Band Reviews

"I was recently involved in a discussion regarding the similarities between the Bakersfield Sound and the sound of Surf Guitar from the early sixties. A new name came up and I learned of the existence of
The Bakersfield Breakers, a band that uses these elements within its signature sound. I bought their albumDune Buggy, which I enjoyed greatly. I also just purchased their album In the Studio With The Bakersfield Breakers, but haven't listened to all of it yet. So far there's some great Surf and some great Country.

In the Surf guitar world, Telecasters are seldom seen. More than once I've thought of a Surf Tele, but Keith Yaun seems to be ahead of me on this one. His Tele doesn't seem to have a vibrato tailpiece but it does look like there's a B bender. Whatever the details, he gets a very credible sound and uses it well. The guitar work is of the highest caliber.

It has recently been brought to my attention that there actually is more to a band than the lead guitar, which came as a bit of a shock,  but in this band, John Hamilton (Bass Guitar), and John DiGiulio (Drums) certainly earn their recognition as musicians of skill equal to the task. The three work together as a seamless unit. As I type this, I'm listening to a cut called "Whispering Guitar" and the sensitivity of all members is highly apparent as they work together to make the lower volume passages listenable. The balance is remarkable, not just with regard to volume, but with regard to what each musician plays and how they all yield sonic space to the needs of the song.

Perhaps what I like the best about this band is that it so perfectly fits my notion of a trio. I find that I strongly prefer working in a trio setting and I enjoy the challenge of keeping a full sound without a rhythm guitarist or keyboard player. In this band the sound is a pure and clean Tele backed by a P bass and drums. From experience, I can tell you that there's nowhere to hide in such a setting and you either sink or swim. It's quite a feeling when you first play a solo line with just a bass and guitar behind you. There's a lot of space to fill. So far I've survived, but I think it's made me a much better player and driven home the power of the electric guitar.

Because of this experience on my part, I have an even greater appreciation for what is happening in the Bakersfield Breakers. They keep a solid, consistent sound, even in the challenging realm of a G,B,D trio. That's the hardest aspect of the trio, keeping the sound full without making it too busy or just sinking into a bed of chords at every turnaround. For anyone wanting to study how to go about this task, the Bakersfield Breakers recordings are an excellent source of information.

The Bakersfield Breakers are hearby awarded the Synchro Seal of Approval."

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Synchro - Gretsch-talk.com