Search for Reverb in Canada

Details: Written by: Franky; Category: Search for Reverb in Canada; Published: 06 August 2017

Hi! Today, I have the pleasure to chat with Matt Groupie, lead guitar from King Beez 3rd wave band! Thank you Matt for taking time to answer us. Let's surf and start the interview if you please. ?

SRR: What year was King Beez formed?
Matt Groupie: 2008.

SRR: Who are the members of King Beez?
Matt Groupie: Me, guitar; Mike Crombez, bass; Gavin Parkes, guitar; Robby Sedran, drums.

SRR: From which city did King Beez originate?
Matt Groupie: Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.

SRR: Where the idea of the band name come from?
Matt Groupie: I took the idea from Tom Petty who was originally going to call the Heartbreakers the King Bees.

SRR: Where did the idea to form an instrumental band come from?
Matt Groupie: I was highly inspired by the film soundtrack from Pulp Fiction - I had an early love for Richie Valens - locally I was inspired by the Von Drats who were a Toronto surf band. Initially it wasn't just instrumental but we decided it would be easier to be instrumental so we didn't need a pa system or sound tech ever.

SRR: How did you meet each other?
Matt Groupie: Mike and I played in a band called the Bandits before he joined King Beez. Robby I knew from his work with The Bloody Five and Tonemirror and Gavin I met as a member of Bs101 and is cousins with my good buddy Darryl.

SRR: What were the influences of the band?
Matt Groupie: Motorhead, Link Wray, Ramones, Dick Dale, Richie Valens, Iron Maiden. My personal influences include the artists above plus a lot of Jimi Hendrix, Beatles, AC/DC, The Who and when I was younger a lot of punky stuff like Green Day, Offspring, ya know stuff like that.

SRR: How did you guys describe the band at the time?
Matt Groupie: Raunchy. We've always been kinda regarded as a non surf surf band. We garner punk and metal energy through our music as well as surf and garage so our official style is "metal influenced instrumental surf punk".

SRR: When was your first gig?
Matt Groupie: Summer of 2008 in my friend Steven Harnetts kitchen while his parents were away. It was a fun time.

SRR: What year did you do your first recording?
Matt Groupie: 2008.

SRR: Did you have a label?
Matt Groupie: No label. We put out our music ourselves.

SRR: Which instrument did you used?
Matt Groupie: I uses custom guitars designed by Hansen Kustoms, Traynor head, Marshall 2×12. Gavin uses EVH 5150iii, Traynor YCS50H and Mesa Rec 2x12. Gretsch and Gibson guitars. Robby uses Mapex Saturn drums with a Sonor ascent beech snare and cymbals are mostly Sabian as well as 1 Zildjian, 1 Han-Chi china, Regal tip stucks. Mike uses Yorkville 400 head and Beringer cab, Sterling musicman ray 34 bass.

SRR: What are the effects used on the guitar?
Matt Groupie: I use a boss reverb pedal.

SRR: What type of strings did you use, flatwounds or roundwounds?
Matt Groupie: 10-52 roundwound.

SRR: Were the members in any other band(s)?
Matt Groupie: I also play in Green Jelly, Blackdog Ballroom, Bad Ape, Matt Groupie and the Bandits, Phoenix Complex. Mike Crompez is also in Johnson's Creek. Gavin Parkes is also in Green Jelly and Bs101. Robby Sedan is also in Tonemirror.

SRR: Where can we buy and follow King Beez?
Matt Groupie: We have a Bandcamp and you can follow us on Facebook.

SRR: Thank you very much Matt for taking time to answer me today.
Matt Groupie: Thank you.

-Franky

"Search for Reverb in Canada" blog on Surf Rock Radio

Thank for reading and listening

ChEeRs!

Details: Written by: Franky; Category: Search for Reverb in Canada; Published: 01 August 2017

Hi! Today, I have the pleasure to chat with Roger Beaudet, lead guitar from Les Versatiles 1st wave band! Thank you Roger for taking time to answer us. Let's surf and start the interview if you please. ?

SRR: What year was Les Versatiles founded?
Roger Beaudet: In 1962.

