Label: Sonic Thrust Records
Cat. no: STRCD-004
Release date: September 17, 2002
UPC A. 807207016328
RAKE and the Surftones - SURFERS DRIVE WOODIES (Japanese version/18 tracks) is now available to the rest of
the world! This is an album which will take you back to the sixties when the surf music waves were high, recorded in a
surf style (Dick Dale, Ventures type of thing.)
Fun music with raw solid energy giving you the feeling of surfing the waves, in the sunset of the
endless summer in Hawaii or Southern California, where the swell is running and the waves break perfectly, visualizing
the lifestyle of the carefree surfer, riding the surf, driving his Woodie, beach partying and watching the surf scene waiting for
the "Big One". RAKE, alias Jay Graydon, plays together with a host of the best studio musicians in the world, e.g. Dean Parks (Steely
Dan), Steve Lukather (Toto), David Hungate (Toto), John Ferraro, Joseph Williams (Toto), Jason Scheff (Chicago) and many more.
Catchy tunes with an attitude and the fun factor of this recording is shining through big time!
The reason for making the surf album was for a studio test and it was major fun to visit that past era of the early 60s. Writing
the songs was extremely easy since growing up with surf music I knew the style backwards and forwards!
The party was major fun as well! The restaurant is a huge building right near Malibu Pier and it has been various restaurants
over the years. Now it's Nobu, which is a high-end sushi restaurant and gourmet Japanese food. It looks totally different inside
from what it did when we played the surf gig.
After playing all the surf songs it turned into a giant jam session with all kinds of funny stuff such as Bill Cantos doing an
act for fun, which was playing like an old guy playing pop songs of the current era with really square chord changes.
So both the album and the party was extreme fun!
By the way I should mention we played Wipeout on the gig and did something Jon Kurnick (outstanding studio guitarist) had
done in the past, which is we all played the melody in different keys! It sounds like a musical disaster that is so funny we
were all laughing the whole time!
When watching this video KERSTIN put together I was reminded that we were attempting to play like we were 14 years old.
Fine memories for sure! - JAY
Check out the video below with clips from the once-in-a-lifetime surf party in Malibu with RAKE and the Surftones with family and
friends. The footage suffers big time from the very low lighting at the venue, but I am sure you can tell everyone was having a great
time.
Update September 10, 2019.
Jay here everyone. I thank you so much for your comments and note there is so much humor in the liner notes for the surf album, as well
as in the lyrics of the vocal songs that are hysterical! Read them
in the liner notes of RAKE and the Surftones
For the guys (no offense ladies as it’s intentional guy humor of teenagers) - the album title name alone is - SURFERS DRIVE WOODIES! One
song is titled - FOR SANDI GRILL AND THE SEA CUPS - (yea, intentional teenager guy humor for both names). There are so many other jokes
in the titles as RUN DON’T WALK in reverse order is WALK DON’T RUN, which is a famous surf song BUT actually the first version was
recorded by a jazz guitarist named Johnny Smith!
This is a must have CD for parties before the summer ends! If you do not live in California, you will think you do when listening! Keep
in mind the video party at Marilyns is actually on the beach sand and Malibu Pier is a block away!
There are a bunch of surf movies filmed a few miles away such as the movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, e.g. "Muscle
Beach Party" in 1964. As to continue the story, the people that owned Marilyns also owned the club that is shown in at least one of
the mentioned surf movies.
I have driven down Pacific Coast Highway so many times since I was a kid and a few months ago, I went to a dinner at NOBU (that was
Marilyns) and all I could think of was the album and party in that building!!!!
Btw, I have given Kerstin the guitar I played on the album and I bought a Fender Showman 15 just for this album and also used my
Fender Tank Reverb I bought new in 1964 to get the same surf sound that was used in the era!!!!
After you get the CD and read the liner notes, there is more hidden humor. Simply name a song or any names in the album credits
and I will tell you the story for each!
Surfs up so I gotta go, Rake from RAKE and the Surftones!
Songs from the album have been aired on Oceanic Cable in Hawaii on the
Mike Latronic surf shows and they used a track or two in a show
about China Uemura's long board contest. Some of the songs were also aired in July 2003 on the Waxfoot Surf Show #29 at
CTSCC Ch.27 which broadcasts from beautiful downtown Santa Cruz, California.
An extensive review of
the album can be found at Phil Dirt's
Reverb Central. Click on Reviews in the left column and then look for the album in the right column or click on the
letter R in the alphabetic list at the top of the page.
Phil's Garage: Surf's Up! with Phil Dirt Saturday nights 6:PM - 9:PM on KFJC 89.7 FM. On current and past
playlists you will find tracks from
RAKE AND THE SURFTONES being played.
RAKE and the Surftones - SURFERS DRIVE WOODIES
Tracks:
Gotta Woodie Today
Undertow
Run Don't Walk
The Lonely Wave
For Sandi Grill and the Sea Cups
My Woodie
Malibu Pier
Surfin' Drums
The Rake Mystery
Bach Goes Surfin'
Minute Wave
October in Oxnard
Gettin' Air
Blue Lights
BONUS TRACKS
Hot Fat Boogie
Surfers Toe Jam
Red Tide
Bunyon Run
Musicians and Vocalists:
Todd LaBrea (Jay Graydon) - LEAD and rhythm guitar
Sleepy Richard Hueneme (Dean Parks) - lead and RHYTHM guitar
Ed Hudu (David Hungate) - bass guitar
Malibu JC Peters (Jim Cox) - keyboards
"Butt" Powell (Tom Hensley) - keyboards, accordion and vocals on "MY WOODIE”
Hot Fat Reynolds (John Ferraro) - drums
Yo Wood (Sherwood Ball) - guitar
Stan "Haight" Ashbury (Joseph Williams) - lead vocals
Paco Pt. Loma (Jason Scheff) - lead vocals and guitar
RAKE and the Surftones (give or take a few) at first live performance. Left to right - Jim Cox, Darryl Voss, Kenji Sano,
Jay Graydon, Dean Parks.
