A new twist to surf rock

By ROBERT KINSLER

Special to the Register

  With so many genres of pop having emerged during the ‘90s, who would have thought one of O.C.’s most original acts would be associated with one of rock’s earliest movements?

 

  The instrumental surf-rock pioneered by O.C.’s own Dick Dale and the Chantays has been given a decidedly modern twist courtesy of The Reventlos, a quartet that has released two critically acclaimed CDs, including a new sophomore effort,  “Songs of the Golden West,” for Ranell Records.

 

  In addition to reverb-drenched guitar workouts that recall classics such as “Pipeline” and “Wipe Out,” The Reventlos’ freewheeling instrumental originals explore swing, jazz, blues and roots-rock.

 

  “If The Reventlos have a signature, it is dropping in something off the wall into each song,” said guitarist Matt Quilter of Laguna Beach. “ We steal from anybody. We like to think we’ve carved a niche for ourselves.”

 

  And while several tracks on “Golden West” have some vocals, including the hypnotic “Greed and Lust,” most of their gems are truly instrumental. That’s the main reason the group has been compared to the tide of instrumental surf bands that were popular immediately before the British Invasion of the early ‘60s.

 

  Yet Quilter said it’s been hard for the group, which has been together for four years and released its first disc (“Essential Reventlo”) in ’96 to get radio play.

 

  “There are probably 10-15 outlets (radio stations around the nation) that will play surf and instrumental stuff,” he said, noting they run into snags with some surf-music enthusiasts, too. “The purists don’t know what to make of us. We’re trying to bring something new to the party,”

 

In addition to Quilter, The Reventlos feature bassist Rick Staples of San Clemente, guitarist Greg Staples and drummer Lee Kix, both of Costa Mesa.

 

  Deposit the outfit’s alternative musical approach, The Reventlos were featured on the KLOS/95.5 F< radio program “Local Licks” last Sunday and has two original songs featured in the 1998 film “Chairman of the Board,” starring Carrot Top as a crazy surfer climbing the corporate ladder.

 

  “The movie was so terrible; no one went to see it and that’s the way it goes for us,” Quilter mused.

 

  However, he then added that The Reventlos’ music has been featured in about a dozen surfing videos that have attracted attention as far away as Japan.

 

  The Reventlos have found there are few financial rewards in playing original, instrumental music.

 

  “The reality is unless you’re Dick Dale or the Chantays, no one (in surf music) is making a dime. You really have to love this stuff – and we do,”

 

  The Reventlos will perform at Molly Malone’s in West Hollywood at 9p.m. Tuesday. The quartet is also set to perform at Mr. T’s Bowl in Silver Lake on Jan. 22.

 

  For more information on The Reventlos, including their upcoming performances or how to purchase their latest CD, visit their Web site (www.reventlos,com), call (949) 497-6539, e-mail the band at info@reventlos.com or write to them at P.O. Box 12012, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.

 

 

 

 

First Fret Handbill BY GASPAR DU VENCHEY

 

The Genre-bending Reventlos

 

Step up for a dose of metal, surf, African, and rockabilly

 

  What would it sound like if Dick Dale sit in with Megadeth? How about if King Sunny Ade hired Duane Eddy and Steve Cropper to round out the band? These musical questions were posed by the Reventlos on their first CD, Essential Reventlo, and answered with their sophomore disc, Songs of the Golden West.

 

  The Reventlos mix metal, surf, African, and rockabilly styles (with the occasional nod to the Prince of Pixley Roy Buchanan) into an amalgam unlike any other instrumental band. While there roots are clearly in the past, the “los are definitely not retro artists.

 

  “Our goal, “ says co-guitarist Greg Staples, “was to update the styles we dig by not ignoring the music that has happened since 1962. The surf guitar sound is a classic. Why not inject a little speed metal into the rhythm section?”

 

  Songs…. Is a musical travelogue evoking life out West.  The CD covers ground as big as the West with such cuts as the Coppertone-drenched “Fun Zone,” the psychic bruiser “Spahn Ranch Rodeo!” and “Crankheads of Elsinore,” an ode (or cautionary tale, depending on your views of Nancy Reagan) to the big-block Chevy crowd in California’s Inland Empire.

 

  “Our goal was to go for the Sgt. Pepper vibe, or at least The Who Sell Out, where on side of the record is just one groove,” says Staples. “All the songs have segues or blend into each other. The concept worked until about track eight, when we ran out of money.”

 

  The Reventlos finance their recordings with licensing fees from movies and television. To date, they’ve placed songs in Chairman of the Board, starring Carrot Top (“…play for that money, boys, “as Chuck Berry says). Hollywood Hot Rod High, a number of surf movies and videos in Japan and Australia, and commercials and TV shows, including the “Roseanne” show.

 

  Though live gigs are rare, the Reventlos have played shows up and down the coast, including opening for Dick Dale at Billboard Live, in Hollywood, and at the Galaxy Theatre, in Orange County.

 

  “Booking an instrumental band can be tough,” says Staples. “People hear that you don’t have a singer and they get this quizzical look, like: How can it be music?” Well, what were Beach and Beethoven doing? You don’t hear people slagging their music just because there isn’t some drug-addled clotheshorse braying about their pain and confusion.”

 

  If myopic club bookers keep the Reventlos from coming to your town, check out the CDs. Fans of guitar music will appreciate the lyrical playing. For more info, check out www.reventlos.com or contact the band at PO Box 12012, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.

 

  “Handbill” is a forum for local and regional acts that perform regularly and/or have release a commercially-available CD (whether they’re selling it themselves or through a distributor). If you band would like to be featured, send a 400-word article, a copy of your latest CD, and photos (live or publicity stills) to Vintage Guitar magazine, Attn: Handbill, 2219 E. Main, Bismarck, ND 58501. Articles will appear on a first-come first-serve basis and all are subject to editorial discretion.

 

 

 

 

PIPELINE INSTRUMENTAL REVIEW

By Alan Taylor

 

THE REVENTLOS   “SONGS OF THE GOLDEN WEST”     CD

 

The Reventlos suggest that this be filed under “instrumental death-surf/Afro-billy”. That may not help much, but at least it’s an indication of the fact that the music of The Reventlos fits into no existing RI category. Their first album, Essential Reventlo (Pipeline 30), was ground-breaking modern American rock instrumental music and Songs Of The Golden West pushes the boundaries wider still.

 

They use the standard guitar four-piece line-up and some very pleasing sounds to explore a range of modern rhythms, generally using riffs, phrases and textures rather than conventional melodies.

 

Thundering drums introduce Fun Zone, a catchy little tribute to ‘60’s summer fun. Lightly fuzzed guitar supports layers of different lead riffs on Spahn Ranch Rodeom a jangly duet launches Stan Orlow with its twangy interludes, heavier influences invade Crawl To The Reventlos and 122-A Pomona Avenue, while a Stones riff and jazzy arrangement build into Groove Part 1.

 

If you fancy something different, but not too different or demanding, then this could be it. It’s unconventional,but still pleasant to listen to and all done in the best possible taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE REVENTLOS, P.O.BOX 12012, COSTA MESA, CA. 92627