Show Report by Vicky Davis
Seismic Surf in Sacramento (October 2003)
During the weekend of Oct.18-19, Northern California was the epicenter
for surf sounds of seismic proportions. On Saturday the 18th, the
venerable Sacramento dive Old Ironsides hosted Pollo del Mar, Slacktone,
and local group The Hypnotic IV.The evening got off to a late start--I don't know what the reason for this was, but scarcity of audience might have contributed. (The World Series baseball game ran late.) Many of the usual suspects were on hand--SuperFan Doug Snyder, BigTikiDude Jeff and Baja Marty came up from So. Cal., the string section of the Surf-Liners. (Note: While waiting for the music to start, I went to the bar for a drink. A man there, who might have been a couple sheets to the wind, actually asked me "Do you come here often?" I thought that only happened on TV.) Eventually more people trickled in.
Once the Pollo crew hit the stage, the energy in the club went off the charts. The band tore through a set that included a lot of new tunes, as well as a few old favorites. Ferenc Dobronyi handled lead and rhythm duties on his trusty Reverend guitar, aided by a blackface Bandmaster and of course the all-important reverb tank. Jono Jones had his black Strat, and a silverface Super Reverb amp. Bassist Jefferson Turner had his customary black fretless Jazz bass and GK rig, and Jeremy Rexford used his cool Gretsch drums. Tunes included the moody "7 Sisters, 7 Seas," the hard-driving "Red Asphalt" (or "Camino del Sangre"), new tune "Paneolo" and the spooky "Annabelle Lee" from their Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" CD. (We were coming up on Halloween/Dia de los Muertos, after all.) A cool new tune called "Dripping Springs TX" debuted. The title comes from a real Texas town, but is fraught with multiple meaning in the surf context. It sounded appropriately spaghetti westernly. Or perhaps southwesternly. The band's excellent cover of Frank Zappa's "Peaches en Regalia" followed, and then came a very cool cover of "Charlie Don't Surf" (the one by The Clash, not the one by that other N. Cal. surf band). Jeff was all over the distinctive bass line--nicely done! Continuing to cover the classics, the Pollo boys offered their take on Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King." This features lots of fun back & forth between the guitarists, and molto accelerando along the way. The Wild West Medley included "Apache," Bonanza," "Navajo Joe" (I think), the theme from "The Wild, Wild West," the theme from the "Andy Griffith Show," (composed by Earle Hagen, who also composed "Harlem Nocturne"), and "Ghost Riders in the Sky." I might have missed a couple, but I was having too much fun to be paying close attention. The band's contribution to the upcoming Richie Podolor tribute is "Dark Side of the Mushroom," and they gave us a taste--like wow, groovy. The band's final selection (their set was cut a bit short) was the very cool "Flash of Green."
Slacktone went on after Pollo del Mar. I am running out of ways to express the level of skill and musicianship that this band achieves. Each musician is a monster player in his own right, and the trio together is even more amazing. Dusty keeps the beat and does so much more, pounding like a man possessed on his blue sparkle Ludwigs. Chips of wood fly off his drumsticks as he plays with power, control and accuracy. Dave Wronski's guitar playing is a force of nature. He played his white modified Jaguar through a reverb tank, a Super and his Slacktone amps, and in the middle of it all, the Secret Box. Sam plays his dark green P-bass (w/J-bass pickup added) through a G-K head that looks like it's been through a couple of wars, and a 4x10 SWR cabinet.
Perhaps all that need be said is that during "The Bells of St. Kahuna," Ferenc, Jono, and Jeremy were on the floor in front of the band, giving them the Wayne's World "We're not worthy!" treatment. "St. Kahuna" came about two-thirds of the way through their set. Earlier selections included favorites from their two studio CDS: "Coffin Closer," "Blast Bolero," "PCH," "Birdbone," "Mysterioso," "Longboard Legato." After "Longboard Legato" came a tune called "Chaos," which was clearly based on "Longboard" but went an entirely different direction. We then went on a "Rosarito 3-Day," followed by "St. Kahuna." "Tiki Bar Crawl," has become an excellent showcase for Dusty's creativity and groove. He can swing like crazy, play with rhythm and dynamics, and get an amazing variety of sounds from a simple kit. And he never lets go of the beat. The band closed out their truncated set with "Lift & Separate," the mother of all glissandos in "Tidal Wave," and their incendiary version of "Miserlou."
Unbeatable Surf in
San Francisco (October 2003)
San Francisco's Hotel Utah was the scene for The Mach IV, Slacktone, and for the first time ever on any stage, The Endless Drummer! Any one of those acts would have been worth the trip (2+ hours, depending on #@$%! bridge traffic), but all three of them--woohoo!
