It was the dawn of the third wave surf revival in the San Francisco. The Ultras were bringing new showmanship and style to the genre, and the fledgling Mermen were reinventing the whole concept. Prior incarnations of the surf sound in the city had been limited to beer drenched reverb practitioners. Quality playing and writing were a new phenomenon.
In late 1992, I began hearing underground rumblings about a new surf band in town called the Woodies. "Great name" I thought to myself, but it would be many months before I was able to track them down.
One night, my wife Betty and I went to the Paradise Lounge in San Francisco to see The Ultras and The Mermen. I was also looking forward to seeing the Woodies for the first time, as they were also on the bill. After getting our fill of the headliners, we went upstairs to see the new kids in town. We watched and listened as The Woodies played really pure, trad-surf covers from the extremely small stage in the tiny room.
The Woodies in clubland (Photo by "Big Wave" Dave Becker)
The pure surf chunk of their sound was so magnetic that I didn't notice their matching bowling shirts for almost ten minutes. The sight of four suave cats with Fender gear was pure retro cool- matching outfits, reverb drenched crunch, familiar licks in perfect time - it was like being back in 1963. The time shift was all too surreal.
As we got ready to leave, I introduced myself, giving (lead guitarist) Rick Escobar my phone number on a beer coaster. I invited a call-back to talk about playing on my show at KFJC. The next night, Rick called me. We talked surf for an hour or so, and finally set a date for the Woodies to come play for my radio audience.
The day came, and they loaded in. I still remember how nervous Rick was about playing for my surf-aware audience. He proudly showed me this nifty little rewrite he had done with Paul Johnson's "Mr. Moto" to better facilitate their damped reverb sound. It was obvious he was in love with the music and the sound. I assured Rick that their performance would be great... "Stop worrying, just have fun and play" I said.
Phil Drit and Rick Escobar (Photo by Uncle Al)
The performance was spirited, and pure surf. Though there were no originals in the set yet, and they were still developing their chops, I was mighty pleased, and Rick was mighty relieved. Really great players all seem to be very self critical and Rick uses that to drive him to higher platforms of performance.
The other thing their performance made really clear was the importance of the chemistry between rhythm guitarist Dave Mangiante and Rick. Dave clearly understood the role of the rhythm guitar in surf. He worked in perfect sync with bassist Bob Bishop, and drummer Chris Amsler. Together, they created a synergy that magnified their sizable individual talents.
The Woodies have played many times on my show since then. By the second trip into KFJC's "Pit," the band had brought a few originals into the set, beginning with "Mavericks" and "(If It Swells) Ride It," which became a staff hit at KFJC.
The Woodies played at the first Summer Surf benefit concert with Southern California legends The Insect Surfers and the, by now, hugely successful Mermen. Rick was showing his sense of humor through his original melodies in a way no other surf artist had done. Not since the Fireballs "Rik-A-Tik" has there been such optimism in surf as demonstrated by the dazzling "Surfin' With Bernie," named for perennial surf fan Bernie Beckwith.
The Woodies at Winter Swell (Photo by Uncle Al)
At Psychotronic Surf, a fundraiser film and music event hosted by KFJC's Robert Emmett and I, they played an inspired set between the movie trailers and sixties TV ads, and the film feature "Bikini Drag." This performance gave us the version of "Agent Woodrow" which appears on the "Reverb Central" and "Fiberglass Jungle" compilations. By this time, The Woodies originals were taking up over half the set.
Each outing added to their stature in the surf community. More than just a great surf band, they had become a musician's band. They were not just doing traditional surf, they were taking it to new heights of quality writing and playing. They had infused monstrous emotional power into the melodic crunch and fluid glissando world of surf. The Woodies had delivered a truly gutsy sound, and an infectious rhythmic attack. They once characterized themselves as "San Francisco's toughest band."
They ended their days as a band in 1996 in front of hundreds of fans at the Nitro Bikini Nationals Drag & Custom Car Show in Redwood City. It was a hot summer afternoon when the somewhat acrimonious mid-set on-stage break- up occurred. Most in the crowd didn't realize the end had come, but the long pauses between songs were a clear sign that something had gone awry.
The Woodies have achieved that sought after and most illusive of all trophies: a buzz. They never played outside of the Bay Area, but were highly respected by musicians, and adored by their hardcore fans. Long after their last performance, they remain a standard for comparison. This is particularly significant when you consider that their recorded output has been limited to a handful of narrowly distributed compilations.
Despite this very limited exposure beyond the Golden Gate, their name comes up often in surf circles. They reinvented traditional surf, making it their own. The originals are reverb-perfect surf, sporting an optimism (or darkness as needed) of sizable power. Their music is always infectious and wonderful.
The Woodies had finished recording an album of originals before that fateful last gig at the Hot Rod Show. Their breakup shelved any release plans at the time. Now finally released, this CD contains the glorious original traditional surf music captured in the studio, plus a few cool live tracks to show off their awesome prowess.
Without further adieu, please welcome The Woodies into your ears.
Surf's Up Saturdays 7-9 PM on KFJC 89.7 FM
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