Surfdusters

Websites: https://surfdusters.com/
Origin: Vancouver, British Columbia, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Vancouver’s The Surfdusters were Western Canada’s premier rock and surf instrumental band throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century.

Founded in 1989 by lead guitarist Ralph Johnston and rhythm guitarist Rich Hagensen, The Surfdusters recorded three full length CDs of instrumentals mostly composed by band members – ‘Raincoast Rumble’…‘Surf After Dark’…and ‘Save The Waves’; one 7” vinyl EP ‘Waves Of Pleasure’, and were on scores of vinyl, cassette and CD instrumental releases and compilations throughout the world.

Besides Johnston and Hagensen, the original group included bassist Dave Guindon; keyboardist Joanne Banks, and drummer John Hanson. Ex-Powder Blues saxophonist Gordie Bertram occasionally played and recorded with the band and, in 1994, Frank Nichols replaced Hanson on skins. Ralph Johnston, who played on and composed most of The Surfdusters early vinyl and cassette releases and their first CD, left the band in 1995 to form industrial surf band Quonset. In 1996, lead guitarist Mark Brodie briefly recorded and played with the group before leaving to form Mark Brodie And The Beaver Patrol and later, The Metalunas. Scott Smith then joined as lead guitarist and Grant Shankaruk also came on board as the new bassist when Guindon bailed out in 1995. This grouping (Smith, Hagensen, Shankaruk, Banks and Nichols) picked up the pace with increased live dates and they recorded The Surfdusters second CD in 1998 plus other sessions in 1999.

For over 10 years, The Surfdusters played mostly around Vancouver where they shared the stage with instrumental kings Dick Dale & The Del-Tones, The Ventures, Shadowy Men On a Shadowy Planet, Huevos Rancheros as well as numerous Canadian and American rock’n roll, instrumental, punk, country swing, and rockabilly bands including Nervous Fellas and Ray Condo & the Ricochets. Highlights were an October, 1997 road trip to play at North by Northwest in Portland, Oregon and a July, 1996 appearance on Phil Dirt’s KFJC surf radio show in San Francisco, California where they opened for Davie Allan & The Arrows.

Another honor was having their original composition ‘Save The Waves’ selected as the only Canadian instro on the Rhino Records 1996 ‘Cowabunga! The Surf Box’ 4 CD anthology of the best 1960s to 1990s surf instrumentals. Also, The Surfdusters felt privileged to have 11 of their original instrumentals (all on the Fireball Records ‘Save The Waves’ CD) included in various episodes of the world’s #1 cartoon ‘Spongebob Squarepants’. Another Surfdusters instrumental ‘Russian Dressing’ – also from the ‘Save The Waves’ CD – is playing in the background during the beach barroom scene on the ‘NCIS Los Angeles’ Season 4 episode titled ‘Skin Deep’.

The Surfdusters continued playing until November, 2001 with their last live appearance at the Fireball Records ‘Instrobeat’ CD release party with 7 other instrumental bands from the compilation. Since then, several Surfdusters originals have appeared on various artists compilations in Europe and the U.S.A. Waiting in the wings are yet more instrumentals from The Surfdusters vaults slated for Fireball Records releases in the near future.

S & R MUSIC No 15 September/October 1996
SURF’S UP
The SURFDUSTERS
Rich Hagensen, tells their story…

One of Canada’s first all instrumental bands, the Surfdusters, hails from Vancouver: a city of one million people nestled between the towering Coast Mountains and an inlet of the Pacific Beach on British Columbia’s west coast. The band’s music inspirations are as diverse as the rain forests and surf of B.C.’s shorelines with a potpourri of rockabilly, blues, surf, country and garage-punk influencing its members.

Since their formation in 1988, the Surfdusters have released two cassettes, a vinyl 7” 3t. single (reviewed back in S & R issue 2) and a live instrumental tune on several compilation LPs and cassettes. The overwhelming response in record mailorder and music has made them a much in demand combo for live dates around Vancouver. Recently released was now their debut album on CD “Raincoast Rumble”, containing mostly original instrumentals… but before going on about what’s happening with the Surfdusters now, let’s go back to their roots...

The two original guitar players: Ralph Johnston (lead guitar) and Rich Hagensen (rhythm guitar) met through an ad in the “Musicians Wanted” section of the Vancouver entertainment weekly Georgia Straight in 1982. Looking for people to play surf instrumentals “read the ad” posted by Ralph. Now, those words singling out playing that rare rockabilly/country/blues/garage minded musicians, were quite and made Ralph well read. He always loved ’50s instrumentals and had even written two “Sixties Instrumental” inspired things for music pub. Find anyone really interested in playing this kind of music would be hard. Ralph was playing acoustic guitar instrumental music (a la John Fahey and Leo Kottke) for years and had recorded several independent cassettes released in shops and on mailorder as well. After hearing Jo & The Nighthirders debut album, Ralph put his acoustic influenced set aside and began playing his Martin D-35 with a big amplifier. He and Ralph connected right away and jammed together, they became friends and together they put the act into a band shortly after. One night Ralph walked into the record store where Rich worked and handed him a 45rpm EP entitled “Board Surfers”.

The two continued on and built a backlog of surf instrumentals and soon added other members. Various friends filled in until the final permanent line-up now being: Bill “Sick Dick” Hubick (drums), Grant Shankaruk (bass), Joanne Banks (organ) and Frank Nichols (drums).

Some of the original music was recycled by Ralph in the band The Garage Surfers in the mid ’80s group and titled the Unknowns. One of these Unknowns cuts “Olaja De Misterio” (Surf Of Mystery) appeared later on a “What Surf 3” compilation LP. Towards the end of the 1980s, Ralph released the super fun “Surf Party” cassette again featuring Ralph backed by studio musicians and friends in the Garage Surfers, the Unknowns and The Fridge Magnets. The Fridge Magnets varied in sound from the other Surfers because they had more of a punk/surf tone on most of their tunes. Ralph released a vinyl EP by the Fridge Magnets in 1990 which featured three harder edged guitar instrumentals as well as the moody surf-vocal tune “Like Valiant” which was recorded by local Valiant Car Club as background music for a video ad. As a follow-up to the 7” EP release, Ralph and the Fridge Magnets members started rehearsing with idea of playing live again. The band broke up before they did any gigs as some of its members moved away. Before their demise, the Fridge Magnets recorded a few more which ended up on a cassette “Board Surfers” along with the Surfdusters debut recordings.

All this while, Ralph played a few solo concerts around the Vancouver circuit where he taped and released a strictly instrumental band. Before their demise, the Fridge Magnets recorded a few more which ended up on a cassette “Board Surfers” along with the Surfdusters debut recordings.

Deke Dickerson of The Untamed Youth has quit his other main band the HUSKY (a new 4 piece) who have an album out soon on the US Elt. Combo & revealed released their debut EP titled “4 Devils 1 Hell” (Zebra).

Other names on the scene that popped up mentioned: The New Yorkers, Susan & The Surftones, new garage-surf rockers the HUKK (feat ex- members of the Vibes), and Johnny Bartlett of the Phantom Surfers now with his other new band Pollo Del Mar from San Francisco, California. Also a recent arrival band the Boss Martians (who recorded a long EP for Get Hip records), and The Finks from Australia have just released a split 10” vinyl on Scotland’s Dead Beat label. Also released a split EP with the local hometown heroes “Astonaut Zero”.

(Continues Next Issue…)