The unit of survival is organism plus environment. We are learning by bitter experience that the organism which destroys its environment destroys itself. – Gregory Bateson
On Saturday, June 27 at 7:00pm, The Retro Cocktail Hour blasts off on KPR stations with a night of ‘outer space exotica’, featuring music from such memorable albums as Les Baxter’s Space Escapade, Fantastica by Russ Garcia, Music Out of the Moon (featuring the theremin!), Music for Heavenly Bodies (with the electro-theremin) and many more.
As a preview, check out the NEW album cover gallery, featuring images from some classic outer space records of the 1950s and ’60s.
And please join us in orbit for The Retro Cocktail Hour – Saturday, June 27 at 7:00pm on KPR stations (and available on-demand soon after at the RCH website).Les Baxter’s ‘Space Escapade’
Many more images available at our new cover gallery!
340 Kennington Road London, United Kingdom phone: 02078209189 mail: info(at)hulaboogie.co.uk
Night of exquite stompin’ vintage music for your dancing and listening pleasure with early evening Jive and Hula dance classes, late night burlesque performance, free kitsch snack giveaways, music,cocktails and dancing to DJ music to 1am at fabulously kitsch tiki bar!
Here I list some boutique guitar makers (or luthiers) who have some designs that could be working well for Surf music. Obviously they often have features familiar from the various famous Fender guitars such as the Stratocaster, the Jazzmaster or the Jaguar. There’s also a new model which combines features of the Jazzmaster and the Jaguar, called The Johnny Marr Jaguar. My rule of thumb was really for them to have at least two single coil pick-ups and a vibrato unit. I haven’t played any of these, but from my experience of digging at Surf music since the late eighties I have an idea what works. You have to acustom yourself with a guitar, especially for instrumental music, and for some players the feel of the whole Fender package might be too far from their heritage, or the sound is too cookie-cutter-like.
The pictures are links.
OK, this might already be a controversial choice. But recently I find myself listening to Morpheus by The Toads who had a Gibson for lead, and it worked for them. This here is obviously based on Gibson’s Les Paul model, except for the unusual shape.
Harvester
Here we have a similar candidate, with a set neck too and even mini humbuckers. Isn’t it a beauty? The 1963 Mosrite Ventures model had a set neck as well, with no lack of attack for sure! This being a very boutique enterprise, the builder would probably drop in a pair of singles coils if you ask him to. Kindly.
Roadrunner Bazaar
Roadrunner Surfmaster
Roadrunner Grave Digger
Roadrunner Anty
These are creations by a frenchman. He seems to be into all the right bands and the inspiration for his guitars is as cool. He beats his own path, never copying a bodyshape, and coming up with different electronic layouts and color schemes. Unique stuff, perfect references for Surf.
Needham
Needham double cutaway
Needham Guitars from Austin, Texas. They remind me of Les Paul Juniors, Danelectros and a bit of Microfrets. Very nice, clean dual single coil designs.
Campbell Transitone
Unusual combo of Jazzmaster style pick-ups with a 3/3 headstock and a Stratocaster-style vibrato.
Micro-Frets Signature
This american 1960s and 70s company was revived in recent years. As far as I gather the company fits the boutique builder description. Carl Perkins and Buddy Merrill were famous Micro-Frets players.
Billyboy
The italians. Gone are accordion cover materials and pearloid fretboards, but this Billyboy is just as creatively weird in the style department as his ancestors of Eko and Galanti fame.
This one here by Fano looks like a cross between a Rickenbacker and a Les Paul – but if you are aware of the Chantays original recording of Pipeline you know they used a Barth guitar. Paul Barth was a southern California luthier who worked for Rickenbacker and Magnatone before making a few instruments under his own name. Pipeline happens to be a prototypical Surf instrumental, despite the lack of a vibrato on any guitar involved, so this guitar gets the blessing for its purist, Barth inspired style.
Wronski Slackercaster
Dave Wronski of Surf instrumental greats Slacktone is working for Fender Musical Instruments and got this one of a kind Surf-machine together. This could also be in the later Do-It-Yourself article in this series, but since a proper custom shop of a righteous guitar company is involved I decided to declare it a boutique guitar.
Billy Childish
Unfortunately I have no idea who made this guitar for Billy Childish. I certainly haven’t seen one before, so maybe it’s a one off, who knows? I would describe it as Bo Diddley meets Chuck Berry in the Höfner workshop. Sounds like a good description for Billy Childish’s music. The reason I don’t consider it a D.I.Y. project is that I can’t picture him building guitars instead of carving expressionistic woodcuts or recording punk-rock-rave-ups.
