Death by kowabunga bunga! Swami John Reis and The Blind Shake pay tribute to the classic surf and rock n roll instrumentals of the 1960's and the more introspective music of the 1970's surf films and update the genre for today's more credible, discerning and extreme, modern surfer. 13 original, modern surf compositions create this tidal wave of booming tom toms, skronking saxophones and a chaotic surge of guitars.

The band consists of John Reis (Hot Snakes, Rocket From The Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Night Marchers) on guitar and other stringed instruments backed by the muscular, psych punk of Minneapolis' The Blind Shake (Goner, Castle Face). The Blind Shake is a bombastic, bass-less, power trio consisting of guitar, baritone guitar and drums. They are 2 brothers and a cousin and musically display a tightly locked-in, jerky, cadence that can only be created by those who have spent many, many years sharing close quarters. The band first came to the attention of John when they served as a backing band to one of his biggest guitar inspirations, Michael Yonkers.

Swami John Reis and The Blind Shake immersed themselves in all aspects of what can loosely be considered Surf music. They convened in San Diego in a rented bungalow on the Ocean Beach Pier January 2013 and feasted on everything from Surf classics such as The Ventures, Dick Dale and the Downey Records roster, to the limitless forgotten combos that created some of the heaviest noise, to the sounds that helped shape the genre such as Omar Khorshid and his Magic Guitar (Egyptian belly dance), Lepto Mournounis (legendary Greek bouzouki player) and Link Wray (godfather of instro punk), to music from films such as The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun and Sea Of Joy. After 4 days rehearsals the band then moved to a space where they could commence recording. Keen on keeping true to the vibe, the group reconvened on yet another pier. The band setup to record at Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, but this time instead of being on top of the pier the band would arrange to record underneath the pilings where they could make more noise. Enlisting the expertise of Ben Moore and outfitting a VW Van as a mobile recording unit, the band recorded most of the basic tracks. Additional recording of saxophone, doumbek, piano, riq, vibraphone and bouzouki was added later to achieve the conceptual symphonic, "wall of twang" and a dramatic sense of tension and release that the group wanted to achieve in order to give the record a cinematic feel.

Because of the intense rhythmic velocity achieved on many of these tracks, Modern Surf Classics appeal reaches beyond solely surfing enthusiasts. Those interested in BMX, roller skateboarding, snowboarding/toboggan, fist fighting, hot yoga, car racing, military play and most other water activities should find much to enjoy here. Let this south swell topple you and be buried in dense waves of reverb and feedback.