Rewind to last week.  I was making my evening reading rounds of guitar forums before climbing into my arboreal sleeping arrangements, and came across a thread that stopped me cold.  Over on the SurfGuitar101 forum, someone had posted a health update on Dick Dale, who is obviously pretty revered among us surfing birds.  The update consisted of a friend-to-friend email that painted a pretty dismal picture of The King’s health - that he’d been battling through cancer and was getting back out onto the stage, only to have an undetected infection ripping his newly regained health right out of his body.

Reading, and then re-reading, the post, I was absolutely shaken.  It’s obvious that Dick Dale is upheld among all others in the realm of surf and instro guitar.  Despite the fact that Australosurfecus doesn’t sound much like Dick’s style of surf, I personally count him as one of my primary influences on my six-stringed sojourn.  He also holds a special place in the dark Congolese heart of us as a band - In addition to his monster contribution to the core of the genre we call home, our first official outing as a triumvirate was attending a Dick Dale show here in Columbus, Ohio.  All three of us left slack-jawed, and the night stands as one of the best, if not the best, live performance I’ve ever been privileged to witness.

The man controls thunder.  That’s the simplest way to put it.  That guitar, those Showmen amps, all of it - you don’t so much hear it as you feel it, pushing you around, rearranging your brain from song to song.

Now to the following night, when I sat down and re-traced my steps to find the posting on Dick’s health, check for updates and write an update here on the Surfecus Site… only to find that the thread was nowhere to be found.

That was pretty scary.

In absence of any mention or reason, I assumed the obvious - that Dick or someone close to him had requested the post be pulled - which made me even more concerned for The Eliminator.  Thankfully, it seems someone from the LA Times was likewise concerned, contacted Dick and ran an article on Dick’s battle with cancer, his push to get back on the stage and the current health concerns that have all us surf guitarists muting the strings.

Dick Dale: Surf guitar king riding the wave back from cancer (LA Times)

Long and short of it, Dick is optimistic and fighting as usual to get back to health and playing for his fans.  Allegedly, he’s set to undergo surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center today, so if you have a minute to send some positive energy - or an uplifting email to dick@dickdale.com - it’d be a great time to do so.

And to any guitarists reading this - if you’re playing tonight, rip off a gliss for the Big Kahuna.  He deserves all the reverberated vibes we can send his way…

That’s right, you surfing sapiens!  We’ve just posted the official set list for this Thursday’s show at the EYMC in Powell over on the Surfecus Set List Page.  Its fun, its freshy, its fifteen songs long!

Thursday May 20th,     8pm-9pm
50 W. Olentangy Street
Powell Ohio 43065

We gave it a run-through last week and it pounded the walls of our beloved Cave with reverberate craziness.  Hope to see you all Thursday night!

Hey everyone,

We have a show at the Espresso Yourself Cafe in Powell Ohio next Thursday. We will be playing from 8 to 9. That’s right, we will be making Mocha waves at the cavern of Espresso once again!  We’re excited that Eric invited us back and we can’t wait to see you there.

Thursday May 20th,     8pm-9pm
50 W. Olentangy Street
Powell Ohio 43065

Low Frequency Echo-Communicator

Just this past week I, the low frequency echo-communicator, paired up with THE ‘Ape of Wrath’, Drumbuie, for a gorilla section rehearsal. Any Anthropologist worth their salt would confirm that often times when the six string sapien is away hunting, gathering, or playing in caverns for inspiration, the rhythm section of the species, myself and Drumbuie, would get together for a Gorilla session.

This very thing happened last week and it went smashingly (literally at times).  We needed to hum the six string sapiens parts, which sufficed without impressing, but we made due. Our preternatural ability to keep solid beat and rhythm allows us to function in this capacity, although the tone of the product is never meant to be heard without all three working parts. We ran through a couple new cover tunes we have been polishing.  There is nothing like paying homage to those who pay homage to you by playing an artform you created! After this we worked on a new orignial tune that we are excited to bring to the masses. It is a moving chart that doesn’t let you catch your breath. We also combined for an alternate version of the Apes of Wrath duet, as when left to our own vices the gorilla section always goes primitive and returns to the ‘beat rhythms on things’ ritual.

Hello fellow simians,

Unfortunately our servers fritzed on us and we lost our original show update, so I am attempting it again. Sometimes we surfeci don’t fully grasp servers and other modern conveniences. Our ’servers’ and ‘blog spots’ involved sun-bleached fish bones, ground up dahlia petals and the nearest flat rock… Anyway…. The show last month was a success. Eric at Espresso Yourself Cafe has put together an awesome venue for modern humans, and your favorite surfing hominids, to express themselves musically and artistically. After a rousing acoustic set by Eric himself, Australosurfecus began their mellifluous set full of social-ritual dancing and primordial rhythms.

The set began with a Rumble, as usual, and the crowd was rocking from the first chordata to the last. What followed was 16 songs full of energy and passion. We Australosurfecus simply return to a time when all we worried about was food, shelter, and making music and from that space our music flows. We ended on Apes of Wrath, where once again Drumbuie showed the world why our species was so revered. With rhythmic talent like he possesses being biologically passed down, it’s pretty shocking we faded from the hominid landscape.

Thanks again to those who joined us. We hope to do it again soon.

Low Frequency Echo-Communicator

Just a quick reminderism that we’re bringing the surf to Powell tonight at 8pm!