Here are two more links I couldn’t find proper photos for: Galasso from Argentina and Koll Guitars, for which I have a very soft spot, the Gretsch design influence is a great variation, that few builders successfully pull off.
Ronnie Sargent Custom
Oops I almost forgot this guy. Maybe the weirdest, and a big inspiration for this post! Ronnie Sargent Custom Guitars
As usual I demand of my readers to provide further info where I missed it! Please use the comment function below.
Sa. 25.04. München – Substanz (Ruppertstr.28), Einlass: 20h/ Beginn: 21h, Tickets: 15€ Abendkasse
The Moonlighters — Hawaiian Swing from New York City
Support: CocoNami
Sie kommen wieder! Um dem europäischen Winter einzuheizen werden die Moonlighters nun schon zum dritten Mal in veränderter Besetzung und stärker denn je, mit ihrem süchtig machenden Hawaii Sound für Südsee Wärme auf und vor den Konzertbühnen sorgen. Die beiden ersten Tourneen riefen bereits extreme Begeisterung hervor! Relax and Enjoy!
exotica/hawaiian warm up mit DJ Lemon Squeezer
danach: Schmockladen mit DJ Schmoko & gast DJ Martin hemmel aka Lemon Squeezer (60s, funk, soul, beat, brazil, 50s & 60s r’n’b etc.) bis 03.00 Uhr
The highly recommended Exotica live-act Waitiki playing live in Massachusets in the middle of february. Quote form the Exotica Mailing List
Who: The Waitiki All-Star Exotica Septet
When: Monday, 2/16/09, 7-9 PM
Where: The Lily Pad (Inman Sq: 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA), 617-395-1393 COST: $10
Website: www.waitiki.com Come See Our All-Star Exotica Band: 2/16 in Cambridge, MA
Waitiki’s next show will be on President’s Day (Monday, February 16) from 7-9PM sharp! See our All-Star Exotica band make its first performance in the northeast at The Lily Pad [1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square].
Flying in direct from Hawaii: Percussionist and birdcaller extraordinaire Lopaka Colon (son of famed percussionist/bird caller Augie Colon, of Martin Denny’s band). Our co-founder and drummer Abe Lagrimas Jr also makes the wintry trip to Boston from Los Angeles.
Suggested donation is $10; All ages are welcome (bring the kids or your folks—it’s all music; finally, no burlesque or anything risque!).
Also in the band: Tim Mayer (sax, flutes), Helen Liu (violin), Zaccai Curtis (piano), Jim Benoit & Greg Parerandy Wong (bass). We may have a few special guest performers too! (vibraphone),
This is the same band that played its European Debut last July at the Wassermusik Festival in Berlin, Germany, and its American Debut at the Celebration for the 500th Retro Cocktail Hour show last November!
Your favorite classic exotica tunes… your favorite Waitiki hits… brand-new arrangements and newer-than-new originals—hear them all at The Lily Pad show. Following us at 10 pm is The Fringe, the avant-garde jazz trio led by tenor man George Garzone.
The next day we record the long-awaited Waitiki All-Star Exotica Septet album!! Hope to see you there!!!!
Book event for ‘Pop Surf Culture: Music, Design, Film and Fashion from the Bohemian Surf Boom’ in Echo Park, L.A., Saturday, February 2st, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Stories book store.
Domenic Priore, Brian Chidester, and The Boardwalkers will appear at Stories books, cafe, goods (1716 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles – near the corner of Echo Park Boulevard) on Saturday, February 21st from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is to celebrate the release of the Chidester/Priore book ‘Pop Surf Culture: Music, Design, Film and Fashion from the Bohemian Surf Boom’ (Santa Monica Press). The book traces surfing and Hawaiian music’s potent combo during early 20th Century Waikiki, directly to its landing on California shores, and their development into a true bohemian subculture by the late 1950s/early 1960s. Focus on Tiki, Surf instrumentals, Surf movies, Surf duds in the pre-1970 environment of Southern California is also offset by a look into Waikiki’s Lounge scene of the ’60s, and later revivals of Surf music during the punk/alt rock days as it mixed with Burlesque, Tiki culture and other things you are most likely a part of. So come down and have a ball, its FREE with live Surf instrumental music by The Boardwalkers and pre-1970 surfing movies projected throughout Stories’ book store. Again, the address is 1716 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. Phone: (213) 413-3733.
This is another one. The modification of olf hi-fis to support modern media-components seems to become popular. And I understand it. They are too beautiful to throw away if you have the space and they sound incredible.
