Surfaris

Music:

Member Since: 10/07/2008
Band Website: http://www.surfariswipeout.com/
Band Members: Jim Fuller - Guitar
Paul Johnson - Guitar
Ron Eglit - Guitar
Jay Truax - Bass
Rob Watson - Keyboards
Dusty Watson - Drums

Influences: SURFARIS TRIVIA:

· Jim Fuller, the lead guitar on "Wipe Out", "Surfer Joe", and "Point Panic", is known as the "Godfather of Surfguitar."

· The manic laughing and spoken title at the beginning of “Wipe Out" is the voice of the band’s manager Dale Smallen.

· “Surfer Joe/Wipe Out” was recorded at Pal Studios in Cucamonga, California USA.

Sounds Like:

JIM FULLER — GUITAR
Founding member of the Surfaris

Jim grew up in suburban Glendora, CA. east of LA, near the foothills in the San Gabriel Valley. Having picked up the guitar at age 13 in 1960, just in time for the new surf trend, he started a band with some local pals in ’62 to get in on the action.

Owing to the band’s huge success, Jim lived the life of a rock ‘n roll star throughout the early ‘60s. In the mid-to-late part of that decade, after the surf trend had subsided and yielded center-stage to folk-rock and garage band music, Jim adapted to the times and played locally with a number of such bands. Most noteworthy was a stint with The Seeds around 1968, just after they had hit with “You’re Pushing Too Hard”. During these years he also spent some time traveling in Europe, with an extended stay in Denmark where he lived for six months.

Through the ‘70s, Jim worked a day job and played only occasionally; but the ‘80s were a time of rebirth for him, as a full-fledged revival of interest in the surf sound was by then under way. Accordingly, he hooked back up in ’81 with his original Surfaris bandmates Jim Pash and Bob Berryhill to reform the band once again. Berryhill soon left to pursue his own goals; but Fuller and Pash continued on with the band that eventually evolved into the lineup it has today, traveling nationally and playing the very music that he had first made famous in the early ‘60s!

Today, Jim Fuller is often touted as “the Godfather of surf guitar.”

He can be heard occasionally at LA area clubs playing blues-rock, soul and R&B with a little surf thrown in, with his side band, Jim Fuller & the Beatnik.

Jim is single and lives in Monrovia CA.

PAUL JOHNSON — GUITAR
A Surfari since 1989

Paul’s impressive surf music credentials actually predate the Surfaris— in fact he was, along with Dick Dale, one of the genre’s principal founders and pioneers. He wrote the classic tune, “Mr. Moto,” at age 14 for his band, the Belairs. Charting in early ’62, this was the very earliest recording to be tagged at the time as “surf music.”

His innovative, lyrical playing style led to numerous studio credits. He played on records by The Hondells, Davie Allan, Bobby Sherman, Sonny & Cher and others; his prolific output of original tunes and creative ideas made him one of the most respected figures of that period. He even turned down an offer to join the Beach Boys in late ’62!

Paul’s path, as it turned out, led full-circle. The ‘80s found him back at the vanguard of a growing surf-instrumental revival that embraced his melodic style. He made several albums during this decade—some with his band, the Packards, and others showcasing his genius as a solo-multitrack artist. This made him worldwide renown as a leader in the early and latter phases of this musical subculture. in the late ‘80s, Guitar Player magazine devoted a feature article and a "soundpage" insert to Paul’s music, and the Hard Rock Cafe put a PJ guitar on their illustrious wall for display.

Today, along with his high visibility as a Surfari, he is also quite active with the Duo-tones—his innovative collaboration with Gil Orr of the Chantays ("Pipeline"). In these and all his other many projects, Paul’s MO is to keep on breaking new ground with further innovations that continue to give new life to the music. Thus he remains high in the esteem of the genre's enthusiasts as one of its leading lights.

Paul is single and lives in Santa Barbara, CA.br
Visit Paul online: www.pjmoto.com

RON EGLIT — GUITAR
A Surfari since 2005

One of the newest members of the Surfaris (replacing original member Jim Pash, who passed away in May ’05), Ron is a veteran surf music star in his own right, having played bass with Dick Dale from 1979 through 2003. His surf credentials go all the way back to 1963, when he played guitar with Adrian & The Sunsets.

Throughout the ‘60s and beyond, Ron was an active part of the So Cal rock ‘n roll scene. He is a multi-instrumentalist adept at guitar, bass, pedal steel, keyboard, banjo & dobro, and a “human spark plug” who adds a great deal of zest to any band or project fortunate enough to have him on board.

