A Surf Rock Circus

On February 6, 2009 a concert was held at a random warehouse in Costa Mesa, California. The warehouse had two rooms, each eerie in the dark. The first was all cement with a single sole light source, a projector that continually played adult cartoons sat on a stool in the middle of the room. The next room was brighter. It felt like an oversized living room with little more furniture than a couple couches flanking the walls facing a stage. The tiny stage held many odd items, like a baby doll lying on a stuffed wolf and some palm trees laced with Christmas lights. Green and purple light flooded the room that was carpeted in maroon and littered with cigarettes. At first the large room with a bar at one end, was empty. Soon though, creatures of all ages, kinds, shapes, and forms entered and the warehouse living room became crowded. A DJ appeared ready to sedate the audience with old ambience tunes of 1950s Hawaiian luaus or sock hops until the opening band arrived.

The first opening band, Gantez Warrior I’d seen before. They were cheap imitations of the Growlers, the headliners. The lead singer reminded me of the Tasmanian Devil of old Loony Tunes cartoons. Dressed in a Hawaiian button down and fluorescent trunks, he rapidly bobbed his head back and forth, attempting to scream out lyrics with crazed eyes glued at his microphone. The music was surf rock vomit. The fast guitar riffs and drum beats were there, but the lyrics were crap. With songs like “Chocolate-Covered Ecstasy” and “Throw Me a Bone”, they make of mockery of the surf sound.

Next after Gantez royally ruined my concert high, the Japanese Motors took the stage and brought the audience back to life. Led by RVCA-sponsored surfer and skater Alex Knost, the Japanese Motors are a surf rock band. They too had the fast guitar and drums of the Gantez Warriors, but theirs were more refined. They mastered the pop side of surf rock. Their tracks tend to deal with surfing, beaches, girls, and summer time traffic jams. With bubbly, radio-friendly songs like “Single Fins & Safety Pins” and “Better Trends”, the Japanese Motors definitely deliver a great gateway sound to the psychedelic surf rock jams of their friends, the Growlers. The sound of the Japanese Motors is far more light-hearted and far less coma-inducing then their buddies’.

Finally the Growlers took hold and a crazy circus of drunkards swarmed around the stage. Songs like “Barnacle Beat” and “Red Tide”, thundered through the speakers. The eerie guitar opening began and the whole room began to sway like the tide; up, down, and back. The drums kept time to the heart beat movements of the audience. Everyone is bouncing and moshing and sweating. Then, the mood changes. Its brought down to stoned stupor with songs like “Tijuana”,“5”, and “Oh Sweet Spirit”. The group became one as the psychedelic notes swept over them. They’re sepia-tinted, circus take on surf rock envelops around the crowd and holds on. The Growlers have the power to make an audience high.