FEATURE A SURFING SAFARI AT 34 The story behind the Say, one morning, you were moved by the The morning I came to pay my respects, spirit – swept up in a wave of religious fervour, GANGgajang were assembling down one end recording of Delightful Rain you might say – to record a choir of monks of the room while Mick was busying himself performing a Gregorian chant. How would over his recording rig, resplendent in his Delightful Rain is a you proceed? Would you book a studio and ‘Nothing Sounds Like Tape’ T-shirt. ‘celebration of Australian send a bus to the monastery to pick up the Not just the session’s engineer, Mick is one monks for a recording and overdub session? surf music’, recorded over a of the key protagonists behind this inspired Or, would you assemble a rig and record the enterprise and a good person to explain its two-week period on location monks in their environment – soaking up genesis: the atmosphere of the chants as they resonate at the Freshwater Surf Life throughout a glorious gothic cathedral? Surely “David Minear, who runs Bombora Creative, Saving Club on Sydney’s the decision is obvious – giving the music and Kerryn Tolhurst [onetime prime mover its sense of place and capturing authentic in seminal Australian rock band The Northern Beaches. For the atmosphere is far more desirable. Dingoes, now a NYC-based music producer] musicians involved it was came up with the brainwave of doing a record There is another religion in this nation girt by and a film celebration of Australian surf all good times and good sea, of course – surfing. And surf culture has its music and culture from the ’60s through to vibrations. own hymns, and recently a few of its disciples the present. From Bombora by The Atlantics embarked on a project to record them in the (probably one of the first really big hit Text: Mark O’Connor & Christopher Holder nearest thing they could find to a ‘cathedral’ surf culture songs – The Atlantics are still – the Freshwater SLSC. The project is together and one of the first bands in on this Delightful Rain a ‘celebration of Australian surf project), through Tamam Shud, Midnight music’ and itself a reference to a lyric in Pete Oil, The Celibate Rifles, Richard Clapton, Howe’s song, I’m Alive, from the soundtrack The Cruel Sea, GANGgajang, Pete Howe of Morning Of The Earth – “I spend a lot of and Tim Gaze, then throw in the Pigram time inside the world of delightful rain”. An Brothers and young guys like Beau Young appropriate description of surfing, and the and Andrew Kidman, and you have one project’s producers figured it also seemed to be hell of an interesting blend of coastal music. a perfect description of surf music. Not a re-hashed, re-mastered compilation of SURF CLASSIC previously recorded tracks, but a whole new To accommodate the recording, the surf fresh recording, bringing in new material, club’s Freshwater Room was transformed with a bit of a glance back as well, doing into a temporary studio, an exercise pulled some of those old songs but in a more together by recording engineer, Mick Wordley. contemporary sort of way.” AT 35 Mick, by the way, downplays his own surfing As I sat back listening to GANGgajang put prowess: “I tried… but I was more the guy the appropriately titled Surfing Around The up on the beach keeping the fire going and World through its paces, it’s quickly apparent making up cassettes.” Nevertheless his passion that this is indeed live recording. There are for the project is obvious. “These are mostly no headphones for the band. All the band set artists who were very much a part of the up in onstage gig formation on a huge rug at backdrop to all of my ‘hanging out’ years. The one end of the room, beneath a huge 16-foot opportunity to record them and work with surfboard suspended from the ceiling. Mick them in one location away from the studio is informs me later that this is the original bloody amazing, to say the least. We booked surfboard on which someone called ‘The this hall out for two weeks. It’s on the beach, Duke’ [Duke Kananamoku! – Ed] – sorry, the doors are open, the waves are crashing in, I’m no surfer – demonstrated the first ever the surfers are out there – that’s the backdrop exhibition of surf board riding in Australia against which the record’s being made. It’s in 1915, right on Freshwater Beach. To revisit quite exciting. Every day’s a new project – we my original metaphor, the ‘monks’ on this gig set up for it, record it and then Kerryn and I should have no trouble catching a wave in this go through all the takes and work out what holy place of surfing. The vibe can’t