SOLO ACOUSTIC SHOW – TURTLE BAY RESORT JAN 25th
Timmy Curran Solo Acoustic Show January 25th
Turtle Bay Resort (North Shore Oahu)
Special Guests: Amanda Frazier
The Neckbeard
Board: 5’6, 19 1/4, 2 1/4
Neckbeard= Interesting sessions…
My first session on the Neckbeard was a bit of a shocker. I think sometimes you can have shockers just because, and that it was! Don’t think too much while surfing…
On a side note, after that spectacular session I accidentally pushed my spair hide a key into a black hole in the frame of my car. It took 30 min and a miracle to get it out, thanks to an old neighbor who came to the rescue with a hail Mary, hay maker. Thanks Ernie!
My second session, I got tricked by the Great Northern Pacific to paddle out at a 6.0 high tide. It was one of those days were you look at it and wonder why there ain’t no one out. Hmmm… So I ran to my car and suited up as fast as I could. Once I got back down to the waters edge I saw that it was breaking 6 feet from shore and to my surprise there was a lot of back wash? Weird… I was gung-ho though, you know, and paddled out. The waves were horrible, and a sweet southern gale came a blowing to top off my 20 min session. You’d think that after being a surf addict for 20 years I’d be a better judge of conditions. Maybe it’s the addict part that’s the problem… Especially when filming, it’ll get me every time.
The next session the waves were really fun, especially for that board. It was waist to chest high and fun little peaks. One thing I liked about this board was that it paddled really good for it’s height. That is always a plus for me, a board that’s weird to paddle is doomed from the get go.
It was fast and a bit loose off the tail for sure. The board felt like it would be amazing if I was regular foot and got to surf C-street front side. I bet it would be a blast, and wonder if that’s what Dane was thinking when he designed it. I am baffled at how well Dane shreds this board, in all conditions and sizes. That dude has a lot of power and is able to tame it like a fine racing horse. I guess that is what makes Dane the best free surfer in the world. He is one of those nonchalant dudes who can air 360 a door. Good for him…
After that session I decided to put my old faithful 3’2 Vector fins in to see if they would give it a little more hold. Well sure enough, they did. They waves were head high+ and the board was feeling fast and free. After 3 sessions I was due for a fun surf on this board, and was thinking this is it. This is going to be a 3 hour session of total stoke. I caught about 10 waves and was frothing, due to timing it right and getting a window of really fun waves and hardly anyone out. Well, it all ended… ended for about a month or so. I went for a backside air 360 on a waist high little right and hyper extended my knee and sprained my ankle. It’s been almost 3 years since I have had a injury and the timing is no bueno. It is almost Santa Anna wind time and you know what that means… could of been worse though, and I don’t need surgery so it’s all good. Wish I could of had a few more sessions on the Neckbeard, but was glad to get a few waves where the board felt really good under my feet. I would recommend this board for mushy, fun, ripable surf, but gets a little loosy goosy which can always put you in interesting places on the wave. Gonna go sticker up my next board The Rubble and stare at it for about a month while I am hitting the gym like Kimbo Slice.
For some radical surfing visit marinelayeproductions.com to see Dane riding this board like no other.
Neckberd=http://cisurfboards.com/surfboards/neck-beard-by-dane-reynolds/
Fins=http://www.futuresfins.com/
Please excuse typos, grammar, spelling, making sense, booties, head snaps, head dips & brevity.
Cheese Stick
For this little short, I decided to grab a model off the rack at the Channel Islands Surfboard factory. One of my favorite boards of all time was one that I grabbed off the rack. I was headed on a trip to Barbados with Taylor Steele, Kelly, Ozzy & Benji for Sipping Jetstreams. It was a K model that I used in quite a few events for almost a year, and loved. I am a strong believer that you can find magic boards off the rack.
While I was at the factory, I felt a few different stock models & decided to go with the Cheese Stick. It felt very similar to the short board dimensions that I usually ride, and it was one of those boards that just felt good under my arm. Sometimes stock boards off the rack can be a little bit heavier than if you order a custom board, but with my magic K model it didn’t matter that it was heavier, it was full of awesomeness! I’d say that stock boards are a little stronger, due to thicker glass jobs and curing time. Stronger boards are obviously better if you are trying to get longest ride possible from your purchase. If you want a lighter board, I would always recommend ordering a custom board with the glassing strength exactly to your liking. This board felt a tad bit heavier, but by the smallest of margins.
