Tsunami Samurai
Louisville, KY | Established. Jan 01, 2014
Music
Press
WFPK Radio Louisville: Live Lunch Series; a live performance. -
August 10, 2015
Here are a few bonus shows happening around town this week which, frankly, I wrote to fill another space before remembering I had already promised that space to another event. These things happen.
"River City Rumble" is a new compilation of Louisville bands with songs inspired by motorcycle culture, which, as we all know, is the most rock 'n' roll of all cultures. "The Wild Ones," "Easy Rider," "Wild Zero," with the legendary Guitar Wolf — bikes and rock belong together.
The CD features Twin Sister Radio, ParlourCQ, Adventure, The Get Down, Trophy Wives, The Hot Wires, Neighbor, Satellite Twin, The Quiet Hollers, Tsunami Samurai, The Little Brothers, New Bravado, Bearhammer, Murals, Brother Wolves, IamIsCQ, Golden Dead and Cut Family Foundation.
To celebrate its release, bands featured on the album will perform this weekend at The New Vintage, 2126 S. Preston St.
On Friday it's Adventure, Golden Dead, The Get Down and The Little Brothers. Saturday stars Parlour, Twin Sister Radio and Tsunami Samurai. Music starts at 9 p.m. and cover is $5 each night. - Courier Journal
The fourth rendition of Poorcastle Festival has now come and gone, and while I'm sad that it's over, I can easily say that my heart is full of exuberant love and joy thanks to the annual event's ability to radiate good vibrations and sensible positivity. Coming into this year's three-day event, I wasn't sure how the Poorcastle organizers could or would be able to manage the substantiate level of awesomeness of last year's rendering of what has now become one of Louisville's more relevant Summer music festivals.
It has been fun and interesting to watch this "mini fest" continue to grow and grow over the last few years, and if this weekend is any indication, it might have already outgrown itself. As usual, Poorcastle was hosted by Apocalypse Brew Works in their parking lot off of Mellwood Avenue, and as in year's past this space proved to be the perfect location for the budding annual event which has continued to attract more and more people representing neighborhoods from all over Louisville. I don't know any of the specifics in regard to the number of people that made it out, but this has to be the biggest turnout this fest has seen. By the time that the last few bands were going on Saturday night, the entire lot was completely full. Having said that, if Poorcastle continues to grow, they might have to consider moving it to a spot that can allow more and more of us music loving alcoholics in to enjoy this now-annual event. Anyway, on to my Poorcastle experience...
WARNING: Aside from the bands I'm about to mention, we were fortunate enough to watch a slew of other amazing bands, and I wish I had the time to tell you about my experience with all of them. Unfortunately, I have to work in a few hours so that notion is bogus and out the window. You understand, right?
I wasn't able to make it on Friday due to work and other "adult" activities I was forced into enduring, but I was able to make it the other two days. Early Saturday afternoon, Never Nervous-ite Jake and I were joined by my girlfriend Jenn and Quiet Hollers violinist Aaron West for a quick shot-and-a-beer before heading down to the Clifton neighborhood. We arrived just in time to watch surf rock maestros Tsunami Samurai who immediately set the bar sky high for every other band/artist to perform afterward. Seriously, these dudes are such a fucking good time; if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing them perform, do yourself a favor and scope out their next show. If you love Dick Dale and The Ventures, this noise will arouse you like nothing else.
Watch a video I took of Tsunami Samurai below: - Never Nervous
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Tsunami Samurai is a fresh wave of instrumental surf rock, casting a mist of carefree beach-blanket shake and stomp over greater Louisville and offering those in attendance a unique and memorable audiovisual experience. Formed in a roiling rip current of classics from the Ventures, Dick Dale, Link Wray, and all their gnarly cohorts, Tsunami Samurai rips and shreds through a familiar yet underappreciated genre, a genre pure but with an undercurrent of mischief, respectable but with a hairy, pulsating chest tattoo that reads “Big waves only!” Emerging from the thick, reverberating swells, ripples of spy, classical, pulp, biker, and many other genres wash upon the shore. With frolicking guitar interplay and an uncompromising rhythm that leaves listeners reaching for a hula hoop and wishing to scurry along the beach like frenzied sand crabs, joyous in the summer sun, Tsunami Samurai can turn any event into a party.
Tsunumi Samurai is composed of a group of seasoned rockers who have committed themselves to creating and seeking out super-cool surf-inspired music and doing it up right. Founding members Bryan Hamilton (guitar) and Ulises Rocha (bass), formerly of the Athens-based band Cigarello, got the party started in 2011. Chester Martin (guitar) and Mike Boblitt (drums; formerly guitarist and singer of Those Darn Amigos), joined a couple years later. Together this quartet shaped their sound to be “vintage” but progressive, enthusiastic but skilled, raucous but toneful. Balancing such disparate dynamics recommends them to wide and varied audiences. They’re received with appreciation at late-night clubs and wedding receptions alike. Fun’s fun, and good music’s good music.
Come on out and watch as Bryan and Chester bounce riffs back and forth like a beach ball, tremolo picking their Dick Dales off and synching into harmonies so smoothly you’ll find yourself thinking, “Wait a second, there’s some musicality to this surf thing.” Zoinks! Ride the penetrating waves that Ulises conjures on his bass guitar, and go tumbling headlong as he switches up mid-groove into a walking bass line that takes you back to that chill summer sunset you spent on the beach with that kid—what was his name?—that time you visited your grandma in San Bernardino back in ’94. (God, what was his name? So much slobber.) And marvel as Mike boom-chuck-chuck-boom-chucks a righteous surf beat for a really long time.
Catch a wave. Surf’s up!
Band Members
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