Being categorized as a "surf" band allows us to play the occasional festival during the summer. For the second year we have been invited to play the Santa Barbara Sandcastle Festival. What could be more fun than carrying your gear across the sand on a hot summer day? Actually, it was a lot of fun. A popular Santa Barbara event, this year had a huge turnout. Kelp opened the day with a 90 minute set mix of classics such as Steel Pier and Jack The Ripper and our own originals. Since we're closing in on Halloween we dug out our version of Scooby Doo.
Todd on Hallmark Swept Wing bass guitar
Last year the tent covering the stage flew off 10 minutes into the show, nearly taking out a couple of innocent bystanders and exposing us to lethal gamma radiation for the duration of our program. So the suits were checked at the door and replaced with civies. Still, we retained the matching amps and guitar straps with Paul on his white Jag and me on my white Swept Wing.
Paul on Fender Jaguar with his best Peter Gunn face
Sam was as furious on the drums as ever. Standard issue wife beater with straw hat and Shaggy chin fuzz, he looked like just stepped off the set of a Frankie and Annette flick (if the couple was high on LSD, sure).
Sam The Beachcomber on drums
Nothing like playing surf music with a view of the ocean. There was a bit of fog so as an occasional sailboat would come into view it would remind us of our favorite Jonny Quest episode with the Lizard Men.
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The same weekend of the show we were invited to play in the annual Santa Barbara Christmas Parade. Yeah, Kelp on a flatbed truck surrounded by dancing wahine's, a volcano and ripping out our xmas surf tunes while thousands of locals sit on the curb shivering in the cold waiting for a glimpse of St. Nick. Priceles. The theme is "sleigh bells and sea shells". Need I say more?
Aloha!
