Daytonas-Ready Set Go!

Surf and Hot Rod harmonies can be as daunting as approaching a 50 foot wave.  Accordingly, there have only been a handful of bands (the Chesterfield Kings, Fortune & Maltese, the Untamed Youth from the U.S. and Japan’s Charlie & the Hot Wheels) that have risen to the challenge and pulled off the feat during the ‘90s. Notably, it was mostly groups from outside the surf state that excelled at the California vocal sound. Daytonas were also a first-rate instrumental band that were able to strike the perfect tone that crowned them as the successors to the Chantays and slotted them with top-tier contemporaries like the Huntington Cads. Furthermore, it’s amazing they released this album in 1993-an entire year before the Pulp Fiction soundtrack arguably launched the third wave surf revival of the mid-'90s. They also continued the grand surf vocals tradition of Bruce & Terry, Fantastic Baggys, the Sunrays, Ronny & Daytonas, the Astronauts and those Pendleton-wearing kids from Hawthorne-the Beach Boys. Brothers were also involved as the Daytonas featured Jack Fjellgren (drums) and Klas Fjellgren (guitar), Lars Lindberg (bass), Patrick Hammarsten (keyboards) along with ex-Stomachmouths, the Livingstones Lars Kjellén (lead vocals, guitar). Somehow, someway, this group and their music, so perfectly evocative of the Pacific Coast, made its way across the Atlantic from such an unlikely locale as Stockholm, Sweden. Their debut Ready Set Go! perfectly introduces their sound built on lavish reverb, soaring harmonies and precious remnants of '60s surf culture. 

Switching Tracks

Covers such as “Geronimo” by Jon & the Nightriders are indicative of their deep knowledge of surf instrumental music, while original vocals numbers “I Love California” (composed by Lars Kjellén) declare their yearning for the Golden State. This standout is reminiscent of the early Barracudas and features a captivating organ solo on par with “Kind of a Drag” by the Buckinghams before floating into space like “Telstar.” Across the record, their guitars sparkle like sunlight reflecting off the onrushing sea. Ready Set Go! also includes the charging “Go!” which also led off the outstanding instrumental compilation Beyond the Beach that was released by Upstart in 1994. I used to start my college radio show with “Go!” from the aforementioned compilation. I didn’t think I ever needed to hear another cover of “Hawaii Five-O,” but when the Daytonas’ version burst from the speakers sounding like it came from the Pacific shores of Peru with the organ prominently on the forefront, it quickly became my favorite rendition. Vocals numbers return with the title track “Ready Set Go,” that reimagines the Fantastic Baggys’ “Tell’em I’m Surfin,” while “Baked Beans & Chicken” features cool South of the Border guitars and lyrics highlighting hidden, but perilous surf spots under the Baja, California Sun.

Heights Attained

The Daytonas certainly deserved broader exposure during the brief time before “The Great Surf Crash of ‘97” when some surf outfits (e.g. the Bomboras) were even signed to major labels. The Fjellgren brothers went on to record what I consider to be the three best surf instrumental albums of Century 21 with the Surfites. Big Pounder, Escapades in Space and Surfites & Co. on Double Crown Records are remarkable achievements filled with rippling melodies that shift and swirl unpredictably like the sea itself. Additionally, these stellar records offer an impressive array of original instrumentals that are conversant with the many strains of ‘60s instrumental sounds (i.e. surf, R&B, biker fuzz, space, Euro-twang) and delivered with an emphasis on melody and total attention to tone. Today, their legend lives on through their recordings. Ready Set Go! allows listeners to hear where it all began when an unlikely, but determined group of Swedes were able to momentarily recapture the elusive California Dream.  

L to R: Lars Lindberg (bass),  Lars Kjellén (guitar, vocals) Jack Fjellgren (drums), Klas Fjellgren (guitar) and Patrick Hammarsten (keyboards).

Baja Bug-The Surf Will Rise Again!

The Scandinavians have become the standard-bearers for excellence when it comes to instrumental and surf sounds made in the 21th century.  For instance, the Swedish combo the Surfites have led the line-up when it comes to releasing instrumental albums which stand up as giants of the genre. Perhaps this development can be traced back to the immense popularity of the Shadows and Spotnicks in the Nordic region during the ‘60s. Still, these Scandinavians combos tend to lean towards the Southern Californian ‘60s surf sounds instead of the aforementioned European instro sounds and/or the Rautalanka sound of nearby Finland.  In the last few years, another Scandinavian outfit with the very Golden State name of Baja Bug has emerged from Olso, Norway blazing along with a sound that could be coined “Dune Buggy Rock.” Baja Bug seems reminiscent at times of the liminal scene and sound that blipped between the second wave surf revival of the early '80s and the third wave cursed and blessed by Pulp Fiction.  It was a time when bands like the Dragsters (from New Jersey) truly stood out in the late ‘80s sea of metal with their image, iconography and inspired choice to cover “Maria” from West Side Story. This record starts with some indistinguishable spooky surf, although “Zombies on Surfboards” does seem to cleverly quote from “Interstellar Overdrive.”  Baja Bug finds its footing on the fourth song in with “Moose on the Loose.” The immediate song sparkles with surging melodic runs and a whirling organ overlapping to achieve a perfectly balanced alignment. They also separate themselves from the pack of bands who sound totally removed from the elements of surfing itself. The power and glory of the Pacific Ocean, the rolling lift of catching a wave and traversing towards the wraparound shore are all captured and sonically expressed. For instance, “Gunfight in Kreml” features a dashing Russian folk melody and a tubular arrangement which evokes that fleeting feeling (or pipedream) of riding in the barrel. The sweeping Southwestern sound of “Moehawk” appears over the desert horizon with twang and menace recalling the wide-screen sounds of the Hellbenders. “Pacific Punch” could be the group’s signature song as it's the most quintessential Baja Californian or Coloradoan as it echoes the Astronauts-motoring along boulders of bright melodies and maintaining traction with its underneath churning percussion. The addition of a roll bar of guitars expands the song to the wide-open West where mountains, ocean, sun and sand converge. Baja Bug is making a run for being the world’s best and only current dune buggy rock band. Hopefully, more groups will follow in its tracks.