SURFERS DRIVE WOODIES is produced by Jay Graydon for NEW MUSIC INC. and recorded live (except for the overdubs)
commencing
on October 9th, 1995 using the HARPOON STUDIOS remote truck parked at Malibu beach next to the pier. The band was set up
about 10 feet from the edge of the pacific ocean during "high tide".
This album was engineered by Cookie (Mikal Reid) and mixed by Todd LaBrea using the 96 track Webcore wire recorder system
utilizing ham radio crystal mics and soup cans with long strings for earphones.
Mastering by Steve "Hang 10" Hall at FUTURE DISK. Steve brought his surfboard into the mastering studio for the "vibe".
WAY COOL! 2002 release remastered by Todd LaBrea using the ALESIS MASTERLINK system.
Jay having fun at the surf party.
Todd LaBrea (Jay Graydon) plays an electric guitar through a reverb and amp (it is a secret). ERNIE BALL guitar strings
and volume pedal were used. Todd uses PLANET WAVES guitar cables now but they were not made then.
Hot Fat Reynolds (John Ferraro) plays EVANS DRUM HEADS.
Poop Fiction (Steve Lukather) plays the LUKE signature model MUSIC MAN Guitar and used ERNIE BALL GUITAR STRINGS.
Biff “No Pick” Balboa (Sterling Ball) plays the signature STERLING model MUSIC MAN Bass but not on this album. I am not
sure what strings he uses.
Yo Wood (Sherwood Ball) plays MUSIC MAN Guitars and ERNIE BALL strings.
This album is dedicated Dick Dale, The Ventures, The Beach Boys and the many surf bands and studio musicians that molded
the surf sound.
Tommy Tedesco, the "God Father" of all studio guitar players is responsible for lead guitar on the song "OUT OF LIMITS"
and many more. His "surf style" was a major influence!
I asked Tommy to name the studio musicians that helped to create the "surf sound" during the 60's.
Guitar: Tommy Tedesco, Glen Campbell, James Burton, Jerry Cole, Billy Strange and Jerry McGee
Bass: Ray Pohlman, Carol Kaye and Bill Pitman on 6 string bass
Keyboards: Leon Russell, Al Delori and Don Randi
Drums: Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer
A host of the world's top guitarists got together at this once-in-a-lifetime party gig at
Marilyn's in Malibu. We were totally WIPED OUT!! by the completely new and surprising approach
to the classic surf song. Jay Graydon, Dean Parks, Bill Champlin, Steve Lukather, Sterling
Ball, Bobby Cochran, Jim West, Jason Scheff, Craig Copeland, Teddy Castalucci - all playing in
various keys - yea, at the same time! AWESOME! WILD! My friends, there are absolutely no
words for this! Wishing you were there.....
Darryl Voss, Bill Champlin, Steve Lukather and Bobby Cochran are getting instructions
from Jay about their key for playing the crazy chromatic WipeOut.
Sterling "Biff" Ball is having a great time with Luke and Dean.
"I can't hear you"... or is it ... "I don't want to hear you"...
Teddy Castalucci and Kenji Sano.
Bill Champlin grooving with the Hammond B3. Kenji in the background.
Jay, Dean Parks and Kenji Sano together in a solo.
"........
You might find your summer queen
Might run into Ben Vereen.
It could happen at Malibu Pier
........"
Craig Copeland and Jason Scheff in beautiful harmony.
Todd LaBrea on surf music:
In September of 1964, I attended the 9th grade dance and heard a sound that changed my life! The local surf band was
playing as I entered the gym. I walked up to the "band stand" and stood there with my mouth hanging open. I had no idea
what the guitars and amps were but they looked and sounded like heaven to my eyes and ears.
The next day in school, I asked one of the guitar players (in that band) to please educate me regarding the guitars and
amps. He replied that his guitar is a Fender Stratocaster, the other guitar player plays a Fender Jazzmaster and their
amps are Fender Tremoluxe's with Fender "tank" reverbs. I asked him what that "lever" on his guitar was for. He said it
was a "tremolo bar" that allows the player to "bend down and vibrato" the pitch of the guitar. WOW!
A few days later I met two guitar players at school and asked them to jam "surf tunes" at my house with me playing drums
(I owned a very old Ludwig drum set). That Saturday was so much fun! We decided to "jam" the following day so the guitar
players left their guitars and amps at my house. I fooled around with one of the guitars that night and figured out how to
play all the songs we had played that day. TOO MUCH FUN!
The rest of Todd LaBrea's rap on surf music, as well as stories by his band buddies, are noted in the
album liner notes...
Read all about this surf gig and the amazing chromatic WipeOut in Phil Dirt's column
Malibu Bar Bee. A review of
the album can be found at Phil Dirt's
Reverb Central. Click on Reviews in the left column and then look for the album in the right column
or click on the letter R in the alphabetic list at the top of the page.
Home
Jay having fun at the surf party.
Intro Page
E-mail Us!