This last weekend we played at the Festisurf Festival in Castell d’Aro, Spain. I was excited to see that I. Jeziak and the Surfers were on the bill, a surf band from Poland that several of my friends have been raving about.
These guys took the stage—very young, serious guys in their twenties and thirties—and absolutely tore my head off. They kicked ass! Speaking as a guy who grew up in Missouri and who formed a surf band “out of place” I could relate to these guys a lot, but wow, did they go above and beyond!
There was a promise with the original surf music of the early 1960s—a high tension baked into the music. Minor keys, memorable and spooky melodies, and a dance between the lead guitar, saxophone, electric piano, rhythm guitar, and bass and drums. The original formula, I think, was very exciting and the music exuded a dramatic tension that made the whole experience really great.
I won’t name any names, and I’m certainly guilty of this too, but so many of the “surf” bands who have come along in the years since have focused on (my opinion) the wrong things: volume, riffs, obvious cover songs, “heavy” bass and drums influenced by hard rock and metal. Call me a traditionalist, sure, okay, but I am left cold by so much of the modern rehashing of the surf instrumental sound. It just doesn’t go anywhere for me.
But these freakin’ Polish guys? Holy cow—they NAIL it! I’m amazed when young dudes like this, not to mention young dudes from Eastern Europe, have honed in on the exact ingredients that made the original 1960s surf music so special and unique.
I could write more big words, but just check out the video, and even better, get their album from Hi-Tide Recordings. I got mine autographed! I also had a nice conversation with Igor (I. Jeziak), who really came across as the twenty-five-year-old savior of surf guitar that I hoped he would be, in person. If these kids can’t keep it alive, nobody can!
Watch some videos at Deke’s original Facebook post!
