see Slaughter on Tenth Ave by Jay Smith

The thing I like about old surf instrumentals is that it was all about the theme. Strong themes carried it.c

Slacktone Interview

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Here’s a great little article on the southeast asian Jaguar and Jazzmaster forgeries of the 60s.

A View from the Back of the Rack
Of Forgeries and War!
By Michael Wright, The Different Strummer
One of my favorite ‘student anecdotes’ involves a young lady who dated World War I to around 5 Million BC on a test because ‘it was, like, the first one, right?!’ I hope she got an A for effort! Anyhow, as wars recede their meanings change with each succeeding generation. Ask a young person today about the Viet Nam War and you might be lucky if he’d ever heard of it. For some older folks among us it seems to have happened only yesterday, transforming their lives so much that they live with it every day. For others of us, it has just become a murky bad dream that we’re only reminded of when a guitar like this ca. 1965 ‘Pinoy Jazzmaster’ forgery comes around! …

Even today some people try to sell them as Fenders on eBay, but I am sure they must have their own place being made of very different woods.

Otto von Stroheim writes:

There is a HUGE Surf weekend event happening this weekend
All the details are listed below but if you don’t want to read all that boring text you can just check out the poster here:
https://surfguitar101.com/hosted/SG101convention2.jpg

If you have questions please contact Jeff at:
bigtikidude (at) yahoo (dot) com

Surf Guitar 101 Convention
Suzy’s Bar and Grill
1141 Aviation Blvd. (at Prospect)
Hermosa Beach, California
Noon to 5 or 7 pm, separate night show is 8 pm to midnight

a Swap Meet of surf music (cds, lp’s 45s -new used), and instrument/gear
shirts, posters, hats etc. if you have surf swag/merch to sell bring it, grab a free table and sell away.
Major Vendors will be.
Double Crown Records,
Dionysus Records,
Golly Gee Records
Gomez Amplification
Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum
John Blair with his re-issue of The 80’s album Stampede on CDw bonus trx
Machturtle Productions, and many surf bands cds.
plus many other bands members will be there selling their cds.
and there will be 1 table with Tiki magazine and other tiki related stuff
if you get tired of the Surf stuff.

**but Please save enough Money for the Night show, and their Merch. they need money too, as some of them are coming from The Mid West and
Nor. Cal.

and multi media presentations,
Dominic Priore’s Assistant Brian from the Dumb Angel Gazette and Surf Pop Culture Books, will have some of their books and mags.showing surf music clips from the 60’s and a slide show of historic pictures.
and Possibly have the Original Surfaris Sufari LP for sale.(Lmited qtys)

There will be a short trailer of the ‘Sound of Surf’ music documentary that is in production now, and they may be doing interviews at this event for the film.

Paul Johnson will be having the premier of the Pounding Surf! DVD
plus historic stories and footage from the 60’s surf scene.
plus all of the different cds he has for sale.

and Surf Show
4 Bands
The Boardwalkers, (LA)
Outterwave, (LA)
The Aquasonics, (Colorado)
Secret Samurai, (San Diego)

ALSO just added a short 4 song Eliminators set,
4 songs of Eddie Bertrand with the Eliminators,
and a 30 min Slacktone set.

Surf Jam/ (sign up list to join will be posted soon)many songs,
you play a Standard along with a Live backing band
here is the Link to the Tread with the list of songs to choose to play with Outterwave.
this list will be close soon, so join in now.
https://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/6038/?page=1#81631

and get together/meet and greet

I am still talking to people about coming to it, and being involved.
But I wanted to Officially announce when it will be.

Later that night.
The Madeira from Mid west, Pollo Del Mar from Nor. Cal., Insect Surfers and Detonators are playing 8 pm till Midnight.

also
On Sun. Aug 3rd at the Huntington Beach Pier, 11 am to 5 pm will be.
The Fabulous Nomads, The Relix, Aquasonics from Colorado, Pollo Del Mar,
The Madeira , and The Surftones, Feat. Matt Q from Reventlos, and Kerry Chester ex of DD’s 80s band.

I Figured it would be best to announce it asap, as I know the sooner the better, for arranging for airfare and sleeping and car accommodations.

There is also a San Diego show with Pollo Del Mar,Madeira,Secret Samurai, and Zombie Surf Camp, on the Fri. nite. Aug 1st. If anybody would like to go down there to get an early st

I had written a nice text about how I was introduced to The New Dimensions in the 80s. But I lost it trying out the new “Press This” feature of this blog software. It boiled down to the essence that any surf music fan worth his salt has to know this great teenage band from 1962.