SRR: Who are the members of Les Versatiles?
Roger Beaudet: At the very beginning me on guitar; Claude Laliberte, guitar and Michel Wilson, drums then we added Jean Cloutier on bass and near end of 1963 Remi Clark was on baritone guitar, he became also our singer. Michel Wilson quit the band early in 2004 which was replace by Denis Manuel Lapierre, who also been replace later in spring of 2005 by Rejean Careau one of the two Megatones drummers. I had to quit myself the band in june 1965 to join les Sultans and Denis Champoux took my role till when the band splitted in September.

SRR: From which city did Les Versatiles originate?
Roger Beaudet: Quebec

SRR: Where is Les Versatiles based?
Roger Beaudet: We all lived at Sillery or Ste-Foy but Remi was from Charlesbourg. Our rehearsal was most of time at Claude Laliberte place.

SRR: Was there a name before Les Versatiles?
Roger Beaudet: We named our band The Silvertones at the beginning.

SRR: Where did the idea to form an instrumental band come from?
Roger Beaudet: Back in the days band with solist singer did not exist within Quebec, we were all instrumentals bands, when the Beatles came out, after that most bands became to have vocals, we did too but not as much as the other band, still we did a 45rpm with vocal, the A side was at least, Pauvre Diable was the name of it and was my composition.

SRR: How did you meet each other?
Roger Beaudet: Me, Claude, Michel and Jean was all students at L'ancienne Academie de Quebec, we met there. Remi was Claude's friend.

SRR: What were the influences of the band?
Roger Beaudet: Sure was Chet Atkins, Les Paul, The Ventures, The Shadows to name few.

SRR: How did you guys describe the band at the time?
Roger Beaudet: We were a dance music band, we played all type of rhythms that would make peoples dance at the time.

SRR: When was your first gig?
Roger Beaudet: I remember a school hall that I cannot recall the name but also a hall at Des Syndicats Catholique on Boulevard Charest est.

SRR: What year did you do your first recording?
Roger Beaudet: We recorded our LP in 1964.

SRR: Did you have a label?
Roger Beaudet: We were under London records, there was two releases one English and one French version, the covers was slightly different.

SRR: Which instrument did you used?
Roger Beaudet: We were all using Fender instruments I use Jaguar and Claude a Jazzmaster, the drums was a Ludwig, the bass was a Precision.

SRR: Which amplifier did you use?
Roger Beaudet: Always Fender, a Showman, a Tremolux later on a Super Reverb, a Band Master and a Bassman.

SRR: Did you use a reverb tank?
Roger Beaudet: Yes a Fender Reverb Tank then after I was using the one inside the Super Reverb and as well a Klemp Echolette.

SRR: Was it an original or modified tank?
Roger Beaudet: Original.

SRR: What are the effects used on the guitar?
Roger Beaudet: Only the dealay Echolette and the Reverb Tanks, but we connected the Echolette differently to produce distortion.

SRR: What type of strings did you use, flatwounds or roundwounds?
Roger Beaudet: Roundwounds.

SRR: How long has Les Versatiles been active for?
Roger Beaudet: 1962 to September 1965.

SRR: Was there any reunion?
Roger Beaudet: Yes we did in 75' and in 80' for the purpose of Carnaval de Quebec and le Chant du Signe at Festival Retro de Joly in 2005.

SRR: Were the members in any band(s) after Les Versatiles:
Roger Beaudet: Yes Claude with les Ookpicks and all worked with Johnny Farago for a while. Jean have a recording studio nammed Coyote. I made my living with les Sultans music, I worked with the singer Stephane (Quand tu liras cette lettre), made a three pieces band renamed les VErsatiles with Denis Manuel Lapierre and Lawrence Allison, then in solo in mostly every pianos bars of the province and finally in duo with women companions until I retire end of 2013.

SRR: Where can we buy and follow Les Versatiles?
Roger Beaudet: Nowhere actually but I formed a band with members of les Megatones and les VErsatiles to review 60's era music les Mega-Versa. We have a Facebook page that you can follow, new post everyday.

SRR: Where can we listen and follow your actual band?
Roger Beaudet: Les Mega-Versa on Facebook. The band will be the highlight at Centre D'art la Chapelle in Quebec city Sunday Octobre 29 at 2pm which will be our last gig, then will cease the band activities.

