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When
I left my 30-year home of San Diego with my Midwestern bride a few
years ago, I had little idea how much my life had been given form
and shape by the beach — just as C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere
Christianity how a fish has no
concept of “wet
Well,
Lord knows I’ve tried, but all these years later and despite
my half-hearted best efforts, it’s still pretty obvious that,
I’m “not from around these parts,” as one kind-hearted
observer once helpfully pointed out to me.
Small
wonder, though. I guess Sherlock’s first clue could have been
my bleached blond hair, Pacific Beach Lifeguard T-shirt, well-worn
harachi sandals, or maybe even my language sprinkled liberally with
“dude,” “boss,” “gnarly” and
the like. I’m thinking, though, that the biggest giveaway
was Tim Coffman’s latest effort, Beach & Guitar, blazing
from my car stereo.
A
little history here: Over the past two decades or so, Tim Coffman
has earned a well-deserved reputation as the heart and mind of San
Diego-based Rolltop Records, bringing out the very best in the numerous
artists who he has produced at Rolltop Studio.
However,
it wasn’t until the 2002 release of Coffman’s delightfully
retro “This is Fun” that the producer/musician had the
opportunity to give life to some of his own music. That was followed
in 2003 with the internationally-flavored and equally compelling
“Nonstop to Paris.”
This
brings us to “Beach & Guitar,” a collection of original
tunes penned by Coffman that virtually shimmer in the hot sun and
sand of Southern California and Hawaii. An outstanding effort that
is, in Coffman’s words, “a product of everything I’ve
ever heard.” The album brings together some outstanding musicians
familiar to those who know Coffman’s earlier work, as well
as an ace or two uniquely suited to this specific project.
Most
notably, surf guitar ace and legend Paul Johnson (Belairs, Surfaris,
Duotones) and the incomparable Hawaiian steel guitarist Greg Sardinha
bring instant credibility to “Beach & Guitar.” In
an unexpected and pleasant surprise, making a guest appearance is
veteran drummer Dave Raven (Surfaris, Swirling Eddies, ad infinitum).
Here
is a review of some of my favorite tracks:
“Ode
to My VW Bus” —Having once owned a ’72 VW camper
bus, I was immediately drawn to this tune before I even heard it.
Upon hearing it for the first of many, many times, I’m convinced
this evocative little paean to beach transportation represents everything
right about this genre of music. This many years later, I need only
to close my eyes when listening to this tune and I’m transported
back to “Rails,” a favorite haunt close to the San Onofre
nuclear power plant in southern California. Warm water and consistently
great waves. This is the first of three flat-out Paul Johnson rave-ups
here and it sets the tone for much of the first “side”
of the album.
“JungleWave”
— Paul Johnson makes his third and final appearance on Beach
& Guitar in this vintage rave-up deeply reminiscent of The Ventures
classic “Walk Don’t Run.” Dave Raven drives the
tempo relentlessly and leaves little room for breathing until the
song fades in the stereo. I never believed surf music needed to
apologize for anything. This little tune is why. Oh, and by the
way, Coffman penned these first three tunes about 10 years ago and
shelved them, knowing the time would come when they would be heard.
They haven’t aged a day.
“Tow-In”
— Fast and fun. Layering guitars over the steady rhythm section
of Coffman and Raven, this stripped-down-and-built-for-speed studio
rave-up features some great tremelo work from Da Luz highly reminiscent
of the best guitarists of the genre.
“E-Z
Riders” — This is the sort of stuff spaghetti western
score composer Hugh Montenegro would have done had he been fortunate
enough to have been raised in Southern California. Guitarist Anthony
Da Luz is complemented by subtle but critical lap steel work from
Jack Butler (Private Domain). One of my personal favorites on the
album.
Ka
Hula O N‘a Niu (The Dance of the Palm Trees) —
The introduction of Hawaiian steel guitarist Greg Sardinna —
first heard on Coffman’s “This is Fun” —
to the mix on this track marks a pronounced step into the hybrid
mix of Southern California surf music and traditional Hawaiian music.
If “Beach & Guitar” were vinyl, this delightful
track would be the lead off on the ‘B’ side. And throughout
the song (and indeed, every track on which he’s featured),
Sardinha skillfully and beautifully shows off the incredible dynamic
range of the steel guitar.
“Waikiki
Two-Step” — For a country-western surf punk like me,
“...Two-Step” is a listening lesson in the unmistakable
linkage between Hawaiian music and legitimate country-western. And
not just because of Sardinha’s dominating presence on the
track. C-W is huge in the Islands. This delightful track pays genuine
homage to that influence once the new listener gets past the jarring
title of the tune.
“Sunset
at Waikiki” — In every CD you own there’s one
favorite track, right? One tune that for some reason is lodged firmly
in your frontal lobes and serves almost as a theme song for you
when you’re driving down Hwy. 101 or sitting on the front
porch with that first cup of morning coffee. For me, this is it.
Far and away the most gorgeous and lushly produced track on Beach
& Guitar, this peaceful and visually compelling work immediately
conjures up images of my childhood days in the Hawaiian Islands.
For more information contact Pam at www.rolltopmusic.com or
rolltop@ adnc.com.
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