So, with all that being said, I surfed a few sessions on this board down at Zuma. The waves were very fast, powerful and hollow even though it was head high. I was telling some friends that it’s always nice when you get beat downs in head high surf… Zuma will do that to me sometimes. Not to mention it was like surfing in an aquarium, there was some serious marine life action going on in the water all around me. The Cheese Stick road well in small little tubes & fit great in the tight transitions. It had a lot of rocker from the middle of the board to the nose, which is very similar to what I usually ride and like. Boards with a lot of rocker work great for me in these types of conditions because they fit well in the pocket. When the wind picked up and the waves got blown out, the board still felt really good and carried a lot of speed through the chop. I used a few different sets of fins and ended up liking the AM2 by Futures the best. I went with the biggest set of fins I had in this board to give it extra drive and hold, due to it having a lot of rocker. Sometimes boards with a lot of rocker can get a little squirrelly, so I always like bigger fins. Fin options are endless, so go with whatever floats your boat. The Cheese Stick released very well, which is good for coming out of reverses or spinning out of airs. Yadin, who designed this board is a mad man in the air, and this board looks great under his feet. If you are interesting in this model visit Cisurfboards.com for more details. You can also youtube Yadin to see what he does on this model.
*If you are extremely interested in riding this board, I will be giving it away at the Ventura Theater Sept 4th Labor Day Weekend! For tickets visit:
Please excuse typos, grammar, spelling, making sense, booties, head snaps, head dips & brevity.
Motorboat
My height: 5’9
My weight: 155
Board dimensions: 5’4, 19 1/4, 2 1/4.
Fins: Futures 2/3 vector side fins, with AM1 450 back center fin
Worked best in: Head to head high+ medium push, glassy surf.
More challenging in: Hollow, powerful, choppy surf
I’ve been surfing on Channel Islands boards for almost 7 years now. I’m thankful to have been able to work with Al over the years, and be a part of the Channel Islands team. It dawned on me a few weeks ago that I have only ridden a few different models from their massive collection. All my surfing life I’ve gone by, if it’s not broke don’t fix it. Over the years Al and I worked on a shape that I use for my everyday short board, The White Dove. I thought instead of working on a new design, it would be really fun to ride each model and do a little blog on how they work for me. In all honesty, it’s more about me trying to understand what’s under my feet and putting words to it. I’ve never been good at explaining why my boards work, but hopefully the explanations will get better with time…
At first I thought I ordered this board a bit too small. The first 2 sessions I kept going over the handle bars, but I know that you have to give boards a few sessions and change out fins before you can make an accurate decision on how the board really works. On my 3rd session I put the Futures 2/3 vector fins in with a small back fin (AM1 450) and the board started working really good. The 2/3 vector fins look strange, but in the right waves and right board they help create a lot of speed & release well when landing airs. If I caught a wave that had some punch, the board got a little loose. The Motor Boat worked best for me in waves that were mushy and glassy. It carries a ton of speed through flat sections when you have most of your weight on your front foot. I really liked this board for doing airs, it felt like a skateboard on some waves because it was so short. Overall the Motorboat is really fast and carries a lot of speed, due to it not having much rocker. I would recommend ordering a Motorboat 3′ to 4′ inches shorter than your height. This is a great summer time board depending on where you live. I would also always recommend having a few different sets of fins in your fanny pack. One set of fins could change everything about the way your board works…
For Channel Islands Surfboards visit: Cisurfboards.com
Futures Fins: futuresfins.com
Special Thanks: Photos/video Kyle MacLennan
Music: Contractions-Andy Smith/TCB
Please excuse typos, grammar, spelling, making sense, booties, head snaps, & brevity.
Surfing Magazine Interview by Nathan Myers
posted by Nathan Myers / Blogs, Editorial / May 31, 2011
Timmy in Iceland circa 2007, filming with Taylor Steele and honing his music by night. Photo: Myers
A few years back, I was in Iceland with Timmy Curran, Dan Malloy and Dane Reynolds. After long days of driving around looking for waves (surfing Iceland is a pain in your frozen ass), Timmy would burrow away in his room with Dan working on music for the movie (Taylor Steele’s Castles in the Sky). I wanted to hear them playing, but they were all locked away up there.
I’d spent some time with Timmy during the release of his previous album “Word of Mouth,” and we’d spoken about his writing process, public surfer/artist persona and releasing music for free. He’d been writing songs in bathrooms, closets, and tiny private spaces for years, never imaging these intimate creations going public.