SRR: Thank you very much Roger for taking time to answer me today.
Roger Beaudet: It was a pleasure.

-Franky

"Search for Reverb in Canada" blog on Surf Rock Radio

Thank for reading and listening

ChEeRs!

Details: Written by: Franky; Category: Search for Reverb in Canada; Published: 21 July 2017

Hi! Today, I have the pleasure to chat with Guy Poulin, lead guitar from Les Tabarnacos Surfers 3nd wave band! Thank you Guy for taking time to answer us. Let's surf and start the interview if you please. ?

SRR: What year was Les Tabarnacos Surfers formed?
Guy Poulin: Around 2003 I am not exactly sure.

SRR: Who are the members of Les Tabarnacos Surfers?
Guy Poulin: At the beginning it was me on guitar; Andre Poulin, drums, Patrice Myette, bass. Later Francis Letourneau join us for the last active year.

SRR: From which city did Les Tabarnacos Surfers originate?
Guy Poulin: Quartier Saint-Henri in Montreal at my place back then.

Where did the idea to form an instrumental band come from?
Guy Poulin: Patrice was always talking about surf instrumental music to me then I had the idea to form one just for the fun and to do one single show actually, cause we had also the opportunity to play at a small local festival.

SRR: How did you meet each other?
Guy Poulin: Andre is my brother and Patrice is a childhood friend. Francis also a youth friend.

SRR: What were the influences of the band?
Guy Poulin: At start we had absolutely none, since we started to listen to this type of music. We knew basically nothing about this music style, it was a discovery for us. We started to play Ventures, then Dick Dale, Ghastly ones, Link Wray and everything we could find as we go. I personally really loved Slacktone.

SRR: How did you guys described the band at the time?
Guy Poulin: We called what we were doing power surf. Keith Moon drumming style with a more fuzzy guitar sound because I did not simple have the right gear to play surf. Over the time I got the gear more proper like Fender tube reverb amp unit that I asked anything he could give me to crack him up. All this played with all the intensity we could give. Our thing sounded sometime like punk.

SRR: When was your first gig?
Guy Poulin: Venise marina at a mini-festival of local band in Laval.

SRR: What year did you do your first recording?
Guy Poulin: Same year in 2003. It was mostly made with 8 covers and 4 original songs. We self-produced our recording with $51. We printed our own cd. Patrice who's a professional cartoonist did the cd cover.

SRR: Which instruments did you use?
Guy Poulin: A cheap black drum bought by me and Andre, especially for our rehearsal place. Later Andre bought a Sonor. What a change. I used my Kramer guitar that I modified over and over, a Marshall amp, a Fostex reverb, that's all I had when we started. That was not the proper sound at all. Then over the time I bought the right gear. A friend of mine, Nico who's electronician built me a Fender Reverb Tank 1963 model. This thing is just amazing to hear. I still have it today. Nico also built me a Fender Blackface amp. Patrice used a Fender Jazz bass and also had a Fender Bassman amp that Nico built also.

SRR: Can we know about which tube you used?
Guy Poulin: The least costly I could found.

SRR: What are the effect used on the guitar?
Guy Poulin: At the beginning was using Boss Overdrive/Distortion with an old Solasound Wah Wah that was always open, which gave a special vintage sound since I was using a humbucker pickup. Later on I let go that kind of sound to get a purest surf sound but was still playing louder to get a crunch from the amp. I've also put single coil on the guitar.

SRR: What type of strings did you use, flatwounds or roundwounds?
Guy Poulin: I use .10 roundwound.

SRR: How long has Les Tabarnacos Surfers been active for?
Guy Poulin: At least 10 years. Not bad for a band that should of made only one gig.

SRR: Was there any reunion?
Guy Poulin: Any reunion seems to be almost impossible with Patrice but me, Andre and Francis still play together. We are more blues-rock nowadays but we still have a few surf tunes on our set list.

SRR: Were there any band(s) after Les Tabarnacos Surfers?
Guy Poulin: Yes we formed with same members Little Guy & the Damn Machine a blues-rock band. We have to remember that Andre who was a keyboard player before Les Tabarnacos Surfers era, started to play drum for the band. He had the talent to do it. Later Andre took more seriously the drum because of the band to finally end up playing drums only.

