There's no such thing as an "unknown" band. If you're a band, and you play out, then someone must know you. I've played gigs where it was us and the bartender and two drunk people who left after awhile. So…

Playing in a band is similar to playing on a sports team. Each member has a particular skill. You have a practice schedule. You have gigs/games. At the gig/game, things don't always go the way they did at practice. The…

When making setlists, I imagine each set as a one act play where each song is a character or an event. In this context, a song has a role and a personality. The opening song is vivacious and engaging. The…

I saw a facebook post today which said... "What about changing the name of the group to ... No Strictly Surf Music Appreciation Society?". Right away I started thinking about what makes a musical genre. I realized that in any…

In the 90s, my wife and I worked at a private school in Arizona. There is a campfire story about an unfortunate student called 'Headmixer Larry'. I love this story, it's many variations, and it's place in the memories of…

I have been an afficionado of surf music for 4 or 5 years now. I spent this time becoming familiar with the repertoire, reading about its history, and above all, learning to play it. To play and write music in…

Some bands are famous, we all know about them. Some bands are only known in their locality or genre. This second kind interest me more than the famous ones. A few  of these groups actually make a living at it…

One of my favorite scary stories from middle school English class was "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs. A creepy talisman from an exotic land causes badness. Imagine my delight when a Tiki Bar opened in Springfield called... Yes…

It finally started raining here. I hope it rains a lot. We need it. As the leaves begin to fall, I practice guitar and look at the kids playing at the school across the street. They don't mind the weather…

Two El Borko Shows this week. The first is at Covered Bridge brewing in Cottage Grove TONIGHT! Tue, Sep. 21 7:00PM. Covered Bridge is on the corner of 9th and Main in Cottage Grove. This will be just a trio…

Sensible people recognize that we as individuals are insignificant. We hope that we matter to those we care about, but in the big picture we are nothing. 

Nonetheless, this is our life, and it means a lot to us. Not…

I have two shows this weekend, one with Miller Brothers at Friendly gardens Friday night and one with El Borko Surf! at Viking Braggot Brewery Saturday afternoon at 4:00. I say "I hope" because things are shaky here as in…

After I released Surf Monster five months ago, I felt like I had more to say. So I said it by making another El Borko album, Surficana. This new record has seven surfy songs and no singing. These songs explore…

I played two very different shows this past weekend. One was a full electric band at a brew pub and the the other was Sunday brunch solo acoustic music. At both events I saw friends who have been coming to…

I have two shows coming up this weekend: 

This Saturday July 17, 6:00pm — 8:00pm 
El Borko Surf! 
Viking Braggot Brewing Brewery & Taproom, 
520 Commercial St, Unit F, Eugene, OR 
Classic and modern surf including music from their album…

Making and promoting Surf Monster has been a really good experience. I got back into the patterns of practice, promotion, and performance that characterizes the life of a musician. I couldn't stop, I made another surf record which is coming…

Tom Hilton has a small label in the UK. He puts out a regular series of music samplers by indy artists like me. He sent me links to some of these and they are super fun. Lots of great music…

I have two bands, El Borko Surf! and the Miller Brothers Band. El Borko is usually a duo with myself and Jon Neher. Miller brothers is a dance band playing 20th Century Pop Music. Since the pandemic began, we have…

Ahh... chunky lows, chimey highs, and thick, bright single notes. I call it "Thump & Chime". The three main factors in getting this sound are the player's touch, the guitar pickups, and the gain structure from guitar to amp. I…

This Monday, May 24 El Borko is the featured band on “Electric Beach Party”, a fun weekly surf music show from Cape Hatteras. https://www.radiohatteras.org/listen-live 
EASTERN TIME: 9:00 PM and 12:00 midnite 
PACIFIC TIME: 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM
99.9 WHDX-FM…

Why do we like surf? Well, for starters it's a big guitar sound, that whomping low bass and sparkling treble. The sound of surf is like a beautiful leviathan exploding from the sea. Surf evokes the power of waves and…

When I was in eighth grade, the youth group at our church brought in a band. This was at someone's house and the players were "big kids" from high school or maybe even college... oooh! We all listened to records…

This post began as one thing and ended up somewhere different. Like Gypsy guitarists seeking  Duende, surf guitarists chase "the drip". This cavernous percussive sound is a defining element of surf. It takes a combination of technique and the right…

Pet owners love to post pictures of their little buddies. pet sleeps, pet does funny thing, pet looks cute. Guitar players do the same thing. And, like pets, guitar pictures reflect their owners, some look sharp, some look beat up…

Because of the covid virus, many musicians are putting up video, and many are trying new and amusing things. Some are borderline genius, but you don't have to be a genius to put up something fun. 

On the album Roxy…