Vistalite Black
Ludwigs in the Basement
RIP Astronauts drummer Jim Gallagher, who died recently at 78 in Boulder.
News of his death brings up a topic we don't talk about enough on the forum, the explosion of mainly instrumental Surf Music bands in the pre-Beatles 60s.
I wasn't there to remember it, but I've always love Surf Music and it's been important to my drumming, especially early on because on most Surf Music songs, the drums are far more clear and distinct than on pop songs with vocals -- helping drummers like me identify beats and techniques to power our practice sessions ... I did it more as a beginner, but there are still days when I'll pop on a Surf Music playlist to play along to for a little while -- four hours.
I'd love to hear from drummers who played in 60s Surf bands or who still use Surf records for practice (or recreation).
Here's a news item about Gallagher. It doesn't include that the Astronauts reached 94 on the Billboard 100 with "Baja" in 1963. "Surfing with the Astronauts" went to 61 on the album chart.
Astronauts drummer, longtime Boulder resident Jim Gallagher dies at 78 (dailycamera.com)
The Astronauts - Baja - YouTube
News of his death brings up a topic we don't talk about enough on the forum, the explosion of mainly instrumental Surf Music bands in the pre-Beatles 60s.
I wasn't there to remember it, but I've always love Surf Music and it's been important to my drumming, especially early on because on most Surf Music songs, the drums are far more clear and distinct than on pop songs with vocals -- helping drummers like me identify beats and techniques to power our practice sessions ... I did it more as a beginner, but there are still days when I'll pop on a Surf Music playlist to play along to for a little while -- four hours.
I'd love to hear from drummers who played in 60s Surf bands or who still use Surf records for practice (or recreation).
Here's a news item about Gallagher. It doesn't include that the Astronauts reached 94 on the Billboard 100 with "Baja" in 1963. "Surfing with the Astronauts" went to 61 on the album chart.
Astronauts drummer, longtime Boulder resident Jim Gallagher dies at 78 (dailycamera.com)
The Astronauts - Baja - YouTube