area and one song from the Bay Area; two very important spots for both music and surf culture.

The Doors

Now to even try and summarize the impact The Doors had on music is a travesty but in the world of surf music, The Doors did...well little to nothing. The Doors is an LA band making what at the time was considered experimental psychedelic rock but to a Los Angeles surfer, this band was everything. Morrison's sultry voice cascading through the harsh drums and high-pitched synths, paralleled a surfer gliding through wave after wave. (A bit of a stretch I know, but hey The Doors are great).

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead, a band almost synonymous with hippies and San Francisco. It is of no surprise I would add them to a growing list of bands that have nothing to do with surf music but everything to do with surf culture. As much as many surfers would hate to admit, drug culture and surf culture meet at many points, and the Dead is definitely one of them. From a Woodstock head to a Malibu Beach surf bum, The Grateful Dead had an impact. Whether or not said Head or said surf bum decided to take copious amounts of LSD in an effort to "open their doors of perception" (Huxley's Doors of Perception) remains to be seen.

The 1970's...in 3-D!!!!!

I could write multiple blog posts on the 1970's alone but to make this as short as possible I'll stick to one punk song, one two-tone ska song, and...well another punk song.

The Specials

So, ska. It could take me a full-length paper to give the entire back story to ska and rocksteady so instead I'll give a brief over view: Englishmen in the Caribbean discovered reggae and ska (most notably the upstroke guitar) and brought it back to the main land only for young punk kids to start incorporating it into their young punk music. The Specials are what we consider seoncd-wave ska, or two-tone ska. Many young skinheads (ska skinheads not Nazi skinheads, very important difference) did not surf but once ska and reggae hit the United States, every surfer from Virginia Beach to Pleasure Point owned at least some piece of Rastafarian memorabilia.

The Undertones

Oh, The Undertones, John Peel's favorite band. (John Peel was a famous DJ that was at the forefront of music in England, he loved this song so much he had the lyrics engraved on his tombstone.) The god-awful One Direction cover aside, "Teenage Kicks" is one of the seminal punk rock/teenage angst anthems in all of music. Whether or not this song was exactly played by surfers is hard to tell, but the amount of airplay it got on college radio stations across the states gives me hope that at least one surfer hummed "Teenage dreams, so hard to beat" as he waited for a wave.

The Misfits

More in line with hot rod/psychobilly culture, The Misfits took punk in a weird Alice Cooper-inspired direction in the late 70's. This song specifically, mimics the grumbling sound of a swell before it breaks, much like the surf rock songs of the 50's. Not to mention the fact that Glenn Danzig's shouts practically embody the masculinity surfers shared.

The 1980's...now in NEON.

Another decade that provided multiple books-worth of music history, so for this decade I'll try and limit myself to some more punk rock and second-wave ska. The 80's also gave rise to both the hardcore punk movement and skate culture, both of which I focus more on here. Surfing and skate culture however, share a lot of the same space in terms of societal impact and the art surrounding them.

Black Flag

One of the kings of the hardcore punk scene, LA's Black Flag handmade angry songs for angry teenagers...and it is beautiful. With skateboarding and punk rock intertwined at a double-helix DNA level, it makes sense that most of Black Flag's songs consisted of three main topics: 1. Doing dumb things with friends, 2. Hating the cops, 3. Booze and Girls. Really though, what else is there to life? Black Flag made their mark on so many countercultures that is hard to even attach them to any one subculture, but for my own sake, I make the claim Black Flag was a band loved by surfers; LA surfers at least.

Operation Ivy

Berkley's own Operation Ivy embodied the skacore (ska + hardcore) movement that California helped create. Skacore, a blend of ska elements with the hardcore punk ethos took over Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and Orange County during the mid to late 1980's. Operation Ivy's loud and fast ska especially took the punk and surf scenes by storm (no pun intended). This mixture of subcultures started a chain reaction that would follow both punk and surf to today.

The Gun Club

Smell that? That faint smell of whiskey, cigarettes, and gasoline? That's The Gun Club. The Gun Club makes Western blues inspired punk rock that rules. Thankfully, their Los Angeles origins made them pretty popular with surfers. Now this comes from my great-uncle Lolo who spent from about '81 to '89 at the beach (I kid you not). Unfortunately, The Gun Club's take on blues and black culture did not make them all that popular after a debut LP.

The Dead Milkmen

Okay this one is for me, I'll admit it. The Dead Milkmen's send-up of surf and beach music is something that is crucial in understanding the difference between "beach" and "surf" music. The "beach" is a place, a setting for songs about drugs, girlfriends, self-hatred, boredom, being a teenager etc. "Surf" is a style of music, and a genre in its own right. Distinction made? Cool, let's get weird in the next two decades.

The 1990's...sponsored by Windows 95.

The 1990's took the chains off music and let musicians basically do whatever they felt like doing. From the rise of rave music to the explosion of hip-hop, the 90's flipped music upside down and inside out. For surfers however, punk rock and ska stayed the same...sort of. The 90's is known as the time when punk rock became pop punk and ska became well whatever the f*** Reel Big Fish is.

