june 2009 surf music month

June 1, 2009 – June has been declared “International Surf Music Month” by a coalition of international surf bands. With the support of the North East Surf Music Alliance (NESMA), based in the U.S., surf music events are planned for the month of June throughout the world. In addition to the northeast U.S., including Connecticut and New York City, shows are planned in Russia, Chicago, Wisconsin, Maryland, California and Texas, among other places.

“Surf instrumental music has no language barriers, and reflects the freedom and enjoyment of the surf culture”, says Mike Rosado, founder of NESMA and the Connecticut surf band 9th Wave. “Each band in every country continues to grow the genre by injecting local flavors to the music. The result is a release of passionate, powerful, emotional sounds that pay tribute to the surfing and instrumental cultures.”

Surf music is a form of guitar-led instrumental rock music which evolved in the early 1960s. Pioneering surf musicians included bands such as Dick Dale and the Deltones, The Surfaris (of “Wipe Out” fame), and composers like Paul Johnson of The Belairs. Specialized instruments and amps focus on a reverb sound and guitar techniques that mimic the sound and feel of surfing. While taking a backseat to vocal pop music during the late 1960s and 1970s, surf music rebounded in the 1980s (sometimes called the “second wave”), and again in 1996 with the popularity of the film “Pulp Fiction” and its surf music laced soundtrack. Current surf bands continue to play the classic tunes from the 1960s and later, while composing new surf music and releasing original recordings to expand the style.

The genre of surf music continues to thrive throughout the world, with annual festivals in Canada and Italy, and monthly surf nights organized by promoter Unsteady Freddie in New York City. Surf bands in almost every country, including Russia, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Finland, Slovenia, Japan and the U.K. make this a truly diverse, international style of music.

Feature for June 2009

June is International Surf Music Month!