Michael Lloyd, lead guitar; Jimmy Greenspoon, piano; Art Guy, drums, Danny Belsky, saxes; David Doud, bass; and Craig Nuttycombe, rhythm guitar.

The band never had any singles released. We worked with these hustler types by the name of Robert Hafner and Tony Hilder. They had a deal with a tiny budget label called Sutton to issue the New Dimension albums as ‘rack jobs.’ Essentially that meant their records would be pressed on cheap vinyl normally reserved for placemats, packaged in fairly generic sleeves, and shipped directly to the cut out bins with no hope of promotion, airplay, or royalties. We had three studio albums, ‘Surf ‘N Bongos’, ‘Soul’, and ‘Deuces & Eights’. We were part of a live album from the Santa Monica surf fair titled ‘Shake! Shout and Soul!’

Read the interview here.

Quote from Lulu:

The Ventures The Story of The Ventures
by Del Halterman

Description:
The definitive historic account of The Ventures, the world’s number one instrumental group that had a worldwide smash hit in 1960 with “Walk-Don’t Run.” Their second biggest hit came nine years later with “Hawaii Five-0” but they didn’t quit there, continuing non-stop on a fifty-year career of touring and making wonderful instrumental recordings. …

Walk-Don’t Run – The Story of The Ventures by Del Halterman (Book) in Biographies & Memoirs

As you probably already knew The Ventures are going to be inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame this year. Yes, it could have happened earlier. But anyway… This is also the year Madonna joins the club.

March 10, 2008: The Ventures are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 23rd annual induction dinner. tk is their presenter.

Read more here: The Ventures

Guitar Geek Festival

Deke’s 5th Annual Guitar Geek Festival

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Jolly Roger Hotel Ballroom (amazing 1960s pirate-themed ballroom!)
640 W. Katella (at Harbor), Anaheim, California
Only one block from the NAMM show/Convention Center!
Doors at 3 p.m., show starts at 4 p.m. sharp!
All ages welcome (must be 21 to drink)
$35 advance / $40 at the door / $35 with NAMM pass
Advance Ticket $35

Featuring:

The Collins Kids: Larry and Lorrie!
Straight from the stage of ‘Town Hall Party’ we present Larry and Lorrie Collins in their first Southern California appearance in 15 years, and their first show in Anaheim in decades! Singing their big hits ‘Mercy,’ ‘Rock Boppin’ Baby,’ ‘Let’s Have A Party,’ ‘Whistle Bait,’ and others, the show also includes Larry Collins playing the snot out of his double- neck Mosrite on such tunes as ‘Rockin’ Gypsy’ and ‘Hurricane!’ Larry and Lorrie never fail to put on an amazing show, and this will be the most exciting Guitar Geek Festival headlining act yet!

Teisco Del Rey: King of the Guitorgan
Featuring Paul ‘Mr. Moto’ Johnson! Many remember Teisco Del Rey as the columnist for Guitar Player magazine for many years. Others remember him from his astounding instrumental albums, where he tackled everything from surf to soul, channeling the spirit of Duane Eddy. Yet others will remember him as the only man in the last 3 decades to seriously play the ‘Guitorgan’! All this and more will be revealed in Teisco Del Rey’s first-ever Southern California live appearance, with an all- star band featuring Paul Johnson of the Bel-Airs (who came and rocked his song ‘Mr. Moto’ at last year’s fest!), Steve Soest from The Torquays, and Pete Curry of the Halibuts and Los Straitjackets! A set not to be missed.

Deke Dickerson & Crazy Joe: Twin Guitar Special!
Your host teams up with the king of nerdabilly from Enon, Ohio, in a special set of guitar duets! This will NOT be two guys sitting down with a couple of acoustic guitars. This set promises to be extreme and dangerous!

Brian Lonbeck: the Barn Burner of Bakersfield!
In a dangerous attempt to see how many Mosrite doubleneck players we can fit onto the bill, we bring back perennial favorite Brian Lonbeck of Bakersfield to tear down the house with more Maphis-inspired mayhem!

Maestro Alex Gregory: Maestro of the Heavy Metal Mandolin!
If you haven’t heard of this guy, look up his name on the internet. What you see with your own eyes will still be hard to believe! The English-born Gregory was given the title ‘Maestro’ by Queen Elizabeth’s government in 1983. After years of studying classical music, he entered the field of rock, where he has mastered such inventions as the seven-string guitar (Gregory holds two patents on the seven- string guitar!) and the electric mandolin. His most recent CD shows him holding an electric mandolin while urinating on the graves of Steve Vai and Yngvie Malmsteen! This will without a doubt prove an interesting set!

