Surfer Blood | victoriasandersphotography.com
Pavement. Outkast. Verlaines. Cream. Breeders. Modern English. Chad & Jeremy. Mudhoney. Polaris. West Palm Beach. Indie rock. And the number five as a concept. What might look and read like an exercise in future-progressive list poetry, is actually a cutesy word jumble to signify a disparate but strangely symbiotic recent effort — an entire album of covers — by Orchid City rock ’n’ roll darlings Surfer Blood.
That, and a return-to-form album of new originals, 2017’s “Snowdonia,” have helped the band rebound from losses both self-inflicted and random. Surfer Blood now find themselves at a less contested crossroads, where the way forward is theirs to choose. They have experienced a renewal of goodwill, first in the upwelling of fan support for Fekete as he fought for his life, and then, after his passing, in the palpable sense of his presence in the music that followed. “Even in his absence his tastes and sensibilities continue to influence my writing,” Pitt told Vice in 2016.
Newest members Lindsey Mills on bass and Mike McCleary on guitar sound fully embedded into the fold with Pitts and founding drummer Tyler Schwarz. Having risked themselves on an uncertain project, McCleary and Mills are now enjoying the benefits of belonging to a band that has both a body of work and room to grow.
They’re also letting themselves have fun and recharge, courtesy of “Covers,” which pulls from a varied set of influences and likes — from ’60s British folk (“A Summer Song”) to Hotlanta hip-hop (“Hey Ya!”), and with diverse rockers thrown in (see the aforementioned word jumble).
The band geography was altered when Pitts moved to California’s Bay Area, but the personal bonds may be stronger than ever. All four members are alumni of the same high school, Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm. As a group, Surfer Blood seem to have climbed back and found their balance on the board.
Surfer Blood performs May 4 at Voltaire in West Palm Beach. Advance tickets highly recommended. Limited capacity. TICKETFLY
~ Abel Folgar
Slider image by Mockingbird Photo
