COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 31
AUGUST 2021
MUSIC MUSICAL MYSTIQUE
CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC
Surfer Blood, at long last, gets to play songs from its new album at Pappy and Harriet’s
By matt king
M
usic can create powerful emotional reactions—and nobody is really sure why. Simple guitar chords and pedals can cause a wide range of emotions with no true explanation, and indie-rock band Surfer Blood is a prime example of this musical conundrum. Surfer Blood is set to perform at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace on Saturday, Aug. 21. Worn-Tin will open. “Pappy and Harriet’s is one of the most reveals some quarantine covers and revisits, as magical places on Earth, as far as I’m well as a few in-person live sessions. concerned,” said John Paul Pitts, frontman “I always want to stay busy,” Pitts said. and guitarist of Surfer Blood, during a recent “We’ve done some web concerts, which are fun, phone interview. “Joshua Tree is an amazing but they’re kind of hard to do. You have to get place. I used to live in California, and we’d go really good at video editing and mixing and out there on the weekends. I just love it. stuff, as opposed to when there’s a show, and “It’s been a weird year. It’s exciting to get you just have to show up with your equipment. back on the road and play a bunch of shows, We edit and mix everything ourselves. But and Pappy and Harriet’s is the cherry on top of there’s nothing like playing to a crowd, and the sundae.” getting that energy off of people, you know?” The month-long tour which includes the Pitts said he learned some new skills during stop in Pioneertown will comprise the band’s the shutdown—and he’s looking forward to not first live shows in front of audiences since using those new skills for a while. Surfer Blood released its newest album, “You naturally get better at things like Carefree Theatre, last September. video editing, for example,” said Pitts. “It’s “We expected to be touring it back in May something that I’ve never really cared for that 2020—and that obviously didn’t happen,” I’m now kind of good at. But … just not the Pitts said. “This is the first time we’re going same, so I’m super-excited to get back on the to be playing these songs on the road, so I’m road and play for people in real time.” super-excited.” Carefree Theatre marks a stark contrast when The band members are hopeful that the new compared to the sounds Surfer Blood explored tracks will quickly come back to memory. previously. “We’re now shaking the rust off, but I’m “The new record is like, if I had to compare it sure two or three shows in, it’ll all fall off,” to our other records, a lot more up front and a Pitts said. “That’s the way it usually works, lot more poppy,” said Pitts. “It’s just short, comright? A show on the road is worth five pact, two-minute songs, which I’m really excited practices. Don’t see our first show, because to play live, because it’s just very immediate. we’re going to be garbage.” “I feel like you’re always reacting to the last The pandemic didn’t cause the band to thing you did, which in our case was a record completely step away from performances. called Snowdonia, where all the songs were, like, A glance at Surfer Blood’s YouTube channel 7 1/2 minutes. I love that record, and I’m really
Surfer Blood. David Hamzik
proud of it. It was an album like Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth, and the newest one is more like Alien Lanes by Guided by Voices.” Pitts said the variance in the band’s albums offers him some perspective. “Every night, when we lay out the seven different full-length vinyls on the merch table, I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s been a crazy time,’” Pitts said. “It’s a different chapter in the life of the band, and I’m excited for people to hear some extremely punchy music.” I was curious if the experimentation between the different albums had anything to do with the longevity of the band, which released its first music in 2009. “Never let yourself get bored—I think that’s the most important thing,” Pitts said. “We’ve made five or six records that all sound radically different from each other. This way, you never have to go back in time.” Most fans agree that despite the changes in sound, every release from Surfer Blood still somehow sounds like Surfer Blood. “I think that part is unconscious,” Pitts said. “You put your fingerprint on every record, whether you know you’re doing it or not.” We ended our conversation by talking about how music and culture vary by location. Pitts, who has lived in both California and Florida, said he looks forward to traveling again. “I can’t think about how different Carefree Theatre, the newest record (made in Florida), sounds compared to 1000 Palms, or Pythons, records made while I was living in L.A.,” he said. “I think these things get inside of you, and again, are out of your control. “I’m super-grateful that I was able to travel all around the world in my 20s, with my best friends, with Thomas (Fekete, who passed away after a bout with cancer in 2016), with the band, with Mikey (McCleary) and Lindsey (Mills). I wouldn’t trade that for anything. There’s something different about traveling and meeting people who are fans of your band, who will talk to you about their actual lives instead of just viewing you as a tourist. It’s opened my mind to a lot of shit. “I’m just excited that it’s all happening again. It’s been a year since we played a show. It’s not optimal.” Surfer Blood and Worn-Tin will perform at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 21, at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, in Pioneertown. Tickets are $20. For more information, call 760-365-5956, or visit pappyandharriets.com.
The Venue REPORT August 2021 By matt king
Mirage
Happy August! The Rock Yard at Fantasy Springs rolls on with its series of tribute shows every Friday and Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m., which are appetizing for all music fans 18 and older. On Friday, Aug. 6, get your fixin’s of Southern charm with Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band Southbound and Company. On Saturday, Aug. 7, pay tribute to Guns N’ Roses with Appetite for Destruction. If you’re looking for something a little more modern, check out Rage Against the Machine tribute Renegades of Rage on Friday, Aug. 20, or Pearl Jam tribute Vitalogy on Saturday, Aug. 21. Every Thursday from 7 to 11 p.m. is Country Night in the Lit Lounge. Country Nation is set to perform Aug. 12; The Troubadour Experience, a tribute to George Strait, is taking place on Aug. 19. Noches De Fuego is also happening every Wednesday and Sunday from 7 p.m. to midnight, featuring events like Latin Divas Tribute, a tribute to Shakira, J.Lo, Celia Cruz, Selena and Gloria Estefan, on Sunday, Aug. 8. Admission is free; you must be 21 or older to attend any event, except for the classic-rock series at the Rock Yard, for which you must be 18-plus. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www. fantasyspringsresort.com. Spotlight 29 is again featuring entertainment, and is kicking off the return with a series of tribute concerts every Friday night at 7 p.m. On Aug. 6, Mirage will pay tribute to Fleetwood Mac. One of These Nights will pay tribute to the Eagles on Aug. 13. You can catch an award-winning tribute to the Rolling Stones, Mick Adams and the Stones, continued on Page 36 CVIndependent.com