Surfer Blood
BIOGRAPHY
These are four young lads (JP Pitts, TJ Schwarz, Thomas Fekete, Brian Black) from West Palm Beach Florida, and it is needless to say their music reflects both their youth (early 20s) and geographical location; beach vibes, a surf-rock sound and a twang of post punk on vocals by John Paul Pitts, “The Mastermind” of the group. Basically, it fits; the name Surfer Blood (though none do actually surf... but nor did most of The Beach Boys, or Nada Surf, so... get over it).
It all came together in the fuzzy feeling debut album Astro Coast created when released on January the 19th this year. Coming out on Kanine Records in the ‘States, the LP came together in their freshman year, during which they met in their Uni dorm. The band recorded with equipment bought with scholarship money, and initially scrapped studio sessions due to disagreements with an engineer over their unpolished sound. Now, they sonically resemble the musical materialisation of a beach-party all through day till sunset, beer in hand, maybe even a bonfire... blondes, bikinis and adolescent kicks without any of the American Pie-like images you’re probably currently conjuring.
It’s feel good music; a concoction of high energy indie with youthful lyrics (confusion, girls, sex, girls... confusingly sexy girls) all elaborated with heavy hooks and brilliant use of percussive instruments; cowbells, maracas, some handclaps marking the up-beat rhythm and keyboards carried out by hired hand Marcos Marchesani for tours and live performances. There is a lot going on, yes, but all in good measure.
Their ambitions include “living comfortably whilst working hard” and “sticking to the indie circuit”. They love “The Haunted” and touring, however they are not so fond of hitting an elk, or physical fights. They sound like good guys.
TOUR DATES:
The band are currently over for their first UK visit, playing the following dates, including a long sold out show for Rockfeedback at the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen
3/2/10 – ROCKFEEDBACK @ Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, London
4/2/10 – New Slang, Kingston (with Pete and the Pirates)
5/2/10 – Koko, London
6/2/10 – Sound Control, Manchester (with The Drums)
8/2/10 – Puregroove, London (Instore)
9/2/10 – Scala, London (with British Sea Power)
LINKS:
The MySpace is a classic; on here you have the bands tour dates, photos, tracks off the debut album Astro Coast, a little bit of artwork, videos, booking details, contact info... the lot. Twitter, Facebook and the band’s BlogSpot is the best way to follow what’s on their mind, though their record label Kanine is good for a more official slant – catch the video for ‘Swim’, plus other exclusives.
VIDEOS:
TAKE IT EASY (LIVE AT BROOKLYN BOWL)
ANCHORAGE (LIVE @ THE ECHO, LOS ANGELES)
SWIM (LIVE ON KEXP)