Hey y'all
Back from another week gap, and late again too. Oh well!
I want to thank everybody that tuned in for Monday's show of surf covers. What I was hinting at but couldn't say on air is that Tulane's fundraising people hadn't approved our fundraiser page yet. I didn't know this until Noon rolled around, and we had no ETA of when it would happen. It finally did happen yesterday (Wednesday) at almost exactly 5pm. I was pretty frustrated, but I gotta say, I got so many calls and comments from people telling me how much fun they were having with the show, so it was hardly a total loss.
But anyway, now that page is UP! So you COULD donate to it now (shout-out to Tara who somehow was one of the station's first 10 donors!) or you could wait until the next show, which will be another SHOWDOWN, where you can "vote" with your donation.
Donations to WTUL mean a lot to me. It's the station that I grew up listening to, and I've put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into keeping it worth listening to. And I LOVE that a gigantic chunk of our donations come from fans of the SURF show. I don't think anybody would ever expect something like that.
In other news, Gremmys are paused until after our fundraising period is over. But the next one is Modern Surf Record -- the biggest one!
Mardi Gras was, as always, a great time down here. The kids' grandparents were in town so my wife and I got to prance around downtown untethered for the first time since 2019. I was dressed as Mega Miranda: Mega Man adorned with a fruit hat and festive jewelery a la Carmen Miranda.
And as always, if you're not subscribed to my mailing list, please do!
New Releases
The Boss Jaguars - Peel Out With
It's only two songs, but I gave them a Gremmy Honorable Mention for their debut EP and it's nice to see some momentum. Great trad surf out of the vibrant Austin scene.
Burrito Wolf - Relaxo beach
Weird and fun progressive surf from a band that's been around for a while but finally got it together for an LP. Plenty of appeal to Man or Astro-Fans but less of a clone than a lot of other groups (and don't get me wrong, I love the clones).
The Cavaleros - Supersonic
'd love another long-palyer from this group, but these two show that they've still got a great sharp and raggedy sound. Their cover of Slinky isn't better than Link's because I've never heard a Link cover that is, but it doesn't make me wish I were listening to the original!
Deep Eddy Records 2026 New Music Sampler
Deep Eddy rides again! The Austin-based label has been a little quiet for a while, but in advance of Surf x Surf East it's nice to put them back on the map. There are five bands on here, each with two songs. It opens with a new song from The KBK which actually isn't exactly on their upcoming EP (this is the instrumental version). The big surprise for me was RAHMUS, who released an album last year that completely passed me by, and sit pretty nicely next to The KBK. Anyway, it costs zilch, so go download it.
The Breeze Blocks - Breezy Bees!
I've enjoyed this guy's bedroom exotica projects, and this one leans a bit more into the space-aged pop direction. And there's a some tracks that I'd even call surf in there (though don't go in expecting many of them). While the digital instrumentation doesn't sound all that authentic, we're talking 19 free tracks, it's worth spinning the wheel.
Cool music that isn't surf
But not far off!!
Sababa 5 plays instrumental guitars with middle-eastern-tinged melodies and a light dusting of synths and psychedelia. I liked their last album, this one even moreso. I don't think it gets as weird and nasty as Omar Khorshid, but I'd also recommend them to fans of his.
Also, I saw Ak'Chamel the other day. I don't know if I'd say they're a can't-miss band, but if you wanna see something different, I'd say they're that. Though admittedly maybe I'm just shoving them in here to show you my photos.
Meaningless Poll
What's your favorite Ventures album?
