Surf Instro Review: The O' Hara's-Devil's Desert

Welcome to the Devil's Desert, the hottest place on Earth. This music roars at you like a ball of fire, letting you know it has arrived. The O'Hara's are a steaming locomotive headed your way filled with twang, reverb, and feedback. The group launches its all-out attack of flamenco-tinged surf-rock-instro upon your restless reverb-starved soul with 10 tracks of red-hot instro madness.

This is not music for steadfast traditional surf lovers. It is an onslaught and reworking of anything traditional. Of course, everything we hear today is just an extension of the music created back in the '60s. All due respect is given to that era and its importance to the genre.

I enjoy the electricity and abandon of this style of surf-instro. At times, the pace can be frenetic and offbeat. Only the true lover of instrumental guitar will appreciate this onslaught upon the eardrums. With talent like this, there is plenty of room for improvisation. Expect more noise from this group in the future.

It's one wild ride.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

February 20, 2000

Tracks:

01. Ghosttown Exit     

02. Hara Sutra   

03. Definitely Dead     

04. Face a la Bodega    

05. Mission: XVII     

06. Stupid Bitch

07. Devil's Desert     

08. Bad Moo     

09. O'Hara Kiri   

10. Charlie's Moonwalk

Surf Instrumental Review: The Capacitors-Cybersurf

The Capacitors are the marvelously entertaining robot (computer-generated) surf-instro band that can be found roaming about in cyberspace.

This is their tribute to science fiction and their apparent affinity for the group Man or an Astroman. The influence of many different groups can be heard when listening to this CD.

The group members are designated as the 01, 02, and 03 units. Yes, they are flesh and blood, but don't spoil the fun, OK?

Their music powerfully homages the '60s sound, covering various sub-genres. The Capacitors' unique twist on the classic sound is evident in their instantly recognizable tunes from the '60s, cleverly renamed to fit the group's theme.

The original songs are packed with frequent, powerful bursts and consistent energy, showcasing the band's signature style. The Capacitors have truly carved a niche in cyberspace and my heart.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

February 02, 2000

Tracks:

01. Infernal Machine     

02. Attack Of The Plant Men    

03. Malfunction     

4. Mission X     

05. The First Cosmonaut

06. Channel Surfing   

07. The Lonely Cybersurfer      

08. Hot Rod Burnout    

09. V36 Space Modulator   

10. Diabolical Phibes

11. Rocket Robin Hood   

12. Double O

Surf-Rock-Instrumental Review: Jerry Swallow - Teleride

From The Diamonds to Tanya Tucker to Teleride, Jerry Swallow's musical journey is a testament to his versatility and dedication. He began his career with a surf group, The Diamonds, and spent five years as Tanya Tucker's lead guitarist, with many other experiences in between. This is just a glimpse of the long and storied road that has led him to where he is now, playing in the group Diamondback and presenting his solo CD, Teleride.

Jerry Swallow cuts loose on this album with a world of experience and professional gigs behind him. Swallow's colorful and varied experiences as a musician quickly become evident in his music. He can craft a unique surf-instro, rock, country, and R&B style that remains consistently strong throughout the entire listen.

Jerry's sound is clear, stinging, and echoing; it's a unique blend of genres that will pique your interest. It is a rich tapestry of influences and is synonymous with the Telecaster guitar and surf-intro music. Whether you're a fan of fat chords or the loud and biting ones that cut like a knife, Jerry's music has something for everyone, all delivered with a certain refinement that can only be found with those specially gifted musicians.

Wait until you hear the versions of "Walk Don't Run" and "Apache." Wow! I am accustomed to repeatedly hearing note-for-note cover renditions of the same songs, so this is a real treat. 

The essential elements of the music remain intact, but Jerry adds a unique flavor and sound with his fabulous blend of styles. He fervently attacks the songs, infusing them with his signature clear, stinging, and echoing sound, and changes the whole number into a new and refreshing version that's all his own.

This triumphant solo release deserves worldwide attention from the surf-instro scene, and I am confident it will. 

Who needs coffee in the morning when you can kickstart your day with the invigorating sound of Jerry Swallow's Teleride? This album is a high-energy, rock-infused experience that will leave you buzzing. 