Junior Watson: Southern California Blues King!
We’re excited to get ‘Junior’ Watson on the Guitar Geek Festival bill. Junior has been playing around Southern California for the last three decades, first as a founding member of the Mighty Flyers with Rod Piazza, then as a ten-year member of Canned Heat. Since then he’s played with just about everybody in the blues world and has amassed a cult following as the blues cat with THE TONE!!!!

The ‘All-Bigsby Band!’: Featuring Jeremy Wakefield & T.K. Smith!
It is rare to see an instrument made by Paul A. Bigsby, inventor of the Bigsby vibrato. Many people know that Bigsby was an important instrument maker who invented the first modern solidbody electric guitar for Merle Travis, but most have never seen one of these instruments in person! For one evening we will have a band on stage playing exclusively instruments made by Bigsby. The band will be led by festival stalwarts Jeremy ‘J.W.’ Wakefield on steel guitar and ‘T.K.’ Smith on electric guitar, along with a slew of other older and younger players–all living Bigsby owners have been invited to participate! This will be a photo opportunity never to be repeated again! Several vintage guitar dealers have already been rushed to the hospital!

Lester Peabody With Special Guest Marti Brom!
Hailing from Finland, Lester Peabody is a double threat to be reckoned with–not only as a great Chet-styled finger picker on the guitar, but also as a great steel guitar player! Bonus for all the lonely guitar fans will be an appearance by sultry-voiced Texas singer Marti Brom, who will sing a number or two with Lester on his great set!

James Calvin Wilsey: The Guitar Behind Chris Isaak!
Jimmy Wilsey has an impressive resume. Not only is he the guitarist who played on Chris Isaak’s breakout hit ‘Wicked Game,’ with its haunting atmospheric guitar parts, but he was also in the seminal punk band the Avengers, who can actually claim to have shared a bill with the Sex Pistols at their very last show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1978! Jimmy Wilsey has a brand-new band called Wilsey and a new album out, and they will be showcasing their exciting brand of tunes at the Guitar Geek Festival!

Opening Set: Breakout Talent Showcase!
The most difficult thing about putting together the Guitar Geek Festival each year is that we have so much phenomenal talent and not enough time to get everybody involved. So this year, a bunch of great guitarists will get the evening rolling with one tune each! Guaranteed you’ll want to be there from the opening bell, as these guitarists are every bit as talented as our featured acts!

All ages (must be 21 to drink)!
Full bar available!
Booths from Hallmark, TNM Custom, and more!
Deke’s Amazing Guitar Museum with a special Bigsby exhibit!
DJ Dan Moses!
Guitar Raffle courtesy Fender/Gretsch guitars!
$35 advance / $40 at the door / $35 with NAMM pass
This is an Early Show! Doors open at 3 p.m., show starts at 4 p.m. sharp!

Jolly Roger Hotel Ballroom (amazing 1960s pirate-themed ballroom!)
640 W. Katella (at Harbor), Anaheim, California
Only one block from the NAMM show/Convention Center!

I would go there – if it was anywhere near. He should do a world tour, and fill up the line-up with local acts like Ladi Geisler in Hamburg, and Bert Weedon and Judd Proctor in England.

Gordon finished his Jaguar project. It’s a very special guitar, based on Fender’s favorite surf guitar – the Jaguar.
Everybody wants to hear it, and I am no exception! He chose Charlie Christian style pick-ups and a reverse headstock, that crazy french-man.

Here’s his blog.

Surfguitar 101 made me aware of an article in Vintage Guitar Magazine. I don’t have it but it’s said to be really good, with big full color photos of his gear. Now, you don’t know who Dave Wronski is? He has this band called Slacktone. He’s working for Fender and plays with John Blair in Jon & The Nightriders, who were the most influential second wave surf band in the 80s, from an international view that is all I can say. Slacktone is Dave Wronski’s take on the modern Surf with strong historical references. They are one of the best, possible the best modern Surf band. He has great knowledge to get the tone he wants – and it’s amazing. He’s mainly a Jaguar player, even though he got famous with a Mosrite on the cover of Jon & The Nightriders Live At The Whiskey A Go-Go, a record any live performing surf band is hereby strongly advised to call their own.