Drakes

Drakes was inspired by two surf trips to the Hollister Ranch on the central coast of California.  Privately owned, this spot is coveted by surfers around the world, and many pay a lot of money to have the chance to surf here.  I remember crawling into the back of a faded grey 4-runner packed with surf gear.  Grey-bearded and wearing drug store sunglasses and tattered shorts and t-shirt, my dad’s friend Chris picked us up from my parents’ house.  We loaded up the boards and drove the 101 to the winding road that led to the gated entrance.  Chris stopped to report he was bringing visitors and we all checked in. He bought a small plot of land years ago solely for the surfing rights.  Many surfers did the same.  He told us stories about what it was like before very many people knew about it.  Land was a lot cheaper, and it was a little more rugged of an experience to get there.  We drove more winding road and out onto the beach in the surf buggy, and we ended up just a few feet away from the surf.  As the afternoon sun sank towards the horizon, we, along with the pelicans and the seals, were the only ones out. The break we surfed was called “Little Drakes”.  I used this same name for the song at first.  As it continued to take shape, I thought “Drakes” sounded better.

Drake is another word for dragon.  I didn’t know this when I wrote the song, but I think it was meant to be.   The mood and energy of the song can be likened to the brooding, scaly, fire-breathing creature.  The explosion of the 6/8 sections of the song highlight a Hammond organ melody line reminiscent of early British Invasion keys sections of the Animals and Kinks. Also distinctly British, the image of a Hobbit frantically dodging dragon fire on a mountain of gold is a fitting one.

For me, my dad and Chris, it wasn’t gold we were hoarding, it was the waves and the good times spent together in a beautiful setting experiencing God’s gift of the ocean.  Rather than causing us to shut off the world and become callous and scaly, we experienced and shared the goodness of this world.  In doing this, we became more human rather than more like Smaug, Eustace and other dragons we find in our favorite books. “Drakes” subverts the dragon as a character while keeping the ominous imagery and vibe.  It’s all-out rock & roll when we play it live, and I think we captured this same explosive energy on tape.

El Capitan

El Capitan is a surf spot not too far from Santa Barbara, CA.  This region and NW Washington are my favorite places.  My family lives near this stretch of coast and I have many good memories of surfing, barbecues, wine tasting in the countryside and time spent at the beach and zoo with my wife, kids, parents, brother and sister-in-law.  I remember when my daughters first ventured in the ocean and built sand castles, my wife caught her first wave, and all of us enjoying the presence of pelicans, seals, sand pipers, and each other.

The name El Capitan evokes seafaring imagery that I think is perfect for this song - captain of a Spanish pirate ship.  One of Sanoma’s themes is the era of seafaring pirates and this period in history carries with it Spanish sub themes that also surface in the harmonic minor scales of much surf music.  I have images of abandoned church buildings, Spanish missions and graveyards, the open sea with ships looming on the horizon, and a ragged crew that has sailed from the Spanish Main in search of treasure.  This imagery is mixed with great surfing memories to inspire an all-out rock & roll song that really kicks ass live.  I love the recording, too.  The guitar tone is like a bad wipe out on a skateboard or a surfer getting sucked over the falls and smacking water.

My personality is a mixture of, among other things, my experiences and these images and memories, and I express my life through the rock & roll music that I love, and now through writing with words about the songs that I write on the Telecaster cranked through a Fender Vibro-King.  The theme of a captain reminds me that I don’t control these things, but they are gifts from God.  I’m not the captain of my own destiny, but a good God gives me great people, abilities, locations, inspiration, and many other things that I love.  There are opportunities that are meant to take.  Life is meant to be lived to the fullest.  All this is a gift from the King of the heavens, sea and earth.  This song reminds me of that.