As stupid as that whole period was in a lot of ways, it was sure a great time for me. Because with that renewed interest in surf music came CD reissues of lots of old records from the Sixties and a resurgance -- short-lived, as it turned out -- in instrumental rock n roll. Bands were everywhere: Satan's Pilgrims, Los Straitjackets, Man Or Astroman?, The Space Cossacks, The Bomboras, The Slackmates, The Penetrators (RIP, Rip!) and on and on. The Ventures played around. Good times.
Here in North Carolina's Triangle area, we had an instrumental band called Family Dollar Pharaohs. Made up of veterans from the Chapel Hill music scene (Metal Flake Mother, Zen Frisbee, etc.), theirs was a very un-surf-y kind of surf music, even if they did cover The Ventures' "Vamp Camp."
The Pharaohs played lots of short, sharp shows at Cat's Cradle and The Local 506, usually lasting under 20 minutes. God, they were great. One I particlarly remember was New Year's Eve, 1996, at The Cradle -- my now-wife and I were on our third or fourth date. They were also a fixture at Sleazefest.
Anyway, they released a single CD, HAUNTED. I think it's a masterpiece, 21 minutes of reverb-y brilliance. Then there's a song on the low-fi Sleazefest CD from 1995 (covering Sleazefest '94). And that's it. Done. The complete Family Dollar Pharaohs discography.
Unlike a lotta folks around here, I don't wax nostalgic for our local bands, from the ones that made it like The Squirrel Nut Zippers or Superchunk to the many long-lost bands scenesters talk about reverently (Snatches Of Pink comes to mind). Sorry, but I don't care. However, I'll make an exception with Family Dollar Pharaohs. I miss them. They were great. And of the many hours I've spent in clubs with a PBR in my hand, the Pharaohs shows still stand out.
By the way, if somebody out there has a boot cassette under their front seat of a Pharaohs show, I'd sure love to hear it.
7 comments:
Somewhere around 1982, or so, there was a band called "The Jetson" that cranked out the instrumentals in the Buffalo, NY area.
I remember seeing them at a bar called "Thumpers" on Main Street.
Ah, memories...
I'm listening to "The Arabian Motel" now!
I would pay good money for a recording of "The Family Dollar Pharaohs." Didn't they put out some vinyl back in the day?
I seen these cats at that Sleazefest.Some friends and I came down from Indiana just for that weekend.What a hot sweaty time it was.By the way surf instro has never skipped a beat since the early 90's.It's alive and well thank you.Family Dollar Pharaohs were a very cool band by the way.I concur my friend.Do you so happen to have a copy of that Haunted record? If so would very much like to hear it.I'am a avid collector of surf instro music,but can't seem to find this bad dad anywhere.A copy in MP3 format would suit me just fine.Let me know either way thanks!
Brandonio!
I saw Family Dollar Pharoahs open up for Squirrel Nut Zippers at one of the first shows for both of them at the Duke Coffee House one amazing night. Blown away by both sets. What a night to remember.
I always get energized when a track from Haunted pops up on my shuffle playlist on the iPod. Sitting down now and listening to the album straight through. Kick ass, man.
Saw them with Archers of Loaf at Tramps (?) NYC '93 or '94. Awesome show. Back in the olden days! I was just a youngster! Good memories.
I was lucky enough to see them in Savannah at Velvet Elvis. Wish they had recorded more tunes, 'HAUNTED' is not enough!
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