That night, Tim opened for the Foo Fighters in an open-air arena-sized amphitheater. As the sun was setting, Tim played a beautiful opening set. Tender and sweet, as people found their seats. But at darkness took over, Dave Grohl rode his Harley down the backstage hallway and came thundering onstage with his nine-piece rock conglomerate and smashed the place to bits with stadium-sized mega-hits from his latest post-Nirvana chart-topper, $14.99 at Target.
I don’t think Timmy dreams of playing halftime at the Super Bowl. Nor is he giving his music away free in the Radiohead sense of the word (around that time, “In Rainbows” came out as a free download and made the band massive piles of Euros via online donations — we downloaded it in Iceland, where you swerve your car to avoid crashing into rainbows). Timmy’s giving it away because that’s what the music is to him: a gift to be passed along.
Dan Malloy reads at the table while Timmy strums in the background. Photo: Myers
Near the end of our Iceland trip, Timmy came down to our living room and — with little prelude — launched into the song he’d been writing up in his room. It was just a small crew of us, bonded by two hard weeks on the road, and the memory of Timmy’s song is something I’ll never forget. It wasn’t meant to impress us or blow us away, just a personal little offering from the depths of his quiet, intimate soul. Very precious.
Timmy’s music wasn’t meant for stadiums, it was meant for moments like these.
Watching this section of Castles always brings me back to that night, so I’m glad now to have that track, as well as ten other new intimate and personal Tim Curran nuggets on my iPod — I’ve got ‘em shuffled into various mixes and they get better each time they poke through the crowd.
“Options” is Timmy’s third studio album and his most mature, dynamic release to date — each song feels carved from some vastly different and highly personal journey, then boiled and hammered into a shining diamond of sound in some tiny, secret closet space. —Nathan Myers
SURFING: YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY AS A MUSICIAN. WHY ARE YOU STILL GIVING YOUR ALBUMS AWAY FOR FREE?
TIMMY CURRAN: Music has been a blessing. I never thought I would be putting out records and playing shows. The band and I really enjoy sharing our music, we all like going with the flow. We also release all of our music on iTunes and similar sites, so people can still support it.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS ALBUM FROM THE PREVIOUS ONES?
I recorded scratch vocal and guitar tracks at my house with Andy Smith, who produced the record. Andy has been playing with me since the very beginning and is an amazing musician and producer. His music influences are all over the map, which shows in his playing and producing. I gave Andy 100% creative control with this album, so when I heard everything put together it was almost like I was listening to a different band. Andy got some great ideas from Jesse Carmichael and Jesse Taylor who both play in our band. Catherine Clark, who is a great surfer and singer/songwriter from Ventura, is featured on two of the tracks: “Suddenly” & “Timeless Road.” She is only 17 and there will be great things to come from her in the near future.
HAS MUSIC OVERTAKEN SURFING AS FAR AS YOUR “MAIN THING” YET? OR DO YOU SEE THAT HAPPENING EVENTUALLY?
Surfing pays the bills. In no way could I live off my music career and support a family. That is always a misunderstanding from the outside looking in. It actually costs a lot of money to tour and practice. I guess giving your albums away for free doesn’t help, but I don’t plan on changing that any time soon. It would be nice one day down the road to live off the music if it keeps getting out there.
YOU USED TO SAY YOU’D NEVER SOLO…BUT IS THAT YOU DOING A BIT OF SOLO-ING ON THIS ALBUM?
Haha, I’ve stayed true to my word, so far. That is Andy Smith laying down his sweet solos. Maybe next album…
THREE (OR FOUR) ALBUMS ALONG, DO YOU FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AS A MUSICIAN THESE DAYS?
To be honest, I don’t ever feel confortable on stage. Singing and playing is really fun, but in between songs is strange for me. I dread public speaking, so in between songs I am always kind of tripping. I feel like I always fumble jumble it on the mic. Maybe one day I’ll figure that out.
WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST OR SCARIEST MOMENT MUSICALLY SO FAR? ANYTHING BIGGER THAN OPENING FOR FOO FIGHTERS YET?
Opening for Switchfoot at the US Open last year was kind of nerve wracking. There were so many people and being that close to a surf contest was intense. I was on stage thinking that I was having an out of body experience — shouldn’t I be in a heat or in the water right now? I was thankful to be a part of it all though.
