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Santa Cruz, California is something of a cult favorite for many of us.
What can you say about a town that's so hip it was teasingly mentioned
on the hit television show Angel? Insiders got a huge laugh when
temptress Eve on The WB's successful series deadpanned, "Angel, it's not
like this is the first time I've had sex under a mystical influence. I
went to U.C. Santa Cruz." I've had a few mind-altering experiences come
out of Santa Cruz, myself. One of them was Warning, Heavy Surf Advisory
by The Concaves.
This power trio - Jared (acid hands) Anderson, Mongo Celebrado and Bill
"dogfish" Pitts - take surf rock music another step further into new
waves of sound. Recorded and produced at Allan Goldwater's Magic Sounds
Studio in Santa Cruz on California's famous central coast, Warning shows
the prowess of this talented and highly experienced group.
Mongo, who played for years with the legendary Hawaiian Fire Dancer Tapu,
elevates Tube Rush and Wave of Death with perfectly placed and executed
drumming. A surfer from Hawaii named "Mongo" might be expected to rip
some righteous rhythms, and he does.
The guitarists for The Concaves are equally extraordinary. Pitts and
Anderson strut their very substantial stuff with brilliance on all of
these original tunes. Wave of Death, again, stands out - and would stand
out in any crowd. Any smart guitarist would be willing to sign away
their vintage Fender Strat for the skill to pull off the sleek, dynamic
sounds found on the title song Heavy Surf Advisory, not to mention the
effervescent Dogfish Rumble.
Can I go out on a limb here? The CD jacket mentions women surfers in a
typically upbeat Concaves way and I'd like to lay claim to Surfing the
Light for all of us water women. It starts deceptively elegant and
serene then bursts forth with complicated motion and depth, just like we
do when the right wave lifts us up to dance that ethereal space between
the ocean and the sky. Suddenly, power and grace drench us you into the
curl and we land, smiling, on the other side of a mermaid's fondest
dream. Surfing the Light is a board-toting female's anthem, if ever I
heard one. So forgive me if I claim it as a forever favorite; it seems
made to take me on my 'most wanted' fantasy ride.
On a scale of one to ten, The Concaves Warning, Heavy Surf Advisory
hangs ten.
-Tammy Tenino
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