When: Friday, March 19th at 8:00 p.m.
Where: The Espresso Yourself Music Cafe - 50 W. Olentangy St. - Powell  43065

Like any good coffee shop, the EYMC is serving up a strong, eclectic blend this evening - owner Eric Ahlteen kicks things off at 7 with a solo set, followed by Australosurfecus at 8, the indie rock band Seven Biik Trilogy at 9 and the jazztacular Latin grooves of Kique Infinte at 10.

The EYMC is a great venue - part coffee shop, part art gallery and part performance venue - and it’s worth stopping by to see what they’ve done with the place.  So swing by early for a bite and a cuppa, and stay for the Surf!

Great times in the Peach District last night!  It’s always a cool vibe and a great time at the Dragonfly, but the Peachi Crew went above and beyond last night and made their “Surf’s Up” the most fun we’ve had yet!

We were in the opening slot, with two bands (Tin Armor and The Compressions) to follow, with various comedians and entertainments sprinkled throughout.  We set up and sound checked, then hopped out to mingle among the incoming crowd and admire the ambiance - the Peachi Guys ‘n Gals went all out, complete with a back-projected beach scene on the wall behind the stage, hula hoops and a drink selection that was at the perfect nexus of price and tastiness.  A comedienne was up first to warm things up, and brought everything from a soundtrack (Elvis singing “Be Bop a Lula”, anyone?) to mini-surfboards for instant public tomfoolery.  The Peach District proved once again to be the place where anything goes, as Zach and another Peacher went toe-to-toe in a surf-off on the mini boards.  Leis were doled out to the crowd - which by this point was bigger than any we’ve played to yet - and in short order they were calling out the Surfici to take the stage and get things salty!

We started our set with a straight-shot of three songs - Rumble, Joker’s Wild and our own Tough Crowd in Hartepool - which seemed to do the trick of throwing the groove down right away.  The crowd proved to be a lot of fun from the start - pockets of dancing broke out right away, and beach balls were flying through the air for the entire set.  There was even an appearance by a squirrel/fox-clad gyrator, complete with bushy tail and ears, and I spent the rest of the night kicking myself for missing a chance to make a joke by somehow combining Sciurus niger and a Nut Zippers reference.  You don’t get that chance every day!

Brief Aside:  It’s always fun to watch people cut loose to instro surf, because it seems to bring out the reckless abandon in everyone.  The tried-and-true “stand and nod” works just as it does with more vocalized genres, but something about surf just encourages people to get crazy.  Once one person tosses out the “Hang-Ten Egyptian” move, its like a flag in the sand that anything goes and it’s all good in the Pipeline!

And speaking of Pipeline… Yours Truly had a very un-sentient moment when he didn’t stick the drop-in for the first verse!  Thankfully, if anyone but the three of us noticed it was long forgotten by the mini-solo-bridge before the last time through, as we were treated to a nice helpin’ of “nod-and-rock-approvingly-at-soloing-instrumentalists” - which is always appreciated!

Things really started cooking the last half of the set.  Cassowary was a treat, as we were finally able to throw it out there in all its snarltwangy epicness.  The Apes of Wrath has quickly become a crowd favorite, with the double-drum craziness of the Drumbuie and LFEC pushing the crowd right over the edge, and everyone seemed to enjoy carving up the four final songs and riding it on home with us.

Needless to say we have to throw out a big, seawatery thank you to everyone who came out and surfed it up with us last night.  The three of us have been playing music for years - decades, if I’m being old and honest - and we all agreed that last night’s show was some of the most fun we’ve ever had on a stage.  This was, really, the first time we’ve been able to fully cut our songs loose in front of a live crowd, and having that energy right up against the stage, breathing and breaking and cutting right along with us, was both a joy and a privilege.  We just hope everyone went home with the same amped-up grins you sent us off with!

So another great time at the Peach District, and we look forward to reverberating the walls of the Dragonfly again in the near future!

– The Six-String Sapien

Our fellow gentle Simians- we are proud to announce that we have to shows coming up in the month of March. On Friday March 12th, we will be performing at the Surf’s Up festival at the Dragonfly cafe. Once again joining our Peach-Sapien brethren to spread the message of peaches, art, and pipelines! The following week, we will be playing at the Espresso yourself music cafe in Powell. This will be a new venture for us and we are excited to spread the sounds of the seas throughout the mid-Ohio region and enlighten a new community on the existence of such an advanced species of early hominid. For show details and addresses check out our live shows page.

The Peachi Gras went off with a bang. Snow-be-damned, the show was a huge success and the district of Peach proved once again that it will persevere. The show supported the Central Ohio Peace Network and we are glad we could be a part of it. We had a raucous set that kicked from the first salt-water soaked chord of Rumble to the last reverberation of Surf’s Up at the Cape of Good Hope. Thanks to all who joined us and a special thanks to Zack and Philip of the Peach District for having us join the party!

Many Happy Duck-Dives…. Low Frequency Echo-Communicator

This just in - we previously had a bit of vaguery surrounding the start time for our set at this Saturday’s Peachi Gras festival, but no more!  We are officially starting the surf madness at 4:40 p.m. EST at the Dragonfly Neo-V Gallery.

When: Saturday Feb 6th at 4:30 p.m.
Where: The Dragonfly Neo-V Gallery - 247 King Ave. - Columbus 43201
Cover: $2.00 donation to the Central Ohio Peace Network

We’re slated to play a 45-minute set of original and cover material inside the Dragonfly Gallery.  The festival is also serving as a fundraiser for the Central Ohio Peace Network, who help advocate for equality and civil rights.  The festivities continue until the wee hours, so check out the event schedule to find out what else is going on at Peachi Gras.

We’ll make sure to check back and post the official set list prior to the show, but mark your weekend for 4:30 on Saturday and we’ll see you there!