help but we’re gonna use. By and large it’s all live, find its way into the grooves of this recording. there’s very little overdubbing going on.” ROB HIRST – MIDNIGHT OIL/THE ANGRY TRADESMEN Midnight Oil stalwart we’ve now co-opted Martin, RH: We didn’t actually see together with a sizzle drummer, Rob Hirst, so it’s become a three it as a nostalgia project. We cymbal and a pair of hi-hats. recorded a track with piece… turning into a twin wanted to take that surf That’s the only kit I used… his new band, The Angry guitar/drummer assault. It’s drumming from the ‘60s really stripped down. So, Tradesmen. sounding fantastic. for sure, but we actually you’re right, they were AT: Looks like you were AT: So you obviously found wanted to kick it up the vintage instruments, and having fun Rob! the location conducive. arse with guitars. And I they were all sounding hope that’s what we’ve got pretty amazing on the track Rob Hirst: It was a fantastic RH: I loved the sound of the on the record. as well. afternoon – one of the most room, the air around it, and enjoyable days of recording just the atmosphere of the AT: But you obviously AT: Has the experience I can remember. And part old Freshwater Surf Club, dusted off some vintage kit influenced any future of that was because Martin with its vintage surfboards for the sessions. direction of the band? [Rotsey] from The Oils and memorabilia… It’s a RH: Martin was using his RH: It spawned an entire dropped by as well and I very inspiring place to play, vintage Gretsch Duo Jet album! It’s an album that haven’t played with Martin particularly when you’re through a Vox AC30, and was already on the way, on any project since Pete recording a song called Big Dom had his National but we were so happy with left Midnight Oil. Dom Wave! slide guitar with a Fender that day’s recording we [Turner] and I play regularly AT: Did you get into a Bluesman amp. I set up an thought, let’s finish this off with the Backsliders, and it mindset of that era when old Leedy piccolo snare and make this a project. was Dom and I that worked The Oils were playing pubs drum from the ‘40s, a So it’ll be launched on an up the idea of our band, in Sydney’s north and the [Ludwig] Down Beat bass unsuspecting public later The Angry Tradesmen. But, surf community was getting drum from the ‘50s and this year – as a three piece. amazingly, since recording on board? a Slingerland floor tom that track at Freshwater from the ‘60s… all thrown AT 36 LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION RECORDING an audiophile experience, and performances going, but that’s been pulled down. Mark O’Connor: Freshwater SLSC is an that have years of depth behind them and a I probably looked at 10 or 15 halls along the inspired and an inspiring location, Mick. confidence that you just can’t miss. And they beaches, and eventually we stumbled across I’d imagine its choice was by no means an have incredible longevity – they just get better the Freshwater SLSC. The original surf hall accident. with age. is hidden in the front of a whole new club Mick Wordley: Well, that’s sort of my passion So as the idea for this project evolved, complex. It’s been tastefully renovated, and it’s really, to get out and record in different thoughts of reverberant beach halls, wooden built literally on the beach. The hall itself is locations, and to take a bit of the sound of sandy floors, sand, waves, loud guitars, and magnificent. The moment you walk into the that location – and more so the spirit of the crusty old PAs started to cement themselves building it sounds exactly like what it is – a location – away in the music. To capture a in our minds – the sound should connect surf hall with a polished wooden floor. A bit of sense of the space we’ve chosen to work in. I’ve the artists, the theme, the hall, and the sibilance, but nothing a few human bodies, amps always loved the connections of the music and performances all together. Kerryn, David, and rugs wouldn’t tame. Perfect. sounds in records that are obviously recorded Chris Moss [another party to the project] and MO’C: What sort of factors do you consider as in one space – recent records such as Willie myself came to Sydney to find a location; you make the transformation from surf club to Nelson’s Teatro or Dylan’s Time out of Mind, basically looking for an old surf club hall, on recording environment? and even oldies like The Rolling Stones’ Get the beach, with a wooden floor that had good your Ya Ya’s Out and Neil Young’s Tonight’s the pictures and good sound – somewhere where MW: I trucked all my gear over here from Night.