|
 |
|
 |
“The
sound of Australian longboarding”
Phil Jarrett
Editor/Publisher of The Surfers Journal magazine
As
the name might suggest, Mal & the Longboarders
are a dinky-dye surf band. Yep, all that groovy stuff
from the sixties that evolved from the emerging surf culture
of that period.
It was exciting times and the music of that era reflected
the feeling - a new age, new values, and a great new popular
sport - surfing!
The bands of the day were The Shadows, The Ventures, Beach
Boys, The Chantays, Jan & Dean - and so the list goes
on.
Hey, but not everyone actually surfed, nor did every surfer
necessarily listen only to surf songs - the whole scene
encompassed rhythm & blues as the foundation
for not only surf music, but also most other popular music
of that period - and so it is reflected in the full repertoire
of Mal & the Longboarders - surf & 60’s
music.
|
|
|
|
The
band at Watego's |
Mark
in the studio |
What a way to go, all the great surf songs plus a king
mix of the 60’s R & B classics, and if that ain’t
enough, they have a bag full of original Aussie surf songs
with a 60’s style but a modern flavour.
The emergence of Mal & the Longboarders came
from a necessity (and a large stroke of luck) in the first
instance. You see, all the guys in the band had been playing
in different outfits over the years but were all members
of a Malibu board riding club - The Second Wind Mal
Club, which is based in Federal (in the hills
behind Byron Bay on Australia’s east coast).
Well, the club decided that it needed to do some fundraising
and the method was to hold a dance in Federal Hall, the
only problem was that the club couldn’t afford to
hire a band - it didn’t take long to realise there
was already the makings of a band amongst it’s members.
The name was easy and the gig was a ripper, so good in
fact that the boys in the band decided to keep it going.
|
|
|
|
Soz
in the studio |
Pete
with Rusty Miller in Noosa |
Five years and many gigs later Mal & the Longboarders
are a polished and professional outfit - still based around
Byron but getting more and more requests to travel
further afield.
Besides being booked in Clubs and Pubs for their ‘good
time’ music, the Band have also been in demand at
more and more longboard surf contests up and down the
East coast.
In 1999 & 2000 they have been the main act at the
prestigious ‘'Noosa Festival of Surfing’,
playing to packed houses every night with surfing legends
and champions from all over the world bopping their socks
off into the wee small hours.
The band released it’s first CD in December ‘98
- ‘Sticky Feet’, which are all original
compositions. In January 2000, the band released it’s
second album - ‘Eskimo Roll’, another
all original CD with a little more ‘edge’ than
‘ Sticky Feet’.
A third CD - ‘Five Toes Over’ was released
in March 2002, again all original compositions and featuring
guest appearances by surfing legend Rusty Miller
(percussion & harmonica), Longboard pro Lucas Proudfoot
(didgeridoo), and keyboard player Tony Narvo (from
the band ‘2 Men & a Piano') - the best recording
yet from the band.
|
|
|
|
Gaz
in the studio |
Mal
at Scotts Head |
The members of Mal & the Longboarders are very
experienced players with the roots of a couple of the
boys going back to their days as kids when those surf
songs were the first things they ever leant to play -
full circle!
Everyone in the band has been through the rock ’n
roll, blues, country (no western), jazz and funk scenes,
but now the stoke is the surfing lifestyle - an integral
part of the music they play.
Mal & the Longboarders have been described by Phil
Jarrett (Editor/Publisher of The Surfers Journal magazine)
as “The sound of Australian longboarding”.
|
|
|
|
|
