Generally, the idea of four young men playing the music they enjoy is, at least to me, a frightening concept. I don’t find much in the modern thrash, metal, and grunge that interests me; it often seems like an excuse not to practice, since it’s unlikely anyone would notice.
Last night, we finished our swing dance lesson earlier than expected, and decided to risk a band called, if we heard the hostess at Beermann’s correctly on the phone, ‘The Pyronauts.’ An evening at Beermann’s is never wasted, and thus far, George’s ear for bands has been unerring. The Pyronauts are no exception.
As we crossed the street half a block away from Beermann’s, I could swear I heard the Ventures ripping into ‘Pipeline.’ Turns out I wasn’t far off.
Paul Beatie, Bob Butler, The Brett Cole, and Pan Smith are the tightest, snappiest, most professional young band I’ve ever heard. While many groups are composed of a star and some hangers-on, each of the Pyronauts is a talented musician in his own right. Beatie, lead guitarist and de facto front man, has written over a dozen memorable and distinctive instrumentals which sound as if they’re lost Deltones or Ventures tracks; no mean feat.
The band’s covers of tunes like ‘Pipeline’, ‘Walk, Don’t Run’, and ‘Sleepwalk’ are faithful to the originals without slavish mimicry. Each is arranged to suit their deceptively casual performing style (through the miracle of wireless guitars, Beatie fled the restaurant at one point and danced with some folks outside the front window, all the while delivering his solo with flash and panache.) Later, a cover of ‘Folsom Prison’ could have become a joke. Instead, it was a polished, professional homage to Cash’s original. I was surprised to hear bass vocals from the smallish (well, compared to Brett Cole, at least) Beatie.
Another smashing highlight was the final flail of the evening; Smith’s tour de force, after pumping out snap and pop enough for even a picky listener like me, was a smoking delivery of ‘Wipe Out’ including a final solo not copied from the Surfari’s version. Pan is light-years ahead of most local-band drummers; nothing is mushy or indistinct; despite the blur of movement, his sound is crisp, clean, tight.
These guys practice. The arrangements require coordination and concentration, and they deliver. Beatie is already a talented composer and arranger, and both Butler and Cole have contributed compositions as well. They get noticed; they’ve opened for Dick Dale three times in their short career.
I picked up their first two full-length CDs, ‘Surf or Die’ from 2001, and ‘Surf Motel’, recorded last year. ‘Surf or Die’ has three Beatie originals plus energetic and polished covers of Deltones and Ventures tunes. Beatie’s tunes don’t suffer by comparison; the multi-tempoed ‘Surfin España’ has a lush, mature sound, now delicate, now wailing. ‘Boogieman’ opens with an acoustic guitar, a bit unusual for a surf band. Before we have a chance to settle into anything like relaxation, Beatie flies in on a chirping, sliding lead which returns sporadically throughout the track. ‘4Q’ leans even more toward flamenco than most Ventures tunes ever tried to.
The covers of ‘Walk, Don’t Run’, ‘Sleepwalk’, and ‘Peter Gunn’ all display a reverence for and understanding of the originals with, of course, a strong leaning toward the surf band arrangements. It’s not often that covers of covers turn out this well.
‘Surf Motel’ is almost entirely original material, including seven by Beatie, three by Butler, and one collaboration between them. All three originals from ‘Surf or Die’ are included in new arrangements. ‘Hava Nagila‘, (credited as ‘traditional’, though it’s one of those tunes which is so ubiquitous that it only seems to have been around forever) is an experiment in fire, in true Pyronauts fashion. The other cover, ‘Amazing Wave’, is a truly inspired cover of ‘Amazing Grace’ arranged to fit the band’s style. In other hands it could easily become campy and trivial; Beatie’s arrangement and the band’s performance lent it the grace it deserves. I can’t find any evidence that it’s been done like this before.
Some thoughts on ‘Surf Motel’:
- ‘Lake Surfin’ has a powerful early 60s sound; you can hear the vintage at every turn. Midway, the boys slow it down to half speed, swinging it, strolling through beat poet land briefly, then back to full speed. Much fun.
- ‘Mohawk‘ could have been a cheap imitation of ‘Apache.’ Instead, it’s a nod in that direction, then three minutes of growth and change as the tempo and melody climb from a slow, deep rumble to a brighter finish.
- The acoustic guitar from ‘Boogieman’ remains, but ‘Boogieman II: Boogie Goes West’ delivers more sturm and twang than the original.
- ‘Beach Bum‘ somehow has an 80s, ‘Go Gos’ sound to it without leaving the 60s. A collaboration between Beatie and Butler, it seems even more mature and fluid than the other original tracks. I think this is one I’ll end up humming when the album’s over.
- ‘Under Toe‘ (the misspelling is intentional), the longest track and one of three by Butler, is mellower, less fiery. Butler plays fewer leads during the live show than Beatie, but does an excellent job of delivering a melody using chord patterns; a very jazz thing to do.
- ‘Surfin España’ and ‘4Q’ return in new arrangements. Although the boys could have included the originals, it’s a professional touch that they re-recorded them for the new album.
- ‘I Wish I Was A Go Go Girl’ appeared on ‘Surf or Die’ as ‘Go Go Girl’, which is actually ‘Malagueña’, one of the best pieces ever written for guitar. Beatie nails the acoustic intro, then launches into a rousing and emotionally satisfying electric version.
- ‘Mike’s Barracuda’, another Butler tune, just feels like a car song, even without the hint of the title. Stronger bass lines, less splashy high end; it evokes pictures of the surfer’s other love, a really powerful car.
- ‘Surfer Dave’ is pictured inside the liner notes—Dave Butler (1950–2002, the Fifth Pyronaut.) Occasional use of a five-tone scale lends this romantic melody a middle-Eastern tone.
- ‘Amazing Wave’ was one of the special moments during the live performance. I was glad to find it on the album.
- ‘The Fury’ sounds like another car song; rumbling, pounding, driving; once again leaning toward the bass end of the band’s sound.
- ‘Vlad the Surfer’ sounds tantalizingly familiar, not as if I’ve heard it before, but as if I know its grandfather. Something Russian, perhaps? A funky sprite, swaying and bouncing at the same time.
You can grab three of the band’s tunes, ‘Mohawk’, ‘Beach Bum’, and ‘Under Toe’ at MP3.com.
If you’re anywhere near the Sacramento area, ‘The Pyronauts’ are a must see—a finely honed professional band delivering a musically and emotionally satisfying show. Beatie, Butler, Cole and Smith are clearly enjoying themselves, responding to the audience’s enthusiasm with their own. I’m looking forward to seeing them again. Check their website for upcoming gigs, and I’ll see you there.
Went up to the car show in Auburn Friday evening. Well, really, I went to Auburn to listen to the Pyronauts, and there happened to be a car show.
The guys were in excellent form. Checking out my new digital camera, and some shots are a bit blurry. One is downright bizarre.