In one capacity or another, Ron has shared the stage or studio with: Jackie De Shannon, Sandy Nelson, Ian Whitcomb, Freddie Fender, Paul Peterson, Kingfish (members of Grateful Dead), the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Connie Van Dyke, Dennis Weaver and many others. He has also acted in numerous films and TV shows. Surf music fans may recall his appearance along with Dick Dale in 1987, in the Frankie & Annette revisit to their Beach Party series, Back to the Beach.

It is mainly for his stint with Dick Dale that Ron has won the respect and admiration of so many surf music fans. And now the Surfaris are reaping the benefit of all those years, as the qualities of musicianship that were honed by that experience are most evident in the energy and finesse that he now brings to the band.

Ron is single and lives in Huntington Beach, CA

JAY TRUAX — BASS
A Surfari from ’82-‘84 and again from ’95 - Present

Jay’s genre credentials go all the way back to his musical beginnings in 1962, when he began playing surf guitar on a ’57 Strat with his first band, the Nomads (who recorded two singles during their heyday of ’62–’64). He soon moved on to bass, and he has been a dedicated bassist ever since. Later in the ‘60s, Jay went on to compile an impressive rock ‘n roll resumé by playing with a number of bands that figured prominently in the larger music scene:

67–’69 — Spirit of Creation was big in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they opened for most of the major acts that came to town such as Grateful Dead, Led Zepplin, Janis, Credence, Canned Heat, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, etc.

’70–’75 — Jay returned to So Cal to co-found the pioneer Christian rock band, Love Song, which recorded three albums and toured the US throughout this period. Love Song was THE most important early band of the “contemporary Christian” genre and the chief model for others that followed.

’75–’77 — Jay played with Richie Furay, veteran of Poco & Buffalo Springfield. He can be heard on Richie’s first solo album, I’ve got a Reason.

’78–’79 — Jay toured the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand with fellow Love-Song veteran Chuck Girard, who was by then a major contemporary Christian solo artist.

’80–’82 — Jay got back into surf music by joining Paul Johnson’s Packards in the early days of the “surf-instro revival.”

’82–’84 — Jay’s first stint with the Surfaris playing rhythm guitar and bass.

’90–’93 — more surf with the Reef Riders with original Nomad Gregg Samp and Jim Pash of the Surfaris; a classic surf sound.

’95 – Jay rejoined the Surfaris.

Jay is single and lives on Balboa Island CA

ROBERT WATSON — KEYBOARDS
A Surfari since 1993

Robert began his musical life as a composer/pianist prodigy at age 6. Under the diverse influences of a musical family, Robert set an eclectic course which he maintains to this day, that led him to play regularly with rock bands AND classical ensembles.

From the beginning, his primary goal has been to excel as a film composer. But his list of accomplishments includes this and a whole lot more.

In the late ‘80's-early ‘90's, Robert found himself in demand as a session keyboardist, album producer, music director and sideman for dozens of artists and groups, including Donna Summer, The Platters, Daniel Amos, Tonio K., and the Swirling Eddies. He also worked on a number of projects with Paul Johnson during this time, which led to his induction into the Surfaris band.

Robert's film music career began to take off in the mid ‘90's after he won a prestigious BMI Scholarship for the study of film composing at UCLA Extension. This led to numerous credits for television and film, including the feature films Pokemon 2000, Pokemon III, Vicious Circle and others, plus the A&E biography The Unknown Jesus and numerous film festival short subjects. He conducted for segments of Star Trek Voyager and The Simpsons and orchestrated a number of Star Trek Enterprise episodes. He is currently composing and editing music for the hit cartoon series, Catscratch.

Robert lives in Eagle Rock, CA with his wife, recording artist Carolee Mayne.

visit Rob online: www.rwatson.com

DUSTY WATSON - DRUMS
A Surfari since 2008

Dusty started taking drum lessons from Gerry Calipinto at the age of 6 and recorded his first record at just 9 years old. He studied jazz, swing and big band, competing in numerous jazz competitions around the country and earning a scholarship to Stan Kenton Clinics while still in Jr. High School. He was introduced to Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich and his high school band opened for the Buddy Rich Band at Disneyland.

He joined the Musicians Union at age 17 and has been a professional musician ever since. He has played on over 100 albums and has toured around the world with several different artists covering a wide range of musical styles and genres.

A surf music legend, drumming with Dick Dale for nearly a decade, as well as being a founding member of both Jon and the Nightriders and Slacktone, Dusty has played surf music in all three “waves” and is known as ‘The King of Surf Drums’.

The newest member of The Surfaris and a perfect fit for the band who plays the most famous drum solo in history – WIPE OUT!

Dusty lives with his fiancé and fellow drummer, Rikki Styxx, in Corona, CA (home of Fender guitars!)

Visit Dusty online: www.dustywatson.com

Record Label: Unsigned
Type of Label: Indie