The Mermen -
Psychedelic Surf Music
Expanding on the Instrumental Surf Music tradition pioneered by Dick Dale in the 60's
The Mermen's style of music has been called a lot of things, surf, rock, psychedelic, ambient, psychobilly, thrash, punk, grindcore, new-age...and really, it may be all of those things rolled into one.
Their name came from Jimi Hendrix's song "1983, A Merman I Should Turn to Be"--a song which sees the ocean as source of life. That mythological tone-poem by Hendrix set the stage for what the Mermen are doing. The beauty is in the bands' ability to span a variety of musical landscapes while maintaining a steady stylistic integrity; the music moves from sweet melodies where you can hear a pin drop to loud, violent, modal, grinding, dronelike feedback excursions. What makes The Mermen unique is a deep and solitary originality, a potent musical vitality, and ever-present reinvention that remains throughout the bands twenty-year history, from their raw beginnings in San Francisco clubs to their current cult status.
Exiling the generic to the oldies bin since 1989, The Mermen are considered by fans, press and detractors alike as the outright leaders of an instrumental rock and surf music genre remix/re-evolution. The Mermen have won more critics awards, readers poll awards, and have appeared on more "best of" lists than any other San Francisco Bay Area band.
As Alternative Press observed, "It’s the band's ability to harness the currents of 70's punk anger, 80's
hardcore emotionalism, and 90's grunge as well as diving into the 60's" that sets them apart. This is
music to feed more than just your head and body.
When big-wave surfer/ filmmaker Grant Washburn, director of MAVERICKS (Clearwater Films)
decided that The Mermen's music would make the appropriate soundtrack to his spectacular
MAVERICKS big-wave surfing documentary, it was an affirmation of the Mermen's authenticity.
Big-wave surfer Jeff Clark has crowned The Mermen "the official band of Mavericks," a declaration
that The Mermen's music is the real thing.
Hear them live and see why, when it comes to The Mermen, words aren’t necessary.
What Music Critics Say:
"The best rock and roll is poetry in motion, with or without words — and some of the best records of the year came without. The Mermen play an extreme brand of surf music; the trebly turbulent and black minor chord moods of guitarist Jim Thomas on A Glorious Lethal Euphoria are like a rough ride on the icy seas of the mid-Atlantic. Hints of Dick Dale filter through the cracked sidewalk wave forms of Sonic Youth. But on long-hauls like "Obsession for Men," Thomas sounds more like Neil Young at the wheel of the good ship Crazy Horse." David Fricke, ROLLING STONE
"Cascading waves of dreamlike sound...Amazing! The Mermen have the oceanic thing down pat."
VILLAGE VOICE, New York
"Whenever the term "surf rock" is uttered, one usually thinks of Dick Dale or The Ventures, Fender amps with a ton
of reverb, and goofy guys in goofy Hawaiian shirts. This wasn't the case on Saturday night, though. Sure the
Mermen played a lot of up-tempo, heavily reverbed guitar and "Wipeout"-esque tunes, but this band had depth,
warmth, humility, and more rock influences under their sleeves than one might imagine. I walked in expecting to
hear the typical but in return got something that was at times alluring, powerful, classical, and rolled by at breakneck
speed. I picked up a CD (which the merch girl could describe only as "good, really good") which has since turned
into my new favorite." CHARLESTON CITY PAPER, South Carolina
Film / Television Credits:
- Full-length feature films (original music): OCEAN TRIBE (1997), THE MISSION (1997), MAVERICK'S
(1998), LOCAL BOYS (2003), MAVERICK'S SURF CONTEST DVD (2006), PIPELINE MASTERS (2006),
QUEST FOR FEAR (2008)
- Featured music in MERCEDES BENZ TV advertisement (aired January 2003)
- Television (original music): NASH BRIDGES, RESURRECTION BOULEVARD, MTV's REAL WORLD,
COMEDY CENTRAL ("COMICS COME HOME") ABC SPORTS, SURFER MAGAZINE (ESPN)
- Featured music on one of the best selling video games of all time: ROAD RASH 3D (ELECTRONIC
ARTS) along with KID ROCK, and SUGAR RAY
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Musicians with whom The Mermen have performed:
Awards & Recognition:
- "Best of the Bay" 2002, SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN
- "One of the Best 100 Bay Area Bands of All Time" (both critics list and Reader's poll)
2001 by SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/ EXAMINER
- "Bammie" awards (2 years) 1996-1997, BAM MAGAZINE
- "Wammie" award 1996, SF WEEKLY
- "Best Albums of the Year" list 1995, ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE
- "Best-of-Year" list 1995, GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE
- "Best-of-Year" list 1995, GUITAR WORLD MAGAZINE
- "Goldie" Critics Award Winner 1995, SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN
- "Best Local Band" (reader's poll--2 years) 1996-1997 SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN
- #1 most played record album of the year, KUSF, San Francisco 1995
- #3 most played record album of the year, KUSF, San Francisco 1994
History of Surf Music
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