Smashing Mag / The Surf Coasters @ Lava Lounge, L.A. (3rd Mar. '05)

The Surf Coasters @ Lava Lounge, L.A. (3rd Mar. '05)

The Surf coming from the Land of the Rising Sun
Wow! The club was surprisingly crowded tonight. All of the seats in the Lava Lounge were taken as soon as the doors opened, and the small venue was packed. The crowd's age bracket seemed rather high considering the acts were mainly surf music performers. "I just arrived today. I slept and slept, but I'm still tired because of jet lag," said guitarist Shigeo with a wry smile as he set up the drums and amplifiers on the tiny stage. It is true that there are not many surf music bands. However, regardless of genre, I believe that The Surf Coasters are the best instrumental guitar rock band in Japan. The trio combine elements of surf rock, hard rock, 60s pop, garage rock, and several other genres to create a style that is truly unique. The group was introduced by a Lava Lounge employee instead of the band members themselves as they were not confident about their English skills. The night's first number was "Big Thunder". The bassist, Kuri, shouted at the crowd, which got everyone excited. The Surf Coasters kept the energy level in the room high by proceeding to knock out "Shark Man" and "Rising High" in quick succession. While Shigeo usually handles MC duties in Japan, Naotaka decided to give it a try in the U.S. Grabbing the microphone, the drummer said "We are The Surf Coasters! Please buy T-shirt and new CD. I'm hungry. I want dinner. Do you understand my English?" His humourous speech made the audience burst into fits of laughter as attendees called out things such as "Ok" and "Yeah". The band proceeded to perform their new songs "Samurai Struck", "Midnight Headlight", and "Nineteen". The audience didn't seem to care whether they knew the music or not. Everyone simply wanted to enjoy listening and dancing. Shigeo finally decided to reclaim his role as MC and introduced his friends Milk Teath, a Japanese band that was going to perform at Lava Lounge the next day. Sharks-in-Rockin's, the Milk Teath's vocalist, self-introduction was "da bomb". He won the attention of many of the ladies in attendance who were still hanging around after the show. Moreover, he was wearing an orange suit which was actually his stage costume for Milk Teath's show the following night. This move showcased his sense of Japanese iki (chic) I think. The audience continued to shout "More!" and applauded the band after they had finished their last song. With an embarrassed grin Kuri pointed at his watch to say that their time was up. However, the owner gave the ok and they performed "Tsunami Struck" as their encore. Three bands performed tonight, including The Slackstones, but The Surf Coasters were the only band that the crowd wanted to hear play an encore. After their encore, they were besieged by a herd of autograph hunters and handshake seekers. The band members seemed nearly bowled over by the massive praise being bestowed upon them with words such as "legends" and "gods" being uttered by members of the audience. It has been said that The Surf Coasters are more popular in the United States than in Japan. This is true as I have witnessed it for myself.