Reel Big Fish

This is here just to stay in-tune with this whole "history" thing, don't listen to Reel Big Fish. The 80's late-night comedy take on ska music is kind of lame and genuinely boring, to me anyway. Yet, seeing how this is my blog post, I can say controversial statements like, "Reel Big Fish sucks" with no real consequences.

NOFX

Thanks to Lost, NOFX became very closely tied to surf music of the 90's. Providing the songs for most Lost videos, NOFX crafted a fast-yet-pop inspired sound that "pop punk" would adopt in the following decade...and people loved it. Look up NOFX at Bizarre Fest to get a  better understanding of what I mean, few "punk" bands could fill a stage that big.

The 2000's...in Hi-Definition. 

The 2000's, ah the lovely millennium that I am so grateful to have ascribed to my generation. In the interest of time and space I am going to connect the 2000's and the early 2010's, because why not? I am going to return to that surf vs beach thing I talked about in the 80's here, so get excited. Seriously. Please?

Modest Mouse

Now before you ask, "Modest Mouse? And you didn't insert Float On? WTF?", I'll answer, "Float On kinda sucks". Now I'm a Modest Mouse snob, I'll admit it, but Float On is not a great enough testament to the great work they have released over the past two decades. "A Different City" the song I have here is a great example of  early 00 Modest Mouse that isn't just a Lonesome Crowded West (their 1997 album) B-Side. It has everything a young Millennial surfer would want: loud, fast drum patterns, a reverb and effect laden lead guitar, and half-spoken/half-shout vocals. It really is a dream come true.

Neutral Milk Hotel

Okay I know you are about to say, "Aeroplane came out in '98 dude, what a poser", but bear with me here. Neutral Milk Hotel had a huge popularity in the early 00's and especially in the more culturally hip surf and skate crowds that had gotten even bigger since '98. Jeff Mangum's love-sick songs about well love, made perfect beach jams for both the young hipster and the 20 something surfer.

Double Shot of Expresso: The Postal Service and Streetlight Manifesto

So you may be wondering, "Gabe why would you post the same song by two different bands?" Well, inquiring mind, Such Great Heights by The Postal Service is adored by surf companies and surf videographers alike and Such Great Heights (cover) by Streetlight Manifesto is loved by surfers and skate kids alike. Two sides of the same indie rock coin.

Passion Pit

When Passion Pit's synth pop single "Sleepyhead" took off, EVERYONE wanted to use it in their latest creative project. Surf videos, skate videos, beach videos, videos of friends, graduation videos, hell a DVD of a wedding with this song in the background exists somewhere. Passion Pit is a band that buzz blogs love alongside huge radio stations like KEXP or KCRW.

(Now for some cool stuff)

Thee Oh Sees

Thee Oh Sees rule, and we obey. John Dwyer's garage rock band has consistently put out records and tour since the mid 2000's after his old band, the Coachwhips (which you should listen to here) disbanded. Fusing old school surf rock guitar with garage and punk elements, Thee Oh Sees ignited the San Francisco garage renaissance that is happening right now. Other notable bands in this scene: Ty Segall Band , Mikal Cronin , and Fuzz (which is Ty Segall in another band, seriously he is in a ton of bands: Ty Segall Band, Ty Segall (solo), Ty Segall and White Fence).

Wavves

Wavves, aka Nathan Williams, is the poster child for the "beach rock" scene that has rooted itself in Los Angeles over the past couple of years. The first video is Wavves first release, Wavvves, which Williams recorded on his laptop (hence the lo-fi aesthetic) and the second is off of Everything Sux, an EP Wavves released in 2011. Both songs are an example of the "beach" genre of music that I described earlier. Instead of focusing on the surf the "beach" is a setting for songs about anything.

Best Coast

Best Coast, much like Wavves (both lead singers are dating if you would believe it), embody the "beach" genre of music. Like the Wavves post, the first video is off of Best Coast's early demos and the latter is off of their first full-length album. Best Coast, unlike Wavves, takes on the more sunny and pop side of surf music with girl-group like harmonies and easy-going lyrics about weed and cats.

Best Friends

Another band that takes on the "beach" genre, Best Friends does not take themselves all that seriously. Like the Dead Milkmen, Best Friends are a bit more comedic about their take on the surf genre. I mean, "Best Friends Party Hard" has to be one of the greatest slogans ever used by a band, right?

Fidlar

And at last we reach FIDLAR (F*** IT DUDE LIFE'S ALL RIGHT), the punk rock equivalent to the Ventures. These dudes aren't surfers really but who the hell cares? They make some really dope surf punk jams that you just want to jump around to and drink a six pack with. I had the privilege of doing both this summer when they played the Observatory in Santa Ana.

And this is where our journey ends, 5 decades and a bunch of bad jokes later we have reached this plateau. I was planning on going more into the revival of garage rock with bands like Tijuana Panthers and The Growlers but at this point I am surprised you are still reading. In conclusion, surf music did some cool things, punk rock is cool, beach music is not surf music, and I'm not all that funny. Thanks for reading.