The Mach IV were resplendent in their turquoise tuxedo jackets. The string section was further coordinated by their lineup of sunburst Fenders--Ferenc, Jazzmaster, Johnny, P-bass, and Los Mel, Jaguar (w/extra pickup). Drummer extraordinaire Shig 33 used a nice red sparkle kit (Ludwig, I think). The Mach IV were celebrating the release of their new CD, "Eleki!" All-original tunes, and totally great. (Subliminal message: Buy the CD! I was listening to it in the car on the way home--way fun! And the packaging is very clever and great fun.)
The Mach IV offer a suave, polished traditional sound--surf with a dry martini, perhaps. In addition to the suave sound and stylish clothes, the Mach IV enhance their presentation with choreographed moves. Very smooth! Their set included original material from "Eleki!" (Buy it!) as well as a number of tasty covers. Originals included Los Mel's "Il Eko Eleki," "New Wave," and "What's in da Trunk, Harry?" and "Lemon Twist." Ferenc contributed "Teke, Teke, Teke," and the a shimmering "No Surf Today," for which Karen Dobronyi (the ‘Vth Mach'?) joined the band on clavietta. Several of the band's original tunes were composed by Shig, who is an accomplished guitarist as well as a fine drummer. His "Beach Bound," "Astro Boy" and "New York" were in the set, suggesting strong Ventures and Shadows influences. Covers included "Wonderful Land," "Dance On," "Perfidia," "Because They're Young" and the highly infectious "Surf Party."
After The Mach IV's set, Shig's red sparkle drum kit was joined on stage by Dusty's blue sparkle kit. The stage was now set (literally!) for The Endless Drummer! Five of surf's top drummers, plus a guest from another genre, engaged in a battle of the beats.
Seven Surf Drummers: Jimmy
Velez (K9), Shig 33 (Mach IV, Shitones, Shig and Buzz), Jeremy Rexford
(Pollo Del Mar), Aaron Leipert (Surf Cinema), Stretch Reidle (The Sub-Mersians),
Kneeling: Dusty Watson (Slacktone, Dick Dale), Kevin Coughlin (Hypnotic IV)
Kneeling: Dusty Watson (Slacktone, Dick Dale), Kevin Coughlin (Hypnotic IV)
First up was walk-on Jimmy Velez from (not surf) band K-9. Jimmy went to town on the red sparkle set, displaying an impressive array of rockin' rhythms. After Jimmy had played for a few minutes, Shig 33 (The Mach IV, Shig & Buzz, The Shi-tones) came in on the blue sparkle set. Shig's playing is all about precision. Even when he cuts loose in a solo setting, he is always in control, smooth and precise as well as inventive, using all parts of the kit while maintaining a rock-steady beat. Stretch Riedle (The Sub-Mersians), hammering on the red sparkle set. He and Shig traded beats for a bit before Stretch went solo. For those of you who don't know him, Stretch is very tall (about 6.5 feet [over 2 meters]). He looked a bit like a windmill as he drummed up a storm. (The crowd is going crazy.) Kevin Coughlin (The Hypnotic IV) took over on the blue sparkle set. His playing is like Shig's, in that they both exhibit outstanding control. He also showed some jazz influences, throwing in surprise syncopations and accents.
As if Dusty hadn't already done enough for us, Slacktone went on next. I am running out of ways to express the level of skill and musicianship that this band achieves. Each musician is a monster player in his own right, and the trio together is even more amazing. Dusty keeps the beat and does so much more, pounding like a man possessed on his blue sparkle Ludwigs. Chips of wood fly off his drumsticks as he plays with power, control and accuracy. Dave Wronski's guitar playing is a force of nature. He played his white modified Jaguar through a reverb tank, a Super and his Slacktone amps, and in the middle of it all, the Secret Box. Sam plays his dark green P-bass (w/J-bass pickup added) through a G-K head that looks like it's been through a couple of wars, and a 4x10 SWR cabinet.
"Tiki Bar Crawl," has become an excellent showcase for Dusty's creativity and groove. He can swing like crazy, play with rhythm and dynamics, and get an amazing variety of sounds from a simple kit. And he never lets go of the beat. Then came first-wave classic "The Wedge," a great tune made better with the Slacktone treatment. The band slowed down a bit with the contemplative "Rell Sunn Aloha," a haunting mid-tempo tune.
Reverb madness returned with a trio of killer tunes from the band's first CD: "Skateboard Commando," Hit Man," and the mother of all glissandos, "Tidal Wave." The crowd clamored for more, and were treated to Slacktone's version of "Miserlou." Their version could be used for seismic safety testing--I'm sure it would bring down unreinforced masonry. Wow. For an additional encore, the band did "Be My Baby" and "Don't Worry Baby" (from Jon & The Nightriders' CD, "Moving Target") for their chauffeur, Bob McDonald from the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum. Bob was kind enough to drive Slacktone all weekend in his comfy motor home. (For you who are fuzzy on California geography, the total for the weekend was more than 1000 miles [1600 km].) Kudos to Bob for literally going the extra mile.
SLACKTONE: SPEED / INTENSITY
/ PRESENCE!