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

April 13, 2000

Tracks:

01. Teleride  

02. So Lonley  

03. Return To Me    

04. Surfwalk  

05. Forgiven  

06. Down The Line   

 07. Rockin' Bird  

08. Last Date  

09. Walk Don't Run   

10. Apache   

Interview With The Ventures - July 12, 1999

 Interview With The Ventures

I had the distinct honor and opportunity to interview one of music's legends, The Ventures. This has been such a thrill for me. This group is phenomenal! They surely don't get the accolades and notoriety that they deserve, hint, Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame! The questions were answered by original group members Bob Bogle and Don Wilson. Bob was so gracious and responsive. He and the group are currently doing an exhausting tour of Japan. Regardless, he took the time to do this interview. He offered to call me from Japan and do it over the phone! Hope you all enjoy this as much as I did. Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck - Orignallay Posted August 1999

Note: Their Manager, Fiona Taylor (Mel's wife), sent some rare photos via snail mail back then, and I scanned them and saved them to add to the interview when I posted it. However, I was unable to recover them for this reposting.

MuzikMan: How does everyone feel in the group? Physically, emotionally and spiritually?

The Ventures: As far as we know, everyone is in good health and very much up to the task at hand.

MuzikMan: Has everyone adjusted well to the passing of Mel and the transition of his son Leon taking over? Leon is incredible; he must have learned well from his father.

The Ventures: We will probably never really adjust completely to losing Mel but we are so fortunate to have such a great drummer as Leon. He fills his dad's shoes and then some.

MuzikMan: How do you all feel about being passed over by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Are you pleased that there has been an aggressive campaign to attract you to the Sandcastle Website? (see my Cool Links page for the Banner and Link to the site)

The Ventures: We feel very disappointed at not being inducted into the Hall Of Fame and we can not understand why. We really appreciate all the support and help from our many wonderful fans.

MuzikMan: I currently have around 43 Ventures releases in my collection. From what I understand, you have 100s of releases out there and many tracks that have never seen the light of day. Have you given any thought to doing a self-produced career retrospective or Boxed Set?

The Ventures: Yes, we have seriously considered producing and packaging our own project and releasing it through an independent distributor.

MuzikMan: Are fans more enthusiastic in Japan than they are in the States? You have been touring in Japan for so long that your popularity has surpassed that of the Beatles there. How does everyone feel about that?

The Ventures: The crowd enthusiasm seems about the same in both the U.S. and Japan but of course we have done more business per capita in Japan and this gives us a great feeling of accomplishment.

MuzikMan: Fiona (Taylor) told me that the Ace release In The Vaults Volume 2 has some tracks that the group didn't want released. Have you been able to hold up any further distribution of that CD? There have been some problems with bootlegs, which are undesirable music being released. How is all of this dealt with?

The Ventures: We made a strong demand to both  Ace and EMI to not release these songs because the quality is below our standards. We explained that they  were never really considered by us to be suitable for release but of course they ignored us and released them any way. At this point we are not sure what can be done about it   We feel it could be damaging to our career. We understand and appreciate that our fans like this cd but our big fear is, potential future fans who are not that aware of The Ventures may hear the recording and assume that we are not very good. As far as the bootlegs, there is probably not much we can do about that.

MuzikMan: Your tour of the states went really well. Does the group plan to continue touring at a more intense level than in the past?

The Ventures: We are not sure about touring that much in the U.S. as there are no promoters there like there are in Japan who will put together an entire tour and provide for all the logistical problems. It is extremely difficult and time consuming for us to do everything ourselves. There are lots of booking

agents but all they do is book the concert and send a list of the venues to us and the rest is up to us.

MuzikMan: Have you or any of the other group members ever said, "Man, I'm so tired and I really need a change. I don't want to tour anymore or record"?

The Ventures: We have never thought of quitting or trying something else. We are very happy to continue on as long as we are able.

MuzikMan: Fiona is wonderful; she was extremely helpful and responsive when I first contacted her. The group must be happy that she decided to work with the group as the manager. What are your thoughts and feelings on this?

The Ventures:  We were very fortunate to have Fiona in the wings to take over for Mel. She was already quite involved and virtually needed no transition to management. She adds a tremendous amount of talent and energy to the team.

MuzikMan: What do you think about the groups that contributed to the Tribute CD? Is the future of Surf/Instro in good hands?

The Ventures: We were very honored and appreciative to learn of the tribute groups. We were so impressed that each and every one of them were so superb that we feel, yes, the future of surf/instro is in very good and capable hands.

MuzikMan: Does the tag "Surf Group' always appear when you read reviews or articles in magazines?

The Ventures: Yes surf pops up all the time and even though we do not consider ourselves a surf group per-se, we do play a lot of surf music and the inference is O.K. with us.

MuzikMan: Are all the group members married with children? If so, do any of the family members travel with the group? If not, how is that addressed, given the extended absence?

The Ventures: Yes we all have families and usually if we are out on an extended tour our close family members will join us from time to time as often as possible.

