Instrumental surf music, recommended if you're a fan of Dick Dale, The Surfaris, The Ventures, Jan and Dean, The Chantays, The Tornadoes, The Beach Boys, The Penetrators, The Bel-Airs, The Mermen, The Eliminators, The Sandals, The Malibooz, The Pyronauts, The Blue Hawaiians, Agent Orange, Pollo Del Mar, Los Straitjackets, Laika & the Cosmonauts, The Insect Surfers, Los Mel-Tones, The Torquays, Jon and the Night Riders, The Surf Kings, The Duo-Tones, The Volcanics, The Ghastly Ones, The Lively Ones, The Pyramids, The Bomboras, spy and 1960 surf rock music.
Killer Waves - a landmark surf music instrumental cd that overflows with catchy pop filled melodies & twisting turns throughout. Moving on from the influences of the greats like The Ventures, The Lively Ones, The Surfaris, and 60's & 70's movie soundtracks, the Vista IV presents a follow up to the out of print original limited 2000 cd of surf classic cover tunes (Mr Moto, Penetration, High Tide, etc). Now, in Killer Waves, the Vista IV writes more new surf music for cruising and beach combing. Pick up your copy of this classic cd while they're still available!
The Vista IV is an instrumental surf music band delivering energetic performances of classic surf music, spy, and urban pop wherever they appear. Combine this with the bands flair for creating original surf arrangements of hit TV and movie theme songs and you have a band that connects with audiences of all ages.
The band plays fast paced instrumental surf music filled with electrifying surf guitar and surf keyboard exchanges. Their surf sound is reminiscent of what you get when you mix gritty noir adventures like “Pulp Fiction” and 60’s spy parodies like “Our Man Flint”. The surf songs are skillfully delivered with a combination of polished organ leads, clean surf guitar mixed with plenty of reverb, and bass and drum rhythms that break with the traditional sounds of 1960’s to bring a driving contemporary backbeat. Listeners can’t help but stop, watch, and then get up and dance.
Personnel:
Skater J - plays guitar with a surfed up blend of fiery double picking and catchy melodies.
Liz N - keyboards that draw from sax influenced lines and gives the band its spy flavor.
Little Donny – his bass playing is always highly spontaneous and visually electrifying.
Gary Levin - a drummer that mixes pop sensibilities, surf beat drive, and precision fills.
Taking their name from a city just off the California coast, The Vista IV was started in 2000 by Skater J who turned to his long time friend Little Donny as the bass player. They soon teamed up with Liz Nydick and Gary Levin after hearing them play some surf music standards (Pipeline, High Tide, and Miserlou). The bands early gigs were in an antique store located in the oldest part of the Las Vegas business district with a show that fired up the downtown audience. Whether it’s in a smoke filled bar, a small nightclub, or just off the Las Vegas Strip, they always draw an enthusiastic crowd.
What the press is saying about the Vista IV:
\"The Vista IV offer a different take on the traditional surf sound..\" - Alan Taylor; Pipeline Instrumental Review #74\"
\"..with some crafty arrangements, there\'s a solid accent on originality..\" - Robert Silverstein; 20th Century Guitar
\"Solid playing and lots of energy. - Phil Dirt KFJC.FM\"
\"The Vista IV.. has been carving out its own niche outside of mainstream surf-rock music for several years..\" - Las Vegas Review Journal
Fan testimonial from the Vista IV live shows:
\"The Devo show was great last Saturday-hope your bday was a blast. The Vista IV were Inky\'s band for her birthday party last year and they were great-their version of Billy Jean was a party favorite!\" - mr smiley; Las Vegas, USA
\"The Vista IV lay it down..Tolagson and I stood in the cold for over two hours in order to catch both sets of tasty surf covers, modern pop tunes chopped and retooled as postmodern 60s spy show themes (\"Billie Jean\" & etc.) and punchy, stop-and-go originals. Think of Jack Womack or Mark Mothersbaugh fronting the Rodney Graham Band and you won\'t be far off.\" - cjb; Vancouver, BC
Join the Vista IV Myspace for more info, news, & bulletins:
http://www.myspace.com/thevistaiv
** Skater j is a proud endorser of Knucklehead Strings **
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