SRR: Where can we buy and follow Les Tabarnacos Surfers?
Guy Poulin: You can simply contact me via Facebook. Am working to put our music on Bandcamp soon. You can still watch few videos of us on Youtube.

SRR: Where can we listen and follow your actual band?
Guy Poulin: You can listen to Little Guy & the Damn Machine on Facebook, Youtube and Bandcamp.

SRR: Thank you very much Guy for taking time to answer me today.
Guy Poulin: It's been a pleasure.

-Franky

"Search for Reverb in Canada" blog on Surf Rock Radio

Thank for reading and listening

ChEeRs!

Details: Written by: Franky; Category: Search for Reverb in Canada; Published: 14 July 2017

Hi! Today, I have the pleasure to chat with Mark Sanders, lead guitar from Mark Malibu and the Wasagas 2nd wave band! Thank you Mark for taking time to answer us. Let's surf and start the interview if you please. ?

SRR: What year was Mark Malibu and the Wasagas founded?

Mark Sanders: Well the answer is 1979.

SRR: Who are the members of Mark Malibu and the Wasagas?

Mark Sanders: The first lineup was myself on lead guitar; Steve Turner, drums; Buzz, bass and Chris Welch, rhythm guitar. That changed once during our original incarnation. Chris Welch was a good guy and worked hard but was not much of a guitar player. I replaced him with another girl in my school, Christine Oleksyk. She was a very good player. Now Sharny Cameron play bass and Andrew Wright on rhythm guitar.

SRR: From which city did Mark Malibu and the Wasagas originate?

Mark Sanders: Scarborough which was made famous in the film Wayne's World.

SRR: Where is Mark Malibu and the Wasagas based?

Mark Sanders: We were suburban Toronto kids.

SRR: Was there a name before Mark Malibu and the Wasagas?

Mark Sanders: The answer is our start date is somewhat blurred in time as we morphed out of my punk band, the DeGeneRatz... and I use the term "punk" loosely as we played half Ramones and half Monkees and Stones plus other 60's songs. I had already added Wipeout and Pipeline into the set list. We were only 15 years old.

SRR: Where did the idea to form an instrumental band come from?

Mark Sanders: By 1979 I was tired of the "punk thing" as bands were getting silly (including ourselves) or going hardcore which seamed too close to heavy metal so I explored my 60's obsession. Grant Cermak and I started playing Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Beatles just on guitar. Then a strange sequence events resulted in a surf instrumental band.

SRR: How did you meet each other?

Mark Sanders: Initially we were all in the same school. About 5 of us started taking guitar lessons when we were 12 years old. Grant Cermak was the first to start. I met Steve on the first day of Grade 10 in history class.

SRR: What were the influences of the band?

Mark Sanders: Initially it was the Ventures. You have to remember, there was no internet back then so you only knew what you heard on a record. Once I knew there was surf instrumentals, I could ask the record dealers for anything they had. Then I discovered the Astronauts. Soon after I found the Barracudas, Jon and the Nightriders and the Raybeats.

SRR: How did you guys describe the band at the time?

Mark Sanders: In the early days, if I said we were a surf band, the response was always the same, "Like the Beach Boys?" so I just stated telling people we sounded like the song Wipe Out. Everyone knew that song. However people were not open to a full set of instrumentals.

SRR: When was your first gig?

Mark Sanders: We were very underage so there was really only few bars we could sneak into and play. That didn't stop us, it just hindered us. The first show we played downtown in a bar was in 1980 at a now famous punk dive called the Turning Point. The whole band just happened to be in the crowd except Steve so we got up and played Wipe Out, Pipeline, Walk Don't Run and a few other standards with drummer Paul Newman who went on to play with larger bands like the Doughboys and now works for Coldplay. After numerous house parties, our first downtown show with the original lineup was 1981 and is somewhat legendary now as it was at Toronto's first all ages venue which opened the door for Toronto's hardcore punk scene. Also on the bill was a new group called the Good Guys with Reid Diamond (future Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet) on bass.

SRR: What year did you do your first recording?