MuzikMan: Does the group feel like old-timers now, or is it true what they say —you're as young as you feel?

The Ventures: We think you are as young as you feel and we believe music helps to keep us feeling young. We never tire of people telling us it looks like we are having fun on stage and we really do have a lot of good times both on and off the stage.

MuzikMan: What are your feelings on the Internet and the new MP3 format for music? Do you feel the artists are losing out on sales? Something has to give with all the free downloading of CDs and the illegal distribution of tracks being made available to the world.

The Ventures:  The ability to download music is great for the fans short term but we are not sure how music will be affected long term. Making records is a very expensive proposition, and if it ceases to be profitable, we believe it could eventually affect the availability of good quality music in the future, especially for up and coming young

musicians who have very small budgets to work with.

MuzikMan: Do you feel Zine like mine are really helping the Music Community with exposure? Especially the Independent Music Community, where there is so much undiscovered talent and many unsigned bands. From my experience, I have heard some incredible music and feel it's a shame that the music industry has to be so political and mainstream. What are your feelings?

The Ventures: There is no doubt about it, zines such as yours very definitely help the entire music industry and from an artist's point of view we believe all members of the industry should be appreciative and supportive of your great contributions and efforts that you and people like you make to the music scene.

MuzikMan: Have all the years recording and on the road been worth it, financially and emotionally? In retrospect, if you had a chance to do things over again, what would you do differently?

The Ventures: Of course if we knew in the beginning what we know now we would do a few things differently but generally in our case the rewards have been worth the effort and we would not change a thing.

MuzikMan: What are some of your favorite groups? Who would you consider a major influence when you decided to start playing a musical instrument?

The Ventures: When Don and I began learning to play the guitar together we were mainly influenced by what we call the big 3, Duane Eddy, Les Paul, and Chet Atkins. Since then it's so hard to pick a favorite as so many phenomenal groups have emerged such as The Eagles, The Beatles, Chicago,  War, etc. etc. to name a few.

MuzikMan: Your music has gradually increased in availability over the last few years. Have you seen a big jump in sales and demand for the group's live performances worldwide?

The Ventures: Yes, much to our surprise we seem to be more and more in demand each year. To be able to sustain after 40 years seems too good to be true.

MuzikMan: Do you guys ever take a break or go on an extended vacation? Or have any plans in the future to do so?

The Ventures: We almost never take a vacation in the standard way but in a lot of ways it seems like we are on vacation much of the time, even to the point where coming home for some much needed R and R is like a vacation just being home.

MuzikMan: Have you really checked out all the sites dedicated to the group on the Internet? What are your thoughts and feelings on all the work that has gone into these cyber shrines to the group?

The Ventures: Yes we check the sites often and we are quite overwhelmed by the support and admiration from our many fans. We feel that The Ventures Fans are the most special people in the world.

MuzikMan: After the Japan tour is over, what does the group plan on doing? Recording another studio album?

The Ventures: We do have tentative plans to record possibly 2 more CDs for M. & I Records next winter for the year 2,000 Japan tour..

MuzikMan: In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for this opportunity.

It has been a thrill for me to do this. I have never had so many questions for one interview before! Do you have any closing comments that you would like to make?

The Ventures: Thank you for the interview. It's people like you who help keep the name, The Ventures, alive.

MuzikMan: Thank you gentleman! It has been an honor and a privilege to conduct this interview.

 

© 1999 MuzikMan Productions, All rights reserved. Interview conducted and reproduced with permission of the artist. The Ventures were interviewed on July 12, 1999, while touring in Japan.

Davie Allan Interview 2004

Here is an interview I did via email with Davie Allan in 2004. Note the fancy fonts above!

MuzikMan:  Where are you from and how did you get your start in the music industry?

Davie Allan: I’m a California native, born in Los Angeles. I became interested in music quite young but it was seeing Elvis on TV that really got me thinking about a possible career. In high school I met and became friends with Mike Curb who would be my producer in the early years. We started doing demos in school and then the first of two big breaks came when Tower Records (Capitol subsidiary) released the first Arrows’ single “Apache ‘65.” The second break came when we joined forces with A.I.P. (American International Pictures) and started doing their movie soundtracks. “The Wild Angels” led to a couple dozen biker and “B” movie scores.

MuzikMan:  You decided to release your first Christmas album after over 40 years recording, what prompted this decision?

Davie Allan: Two years ago I found out that Little Steven was closing his Underground Garage radio show with “Blues Theme.” I wrote and thanked him and a friendship was born.  In June of this year, he said I should do a Christmas album and that he would pay for it and release it on his new label Wicked Cool Records. I picked the tunes, arranged them, recorded them, and then he came out here to oversee the keyboard overdubs.

