January 2004

Surf Squad

Band Name: SURF SQUAD

Genre: Instrumental Surf Rock, Specifically, Dick Dale Tribute Band

Geographical Area: Connecticut (So Far)

Interview with Vinnie "O" by email on 12/14/03

1. What is the current line-up of your band? 

Vinnie "O" on lead surf guitar, Mark Searles on Fender bass and Freddie Colgan on drums.

2. How and when did you get started with your band?

I started the group back in November 2000. Dick Dale is a close friend of mine, actually he's more like a brother than a friend, and I sat down with him before a concert at TOAD's in New Haven one year, I think in May 1999, and I asked him how he would feel about a Dick Dale Tribute band. He started laughing and said, "Who the hell would want to do that!?" When I told him that I felt it would be great to have a band do a tribute to a LIVING artist, instead of a dead one, and that his influence on me was something that even I couldn't begin to explain, he almost started crying. He gave me the blessing right then and there on the spot, and we became the only official Dick Dale Tribute band on the East Coast.

3. What bands or music have influenced you most?

Well, Dick Dale of course, would be the most influence, relative to the group, but I am also partial to Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughann, Eric Clapton and The Beach Boys. In fact, I used to be part of a Beach Boys knock-off band, years ago. I really love the harmonies.

4. What is the break down of cover vs. original material in your live shows and/or recordings?

So far, as we are a tribute band, we do only covers. Predominantly Dick Dale stuff, but, we do throw in some other covers such as "Pipeline", "Fever", "Secret Agent Man / James Bond" etc. See, the problem with original stuff is, when you're doing a tribute group, you're pretty much locked in. Someday we may expand, maybe under a different name, to try our hand at originals, but for now, we're just having a blast doing what we do.

5. What recording have you done?

To date, the only recording we've done is a five (5) song demo that we cut as a promo, to put out for gigs, and a one (1) hour cable TV show that we did, which spotlighted the group as one of the openers for The Four Tops at the Waterbury Festival 2003 back in September. We are looking forward to eventually getting back into the studio and doing a cover album, we just don't know when.

6. What is your band's favorite food / beverage?

We've found that we will eat just about anything!! (Hahahaha). Oh yeah.......and beer is good!!

7. How do you get gigs?

I've been pretty much the sole promoter / gig- getter for the group, for the most part. Freddie Colgan, our drummer, has gotten us a few gigs through his contacts as well. Getting gigs has been tough. I normally go into a place, chat up the boss a little (Beg and Grovel) and leave a press kit with them. Then I wait for the call. If I don't hear anything in a few weeks I call back. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

8. What are the difficulties you find playing your kind of music in your area?

It seems that for some reason, places aren't real keen on hiring a "Surf Band". It seems the trend today, in our area, is Blues and Jazz. It's a tough  area to get gigs, and to make it worse, most places aren't willing to advertise to bring in a crowd, they want to "Try you out" in the middle of the week and they leave it up to the band to bring in the crowd. Well, Hello!! Middle of the week with no advertising?? Most normal people work!! Who wants to be up to 1:00 in the morning when you've got to get up at 5:00 or 6:00 the next morning to go to work? So if you're "Playing for the door", you basically play for free and then the place doesn't book you again because you couldn't pack the place on a Tuesday night!!! It's been hard to get established, to say the least.

9. What positive attributes does your band have that sets you apart from other bands of any genre?

I like to think that we are a "Grass Roots" band. We are pretty down-to-earth guys with a "Normal" outlook on life. We stand for Truth, Justice and the American Way, Mom and Apple Pie and all that. We stand for the little guy that works hard for a living to raise a family and survive day to day, and who gets stepped on by the "Higher Ups". We try to make people feel GREAT! when we play for them. They may have had the suckiest day in history, but, when they hear us SHRED, for even one instant, if they can say, "Hey, this is some cool shit!", THAT is a moment of happiness in their day that we helped put there, and that is worth more than anything. We love to play this stuff and we try to pass it on. I don't know if that sets us apart from any other band, or not, but, that's who we are. 

10. What have you found to be the single most effective promotional tool you've used to further your band's musical path?

We haven't found it yet!! If anybody has, please let us know!!!

11. What's the most interesting performance experience you've had?

They're all interesting!!(Haha) I think the most "Interesting", so far, was getting the truck stuck, up to the doors, in mud while loading up just before a gig. After about 2 hours of trying, unsuccessfully, to get it out, we had to call for a tow truck with a winch, which was no easy thing to find considering it was a Friday night. We managed to get to the venue 1/2 hour before showtime and took the stage on time!! I was covered in mud!! It was the "Night From Hell". The most "Memorable", without a doubt, was playing "TOAD's PLACE" in New Haven, CT. This is where I first met Dick Dale, and where we still share one of our few nights together every year. To be able to get up on the same stage where it all started, and play in Dick's "Persona" WOW!!! That was really bitchin'!! Dick thought it was cool too!!

12. What do you hope to get out of being a NESMA member? 

Making new friends, new contacts. Interacting with other "Grass Roots" folks. Being able to share our insanity with others that share our insanity. 

Peace, Love and Surf,
Vinnie "O"

 
(See more information & photos of the band here.)

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