Days and nights of fun playing surf music

Craig Shumaker and Ken Palke belt out a tune during a Band X concert
at the Grand Theater in Torrance, Calif., in the mid-'60s.

I love to hear the great surf music of the 1960s. Dick Dale and His Del-Tones, the Chantays, the Belairs,  the Surfaris, the Challengers . . . and their great Fender guitar-driven instrumentals "Miserlou," "Pipeline," "Mr. Moto," "Wipe-Out" and more.

Some folks may not recognize surf music when they hear it, but if you recall the movie "Pulp Fiction," much of the soundtrack is surf music. The Beach Boys are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and they started out playing surf music.

Recently Kent Crowley's terrific book "Surf Beat . . . Rock 'n' Roll's Forgotten Revolution" carried me on a nostalgic wave back to surf music's heyday of 1963-64. Growing up in southern California then, I was both a surfer and budding guitar player. The book explores the musicians and their instruments, the small recording companies that put out the records, and the West Coast venues where the kids flocked to hear this new kind of music.

At age 15, I played some piano in a surf band called the Vibrasonics, mostly at middle school and church youth dances. For instance, we played a Teenage Dance at the Torrance, Calif., YWCA on April 25,1964. We earned $35 . . . split among the five band members. Mom and Dad were probably wondering if they'd frittered away their money on my classical piano lessons.

Kids didn't have to be great musicians to play surf music on their guitars, just exuberant and loud . . . with plenty of echo (called reverberation). Our band must have gotten better though, because a few gigs later, we changed our name to The Coastmen and received a whopping $65 to play the Hideout Youth Canteen at Redondo High School.

We were young and having a great time playing music for other teens. It was a red-letter day when I got my first electric guitar and amplifier.

The band spent a lot of time setting up amplifiers and microphones and rehearsing. Sometimes we'd practice in my Dad's garage and draw lots of neighborhood kids to watch us. Of course, we just as quickly drew my parents' admonishment to "turn it down" if the music got too loud.

Later as vocal music by the Association, Beatles, Beach Boys, Lovin' Spoonful and others supplanted surf music in popularity, we added some new personnel and changed the name of our now six-piece group to "Band X" (a takeoff on Brand X). I was one of the lead singers and our instruments included three guitars (one a bass) and drums.

We played lots of high schools, dances and clubs. We won a Battle of the Bands contest in March 1966 and were awarded a two-foot tall trophy (pictured above) and a headlining gig as top winners.

It was a great night when the group played for a dance at our high school (South Torrance). Lots of kids were dancing and applauding our music . . . even the teachers were tapping their toes. The best part: we made a lot of people happy that night, including ourselves.

Here's to my fellow band mates: Joe, Bob, Craig, Gordon and Ronny . . . wherever you may be!


Band X performing at the Grand Theater in the mid-'60s. From left, Joe Sarazen,
 Craig Shumaker, Ron Stone, Ken Palke, Gordon Sims and Bob Shank.