MuzikMan:  Little Steven has done a lot of great work exposing worthy artists like yourself and I applaud his work. What was it like working with him in the studio while producing the Christmas album?

Davie Allan: I had already recorded all the tracks when he had an idea for the Christmas With The Kranks film. He wanted a takeoff on “007” to go into “Hark The Herald Angels Sing.” I put together an arrangement, Steven flew out, and fine tuned it and played rhythm guitar on it. He then came out for three days for the vintage keyboard overdubs. He is an absolute pleasure to work with and honest…what a rarity today! That track didn’t make it into the film but we had a blast recording it, however, "Feliz Navidad" did.  

MuzikMan:  At what point did you decide not to become a rock star and concentrate your energies on movie soundtracks and instrumental recordings?

Davie Allan: Actually, it all tied in together. The soundtracks led to a few hits and a great U.S. tour in ’67.  I’m still trying to be a rock star! Kidding!

MuzikMan: Has the Sundazed career retrospective "Devil’s Rumble" help to define your career and gain you new fans?

Davie Allan: As thrilled as I am for settling with Curb and getting the 60’s recordings re-released, I still put my music of today on the front burner. Also, I have not seen a statement to know how it has sold.  There’s another part to the Curb/Sundazed story coming up in the spring. Three of my albums from the 60’s (Apache ‘65, Blues Theme and Cycle-Delic Sounds Of…) will be re-released on CD and Vinyl.

MuzikMan:  Who would you consider to be the most influential musician you have worked with?

Davie Allan: My early influences, bedside Elvis, were Duane Eddy and Nokie Edwards of The Ventures.  As far as someone I have worked with being an influence, one name comes to mind from the 60’s-Billy Strange.

MuzikMan: What kind of music do you listen to leisurely, besides other instrumental and surf bands?

Davie Allan: I don’t listen to other instrumental bands and not much of today’s music but I love 50’s and 60’s rock ‘n’ roll (especially Elvis and The Beatles), plus ELO and Heart from the 70’s and the big bands from the 40’s, especially Glenn Miller. I’m also a big fan of Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra but my all time musical hero is Henry Mancini.

MuzikMan: What do you see as the future of music delivery in lieu of traditional brick mortar record institutions such as Coconuts, Sam Goody etc.? There is a lot happening right now that wasn’t a few years ago. Can you tell me what are some of the major changes you have witnessed since the 60s?

Davie Allan: I wouldn’t be surprised if record stores almost become obsolete. The internet is definitely taking over and unfortunately, it is affecting my Christmas album in a negative way. It was released too late for the label to get it into the stores so for this year it’s only sold through Little Steven’s online store. Steven plans a big re-release next year.

MuzikMan: Are you or do you plan to actively tour to support your recordings?

Davie Allan: We did a European tour in '96 (it was my first since 1967!) and in 1999 we went to the east coast. There haven’t been any other tours but we played at three festivals this year (in NY, Atlanta and Spain) plus a big Halloween show in San Francisco. 

MuzikMan: What kind of life style do have now opposed to when you were young and restless (in LA)?

Davie Allan: Not much of a difference if at all. I’m still trying to make some sense of my career, I love movies as I did then and much of the same music. Also, I still stay away from drugs and alcohol. Sadly, I have no faith in people today. I was naïve and trusting back then and I sure paid for it. As I said earlier, Little Steven is a rarity .

MuzikMan: What are your plans for recording in the immediate future? Do you ever want to reach far beyond the realm you are accustomed to working in-I mean totally shock your audience with something so different that they will not believe it?

Davie Allan: We already have another album in the works that is along the lines of Restless In L.A. in that we’re adding vocals. The new album (working title: Moving Right Along) has more vocal tunes and remakes of “Apache” and “Blues Theme” to coincide with the 40^th anniversary of The Arrows’ first recording and first chart record (“Apache ‘65”).

MuzikMan: Is There Anything you would like to say in closing?

Davie Allan: I have to go back and mention Steven Van Zandt again because I was quite close to hanging it up earlier this year. Besides closing his show with “Blues Theme”, playing my newer recordings and producing the Christmas album, he placed one of my tunes on The Sopranos (“The Loud, The Loose And The Savage” from Restless In L.A.) and had us open his “Underground Garage Festival” in New York on August 14^th. I now plan to submit the new album to him after the first of the year.

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

December 21, 2004

Visit Davie's Website @ http://www.davieallan.com