Alacran Surf

Most people are aware of the fact that surfers have their own lingo. As with other specialized terminologies (valley girl, internet slang, etc.), some phrases have even been appropriated for general use. These terms are closely associated with surf culture, which gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in Southern California. See which ones in this introductory dictionary (introductionary?) you recognize.Air/aerial: riding the board into the air and then landing back on the waveCaught inside: a surfer who cannot get through the surf to reach the wider oceanCarve: a turnCutback: a turn back toward the breaking waveDrop in: the act of entering the waveDuck dive: pushing the board underwater and diving under an oncoming wave Read the rest of this entry »

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At the same time that surf culture started gaining popularity in Southern California, a new sound began emerging in the local music scene. Since most of the musicians were surfers, anyway, the name “surf music” was an obvious choice for the new genre. The first entries into the genre were dance instrumentals, with medium-to-fast tempos and an emphasis on electric guitar. The “wet” spring reverb feature, which started appearing on Fender amplifiers in 1961, was thought to mimic the sound of waves, and was also a consistent feature of surf music.Guitarist Dick Dale is credited with starting things off with his 1961 hit “Let’s Go Trippin’,” which was later covered by The Beach Boys on their 1963 album Surfin’ USA. However, Dale would become even more popular with his 1962 rendition of the Greek song “Misirlou.” Other instrumental groups who emerged in the early 1960s include The Bel-Airs, The Challengers, and Eddie & the Showmen. The Chantays released the top 10 hit “Pipeline” in 1963, and the genre-defining “Wipe Out” was released by the Surfaris in 1963. This song, known for its opening “Ha ha ha ha hawipe out!” and drummer Ron Wilson’s solos, swept the nation and has been covered numerous times since thenincluding by Animal of the Muppets. Read the rest of this entry »

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