ARE YOU PLANNING ON TOURING THE ALBUM? LIKE, WHERE CAN PEOPLE SEE YOU PLAY SOON?
We hope to do a small coastal tour in September and October.
THERE’S A LOT MORE INSTRUMENTATION ON THIS ONE. DO YOU HAVE A FULL BAND NOW? OR JUST VARIOUS GUESTS?
I have had a band for the last four years. We may bring out another electric guitarist for the September/October tour. As the music and ideas evolve, it seems endless what you can add. We always make sure to have a few simple stripped down songs on all of our albums. I hope to release songs from the last two albums solo acoustic, so people can hear them that like that as well.
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH “CONTRADICTIONS?” WHEN THAT CAME ON I WAS LIKE, “WHOSE ALBUM IS THIS?”
I thought the same. That is 100% Andy Smith. I thought it would be great if Andy had a song that he wrote and came up with all instrumentals. I like that song, and hopefully we can incorporate that sound on a few songs for the next record.
IS THERE A SONG FROM YOUR OLDER STUFF THAT YOU THINK IS LIKE YOUR “HIT SINGLE?”
Blue Eyes.
YOU WON A CONTEST AND RELEASED A FILM THIS YEAR…SO YOU MUST STILL BE FEELING RELEVANT AS A PRO SURFER, RIGHT? WHAT’S THE PLAN FOR YOUR SURFING FUTURE?
The plan is to do as many local contests as I can. I watch so many of the contests online, it’s hard to sit back and not do any. I hope to do a lot more contests for the next couple years. I love competing and it gives me something to focus on while I am free surfing. It is fun getting to see all my friends who I don’t normally see if I am not doing contests.
Loft Session
http://www.hurley.com/blog/blog.cfm/aid/45187/DOWNLOAD-TIMMY-CURRANS-NEW-ALBUM-FOR-FREE
Andy Smith Interview (Producer/Band Mate)
You have been playing in Timmy Curran Band since the very beginning, what inspired you to produce this record?
“Having produced other projects in the past, after working with Tim for the past 5 years I finally felt confident knowing what I could bring to the table and how it would best fit into his collection of music. Being able to listen to extremely raw song ideas before there was any plan to record an album, I immediately sensed a way to graft in new ideas and construct an album. The goal was to take the strong points of the previous albums and push the envelope to embrace new directions. I felt the time was ripe to try something a bit different given the rapidly changing culture of music consumption.”
Where did you record this album?
“This album was recorded in the nomad style. Drums were recorded in a garage in silverlake, guitars were recorded at Timmy’s house in Ventura, electric guitars in a culver city art studio and garage in Altadena, bass and background vocals at JT’s loft in downtown LA, and final vocals at the Hurley studios in Costa Mesa. I think the fractured method of recording gave the material identity early on, and ultimately resulted in an album that’s both mismatched and cohesive in it’s multiple facets.”
What is different about this record compared to “Word Of Mouth” & “VerseS”?
“I think the previous two albums laid the groundwork for “Options”, but without any pressure or expectation for this album I think we collectively decided to take more chances. A big reason for the directional change is the creative input from JT and Carmichael. Since we all are differently influenced it was nice to blend styles and come up with something that’s representational of us now and where we want to go as a band. The noticeable differences come in the form of more programmed drums, synths, more vocal harmonies and tonal stacking.”
Who inspires you musically?
“This would be a long list, so in the interest of keeping this short and sweet I’ll say Paul McCartney, Dr. Cliff Huxtable, and Your mom”
Are you looking forward to touring this record?
“Yeah… It’ll be challenging to find ways of re-creating the many layers on the album in a live show, but since many of these songs were arranged with live performance in mind I think it will be a much more entertaining and interesting live show that we’ll be touring.”
Will this record change your live performances?
“Yes, if it doesn’t then we’ll give you a full refund. Expect thunder.”
Dann Gallucci former member of Modest Mouse mixed this record, how do you know Dann?
“Being close friends with Matt Maust, bass player for Cold War Kids and who’s musical opinion I greatly respect, I asked Matt if he had any good recommendations for a mixer for the album. He immediately gave his endorsement of Dann who had been on tour with CWK as their sound engineer. As soon as Dann began mixing the album I knew right away his sensibilities were a perfect fit for what I was trying to communicate from a production standpoint. I couldn’t be happier with the mixing of the album as I think Dann took risks that others may have missed.”