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

Marbles Mahoney on drums and guitar
Barry Simon on guitar and drums
Greg Timm (Loud Greg) on guitar
Vince Giovannantonio on bass


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

MARBLES: As members of the Hornets Scooter Club on LI, Barry and I stopped on a ride to Long Beach in 2004 and discovered that we both were graphic designers and also drove MINI Coopers. Then we started talking about music. I said I played drums and Barry said he did also. I said I loved surf music and Barry said he did also. Then I said I always wanted to play in a surf band. Barry said he did too! So that’s when we started the band and started looking for like-minded people.
 

MARBLES: We draw on many influences, Vince & Greg come from a heavy metal background and I'm an old punk rocker that loves the music that started rock & roll like: Elvis, Little Richard, Bill Haley & Buddy Holly & of course The Ventures..
 
BARRY:  Well there is the Beatles and then there is everyone else. Then there were the Ventures, Hank Williams, BB King, Freddy King, Hendrix, Clapton, Zappa, Stevie Ray Vaughn, etc. I also have to mention Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks.
 

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

MARBLES: We have several originals including “The Martians Are Pissed” and “Lobster Rock” but we mainly play cover tunes. If we can model ourselves on anyone it would be the Ventures, who didn’t really consider themselves a surf band – they played a huge variety of material instrumentally, but it all sounded like them.
 

5. What recording have you done?

We have 2 albums out – the first was “Making Treble” and the 2nd was “Swimming in Reverb” We recorded them at Sabella Studios on LI – they have great vintage gear – all recorded onto tape.
 

Marbles: Mosrite guitar, Gretch Sierra Grande, Pearl Drums
Barry: Fender Strat, Gretch Duojet, Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue Amp, Fender ’65 Princeton, Jangle Box
Vince: Larrivee 4 string Bass, Epiphone SG Bass, Line 6 POD effects, and Fender Rumble 100 Combo amp.
Greg: Guitar : SX-SJM Red,  Fender Strat, Marshall JCM Duel Reverb 100 Watt Amp
 

7. What is your band’s favorite food/beverage?

Cheese doodles and Twinkies
 

We beg.
 

Inevitably when we get done playing a set, someone will say “Gee you guys are great but you should get a singer!”
 

We try and mix up our set list and play surf covers, TV themes, some blues and we are now adding lap steel and Hawaiian sounds as well. We like to take songs not normally associated with surf music and play them in our own "Strange But Surf" way, like AWB’s “Pick Up The Pieces”, The Byrds “8 Miles High” and America’s “Sister Golden Hair”.


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

Really word-of-mouth is best, but emailing and the web help as well.


12. What’s the most interesting performance experience you’ve had?  

We have played some great gigs including a private party at a posh LI Art museum. But the strangest was when we got on stage for a private party and found out at that moment that we were playing for a children’s event. But incredibly – they loved it! (once they destroyed the balloons and party decorations)


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

We are just very happy to be a part of a group that promotes surf music and enjoy the amaraderie of hanging with all the amazing bands.


14. Anything else?

MARBLES: We sponsor an annual Music Festival called TWANGSTOCK (twangstock.com) to thank everyone for their support and to celebrate the music that all of our friends make. This year it was Sunday Sept 6th. We invited the world to the Ranch, known as Rancho De Angelo in Levittown. It’s a way cool for us to all hang out with the other bands and get to know each other offstage. We feel it’s the best way to let everyone know what we are all about, which is having a good time playing kick ass surf rock with our own style and hopefully a little grace. We  must also thank Unsteady Freddie for all he has done to help us thru some difficult times when we seemed more strange than surf...

May the surf be with NESMA... always...