MuchoReverbo's Modern Surf/Spy/Instro-Mental Thread

[MuchoReverbo]

Founded in Helsinki, this group is one of the most prominent instrumental surf bands in Europe today. They are celebrated for their hypnotic, reverb-drenched guitar tone and their stylistic blend of classic 1960s surf and the Finnish rautalanka (guitar-based instrumental) style.



The Charades - (Theme from) Our Man Flint (2016)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Co-founder of the LeRoi Brothers, leader of the Tail Gators, and one of the Big Guitars From Texas, Don Leady is an Austin legend. with his trusty ’66 Fender Strat with its original pickups, tuners, knobs, and pots running through his modded Blues Jr. amp with a Celestion G12.



Don Leady – Cliffhanger (1998)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

The Vista IV is a classic-style instrumental surf rock band celebrated for keeping the energetic, reverb-heavy sound of the 1960s alive. Known for covering vintage standards and delivering original tracks, they channel the iconic guitar-driven style of groups like The Fender IV and The Surfaris.



The Vista IV – Enemy (2011)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

The Cocktail Preachers are a Chicago-based instrumental surf rock band formed in the late 1990s known for blending classic surf music with science fiction themes. Featuring a saxophone, the quartet is recognized for their energetic live performances, with albums including Nothing Much Was Happening and Spy-Fi. Although hailing from Hammond, Indiana, the band has been a staple in the Chicago instrumental scene since 1997, focusing on a "spy-fi" sound—a fusion of spy music, rock, and surf. Their music is heavily themed around classic instrumental rock, often featuring prominent saxophone melodies.



The Cocktail Preachers – Margarita Meltdown (2003)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Messer Chups is a surf rock band from Saint Petersburg, Russia.[1] The group was formed in 1998 by composer and guitarist Oleg Fomchenkov. Messer Chups combines surf rock and traditional Russian music, as well as using samples from historical recordings, lounge music, and vintage film soundtracks. Their live shows feature projections of old horror and sci-fi movies.



Messer Chups -Shandor Diabolikov (2016)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

The Surfing Spacemen is an instrumental European surf rock band formed in Kouvola, Finland, in 1993. The group is known for mixing traditional twangy surf reverb with "Euro-instrumental" and "space-age" tones.



The Surfing Spacemen – Naked City (2001)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

The Meltones (often referred to as The Mel-Tones) are an instrumental surf rock band originally formed in Montreal, Canada. Blending classic 1960s-style reverb-drenched guitar twang with a modern, upbeat rhythm, they have built a dedicated following within the global instrumental surf and spy-music scenes.

This is one of the best original modern surf tunes written and receives a lot of mainstream exposure.



Los Meltones – Sands Go Vermilion (2003)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

The three piece from Wiesbaden / Germany offers high energy surf punk that ranges from the Californian twang of Dick Dales to the surf punk of the Turbo ACs to modern rockabilly à la Brian Setzer.



The Razorblades - The Man In The Green Suit (2003)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Located in Sweden, The Barbwires have released several albums focusing on surf rock, with their discography spanning from 2001 to 2018. Their releases often feature thematic surf titles and traditional instrumental rock structures.



The Barbwires - Shelter From The Sun (2008)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Really fantastic surf and neo rockabilly rock music by English sensation The Surfrats. The group was founded in the 80's and is still performing today. This song comes from "Surf 'n Burn", their debut album. A great album for fans of good surfmusic, alternative music and rockabilly.



The Surf Rats - Rat Motor (2001)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Satan's Pilgrims- Formed in 1992 in Portland, OR with their three guitar attack, relentless rhythm section, and vampire capes, the Pilgrims became one of the most influential surf instrumental bands around, combining the Southern California surf sound with Pacific Northwest garage and other musical influences from 1960-67. All in a spirit of upbeat fun, the dance floor is always full!



Satan’s Pilgrims – $hit Sandwich (2005)

 

[Lazardo]

Deadbolt. A San Diego surf rockabilly band with a macabre style.
Doing, Billy's Dead off of their Voodoo Trucker album.

