Surf guitar bands will make a splash in Long Beach at this beach music convention
Beach music surfs into Long Beach this weekend.
There’s no need to catch an actual wave to feel like you’re out in the California surf this month thanks to the return of a festival that celebrates beach music.
The 15th annual Surf Guitar 101 Convention returns to Long Beach this summer with a lineup filled with a who’s who of the instrumental music genre.
“We have everything from traditional to progressive to psychedelic to the heavy and spooky stuff. We have all corners of the instro surf scene covered in this lineup,” said Jeff Hanson, founder of Surf Guitar 101 Convention.
The weekend event will take place July 26-28 at the Golden Sails Hotel in Long Beach where dozens of bands will perform. The lineup includes headliners The Surfaris, who formed in Glendora in 1962 and are responsible for “Wipe Out,” one of the most recognizable surf tunes of all time.
“This is the song everybody knows,” Hanson said.
Surf music fans who also happen to love horror will have a lot of reasons to dance this weekend because another headlining act is the Van Nuys surf-garage band The Ghastly Ones, who incorporate a monster theme into their surf sound.
“They haven’t played in about 14 years. Their sound is like the Haunted Mansion theme if you were to play it as instrumental surf music,” Hanson said.
Festival-goers will also see some reunions including The Untamed Youth featuring Deke Dickerson, who formed the band in 1986. Other surf music stars performing at the festival include the Insect Surfers, who are celebrating 45 years together.
“They were the first surf band that I saw, and they’re my favorite surf band. And they’re one of those bands that mix in all types of different elements of the surf umbrella into one band,” he said.
Besides music the festival will include a marketplace where people can buy CDs, records, musical instruments and all other surf music-related stuff.
Surf Guitar 101 Convention
When: July 26-28
Where: Crystal Ballroom at the Golden Sails Hotel, 6285 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
Tickets: $50-$200
Information: surfguitar101festival.com