Mark Sanders: In 1981 another high school friend, Steve Jeskie was taking recording engineer classes on the weekend at a studio called Cottingham Sound owned by a local mover and shaker Tom Atom. For $200 we spent a Sunday afternoon recording 7 songs. A couple songs "Wasagas Run" and "Buzz Beat" appeared on Toronto underground compilation cassettes, one distributed in the UK and reviewed by the infamous NME. Another song "Psychedelic Summer" was placed in the film "Happy Hell Night" with Darren McGavin and a young Sam Rockwell.

SRR: Which instrument did you used?

Mark Sanders: My guitar was a Gibson S-1. That may be the worst guitar ever made by Gibson, who knows. The only saving grace was that it had 3 single coil pickups and a 5 way selector switch. Steve used a brand new Tama Swingstar kit. We still use that kit today. I also played organ a bit in those days and I had a Baby Blue Acetone combo. I wish I still had it. I use Nord Keyboards now for organ sounds. Made in Sweden like me, so its gotta be great. Now the entire band uses Hallmark Swept-Wing guitars. Bob Shade, owner of Hallmark Guitars was kind enough to assemble a matching Gold Sparkle Bass for the band to complete the set.

SRR: Which amplifier did you use?

Mark Sanders: Back then I had a Yamaha G112 solid state practice amp. Whoever stole it, the joke was on them. For recording I like Fender Twins, Fender Excelsior and an Ampeg Gemini 1. Now I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe "White Lightning" with Celestion Century Vintage speakers. I have the matching bottom cab.

SRR: Did you use a reverb tank?

Mark Sanders: I didn't know what a reverb tank was until recently. I recorded with a Twin Reverb so that help. Now I use the Fender Vintage Reissue '63 Reverb Tank when we record.

SRR: Was it an original or modified tank?

Mark Sanders: Modified.

SRR: Can we know about which tube you used?

Mark Sanders: My guitar tech changed the tubes with something more vintage and it does sound better. What's in there I have no clue.

SRR: What are the effects used on the guitar?

Mark Sanders: My main pre-amp is a Egnater Goldsmith Analog -2 channel overdrive. For fuzz I use a Swollen Pickle. For tremolo I use a Strymon Flint. I rotate between Tc Electronics Flashback, an Mxr Carbon Copy and a Strymon El Capistan. Most important reverb; Live I use a Catalinbread Topanga Spring Reverb Pedal.

SRR: What type of strings did you use, flatwounds or roundwounds?

Mark Sanders: When I surf I use D'addario 11-49 roundwounds. When I play rockabilly, I use D'addario 11-50 flatwounds.

SRR: How long has Mark Malibu and the Wasagas been active for?

Mark Sanders: Incredibly its been 38 years since our birth.

SRR: Was there any reunion?

Mark Malibu: No one knew of our existence except Peter Jones from Blue Demons and who runs the Surf Battle with Dano Villano. He asked every year if we'd reunite for a show. It just seemed impossible. After a few years of asking, I found Buzz's email and the ball started to roll. In 2014 we reunited for the Great Lakes Surf Battles 9 and have stayed active ever since.

SRR: Were the members in any band(s) after Mark Malibu and the Wasagas?

Mark Sanders: After the Wasagas I played keyboards with Steve in a new wave band called Directions East. I also play in a rockabilly band called the Millwinders with Sarah from the Surfrajettes. Buzz went on to play with many hardcore punk bands like Direct Action.

SRR: Where can we buy and follow Mark Malibu and the Wasagas?

Mark Sanders: Best place to follow us is our Facebook page. We will also have a full length LP available in August called Return of the Wasagas. I expect it to be available in all the usual places and formats.

SRR: Where can we listen and follow your other band?

Mark Sanders: My other band the Millwinders have a Facebook and you can buy our music on Bandcamp.

SRR: Thank you very much Mark for taking time to answer me today.

Mark Sanders: Thank you so helping spread the story of the Wasagas. We had been mostly forgot for many years. I am lucky to live in a city that has such a strong surf instrumental scene. I could not have guessed this would happen all those years ago.

-Franky

"Search for Reverb in Canada" blog on Surf Rock Radio

Thank for reading and listening

ChEeRs!

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