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Elliot Easton's Tiki Gods is a side project led by Elliot Easton (The Cars), known for blending exotica, surf, lounge, and crime jazz styles. The group is recognized for contributing to compilation albums, including "Monte Carlo Nights" on the Pulp Surfin' compilation and for the Jackie Brown soundtrack.

"Mr. Lucky," a song originally written and recorded by Henry Mancini in 1960. This version was released in 1996 on the compilation album Shots in the Dark: Del-Fi Does Mancini.



Elliot Easton's Tiki Gods – Mr. Lucky (1996)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Prince Fatty meets The Mutant Hi-Fi is the collaborative project between British producer Mike "Prince Fatty" Pelanconi and musician Nick "Mutant Hi-Fi" Coplowe. Their 2011 collaborative record, Return of Gringo!, is an imaginative mash-up of surf rock, ska, and Spaghetti Western instrumentals—envisioned as an imaginary soundtrack.



Prince Fatty Meets the Mutant Hifi - Black Powder (2011)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Hawaii Samurai was a high-energy, French surf-punk trio formed in Besançon in 2001. Known for their aggressive "voodoo surf punk" sound, they combined traditional reverb-heavy instrumental surf guitar with the rapid-fire intensity of punk rock, releasing cult-favorite albums like Let There Be Surf and The Shape of Surf to Come.



Hawaii Samurai – Criminal Wave (2013)

 

[dhodgeh]

The Silicon is a trio from Minsk, Belarus, specializing in instrumental surf rock influenced by 1960s music. Active since November 2008, the band offers a cool, cinematic sound similar to Tarantino movie soundtracks, often characterized as high-caliber, modern surf-rock.

The Silicon - Back To Mexico (2010)

Good stuff. How does the rest of their material compare to this release?

Thanks for sharing

D

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Everything I post here is good stuff. lol

I have the physical media for all of the stuff I post in this thread, either CD or vinyl (mostly CD). I am a big instro fan and collector.

I have two of their albums on CD:

• Desert Storm (2010)
• Tiki Tohua (2015)

They have a 3rd album: "Woody Goes To Nice" from 2021 that I do not have because it was not released other than digital download. Like a lot of bands they started steering away from CDs but now with the resurgence of physical media, most are either releasing CDs or vinyl (or both) but most are in limited quantities so you need to snatch them up when they are first released.

Here's another one I like from Desert Storm...

The Silicon - At The Edge of Infinity (2010)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

The Concaves are a beloved Santa Cruz, California-based surf rock quartet known for blending classic 1960s instrumental surf twang with heavier, modern rock elements. Led by longtime diehard surfer and guitarist/vocalist Bill Pitts (aka "Dogfish"), the band is deeply embedded in the Nor-Cal surf culture, often referencing local wave breaks and their personal lives in their music. Their sound pays homage to legends like Dick Dale and The Ventures but introduces heavier guitar tones reminiscent of 70s rock.



The Concaves - Dogfish Rumble (2003)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

One of the things that is definitely on my "bucket list" is to go to Australia some day. They are into just about everything I am in a big way.

• Surfing & surf music is huge there! - there are several Australian surf bands.
• American muscle cars are huge - they can't get enough of them!
• Drag Racing is king - it is bigger there than in the USA now.
• Mini bikes! - they love mini bikes!
• They love pinball! - I manufacture a small line of reproduction parts for pinball machines as a side hustle and ship more parts to Australia than any other country in the world other than the USA.

Here's a cool one from Australian band "The Alohas".

The Alohas are a well-known instrumental surf-rock band out of Sydney, Australia. The band is celebrated for their authentic, guitar-driven, reverb-heavy sound, channeling a mix of classic 60s surf, garage rock, and psychobilly.



The Alohas - Headhunter (2000)

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Cosmonauti is an Italian surf rock band from Rome. Their music is often characterized as high-energy instrumental rock that brings a Mediterranean, sometimes Spaghetti Western-influenced perspective to the classic Southern California surf sound.



Cosmonauti - She’s Not There (2003)