The Guitar Player's Resource
Supersonic Salvation is the latest CD from the San Diego surf outfit Surf Report, headed up by guitarists Rick Wilkinson and Ruhar (no last name, perhaps there are some unpaid parking tickets). Eleven all instrumental cuts, except for some random vocalisms, sound bites, shouts, grunts and other noises, the CD shows the guitar duo capable of a solid sonic shock, supporting by the rhythmic throb of bassist Vince Mack and drummer Mr. E (no relation to Sheila). They kick things off with "Sandpaper Paddles" which could have easily made the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack, and follow with soon-to-be-surf-classics tagged with colorful titles such as "Suckerpunch", "3 Rolled Tacos" and "Off The Richter". Ruhar is a master of the weird guitar solo, appropriately soaked in 100 percent pure, California reverb oil. If you live in the Southern California area, see if you can catch these boys live - they reportedly put on a great live show. If not, track down a copy of Supersonic Salvation or any of their other CDs and prepare to hit the virtual waves.
Surf Report was formed in 1993 by two high school friends, Rick and Ruhar, in the garage of a Clairemont home. Insipred by influences ranging from The Ventures to Ozzy Osbourne, they came up with a unique style of up-tempo instrumental surf music. They played their first show on a rooftop in Mission Beach, California for nearly 100 people on the streets below. They recorded an album in 1994, "The Bikini Island Experiment", which was soon followed by 1996's "Inferno". "Inferno" was included in England's Pipeline magazine list of the 10 best releases of 1996. Their multimedia CD "Lavarockreverb" was released in 1999, and in 2000, the San Diego Reader's poll found Surf Report to be the Best Rock Band in San Diego.
Surf Report continues to spread the word about their music by playing all over Southern California, from hometown bars and summer street fairs, to classic automobile shows, theme parks and corporate events.
Rick Wilkinson
United States
Web site: www.surfreportwebsite.com