Tracks: Quick Sand, Cactus Stingray, Flight P-51, Hungarian Hunch Dance, Submersionary, Big Sky, Brutal Surfers, Bonesaw, The Duel, Snake Shake, Board Breaker, Toothless Cannibal, El Cucumbre, Raygub Smasher, Estrellas
Phil Dirt’s ‘Surf Heavies’, San Francisco,
CA..
Jalepeno Salsa Surf! Finally
The Sandblasters make it to CD. This effort is quite good. The Sandblasters have
an Austin Surf sound, meaning there’s the unmistakable Austin feel about it, and
the Surf is the underlying current. Mark Stultz writes and plays guitar, and is supported synergistically by
drummer Spencer Clarke and bass player Chris Happel. Mark’s melodies are
generally Southwest / Surf / Spy / Spaghetti Western oriented, with heavy doses
of South of the Border…Weird Satellite
starts right of with a big
reverb kick, then settles into a grand melody and spacey feel. Very nice number.
Wave King opens with a Spanish
acoustic guitar into a big Austin whammy surf number with a nice melody line. Petrina is a traditional tune with a light and
Euro arrangement. Naked Piranha is
very VERY dark, with huge grodie guitars issuing up low-E comin’-to-getcha
chords. Water Gunn is a very unusual tune, with it’s cowboy
rhythm and double picked bridge. Myan Sun
Dance is an acoustic near-tango
with hand drums, pretty but not special. Tarantula Taco is a grand song with mariachi
trumpets and beautiful chords. This is a huge winner!!! The female vocals that
come into the song near the middle are the frosting on the cake. Mookiest Limbo is hardly a limbo…it’s a Link Wray
sluggish in your street gang number that
moves into a swashbuckling
scene before a low-E menacing melody and back to the Link thing. Heavy duty
track. Fiberglass Camel moves from a really nice Middle eastern
melody/ progression into a big Dick Dale sounding lead. Oyster Wax has lots of James Bond influence and a
nice melody feel. Body Bag sounds just like the name implies, a
corpse lying in the alley in a B-movie detective story. Jupiter Beach is very Los Straitjackets oriented
with twinges of Penetration. This is a very good CD.***
~ Phil Dirt
Phil Dirt’s ‘Surf Heavies’, San Francisco,
CA.
After several years of development, Mark Stultz’ band the Sandblasters has delivered a very solid CD of crunchy sounding Spanish influenced western visionary surf and twang. The thing that struck me about this disc is the quality of the performance. It is not just solid, but Mark doesn’t need to rely on volume of speed. Much of the material is mid tempo, yet it’s powerful and magnetic. His bandmates Spencer Clarke- drums and Drew Shuller- bass provide a crisp foundation. Much like Mark’s work here, it is conspicuous in it’s most appropriate and well defined support role, instead of obviated by the players egos. There is a definite sense of ensemble here. Most of the songs are longer, some are quite dramatic, all are very artful solid CD.
Hungarian Hunch Dance-
Whoa! This is glorious! It blends the Hungarian patterns and rhythms with
southwest twang and drama. It’s spooky and infectious. The cow surf beat adds
yet another dimension to this already marvelous track.
Submersionary-
Slow ringing tones lull you into this picturesque track. It evokes images
of a calm lagoon, schools of brightly colored tropical fish, and the desert at
sunset, a very pretty track. Not romantic, just really nice.
Big Sky-
The rolling beat and big chords work well to create a spaghetti western
scene, with unshaven long riders on pintos trotting across the big screen. Great
guitar tone, great rhythm, great beat, solid bottom end.
Bonesaw- Great Title! This sports a different guitar
tone, more distorted and evil. It moves at a lumbering pace through the femur,
while feedback and double picked danger lurk in the shadows. Slow, mean and very
dramatic, yet with a sly grin just below the surface. Cool track.
The Duel- Big guitar drama, danger in the
streets, spys in the allies, and an ambush awaiting you when you
least
expect it. Slow, big chord power and a delicate melody line. Very dangerous.
That’s before it drops into the break where we find a faster, more surfy western
thing with a full round tone and a nifty riff.
Snake Shake- Throbbing vibrato, mid tempo twisted
shimmer, a nd a dandy little riff. There’s an air of weird science and
slithering thoughts. The hand claps are cool, and the drums are quite
complimentary to the main theme. Surf as art.
Board Breaker-
Unusual short delay on the snare, crunchy
guitar chords and bass notes, and a military feel…sorta a drum solo, punctuated
by just enough guitar and bass to keep it afloat. The drum work is quite good.
More than that, it’s unusual for a solo, less showoff puttering than many
others.
Toothless
Cannibal- Great title! Images of being gummed to
death. An ominous riff oriented dramatic structure with very inventive arranging
make this a fine surf art piece. Id this the dawn of a new sub-genre? Nice
track.
Raygun
Smasher-
Spanish flair and dramatic lurking danger are found within this eloquent track.
It uses some familiar riffs, dramatic changes, stylized visions, and
intellectual structures. A nice tune, assembled like something from an artier
period. Very good listening.
Estrellas- Delicate solo acoustic
guitar, a pleasant sunny afternoon Mexican verandah, and fine playing.
~Phil Dirt
~Seth Wimpfheimer
Music City Texas
-Roots Music Magazine March 1999-
Many people might regard an all instrumental, big guitar, surf trio album, billed as ”A potent soundtrack for the sci-fi cowboy adventure movie that lives in the back of our minds as we blaze full throttle down the mother road at 2 a.m. wit the headlights off.” as a living dinosaur. Far below the media radar flourishes a surf/instro subculture, to which the Sandblasters, Mark Stultz- guitar, Spencer Clarke- drums and Drew Shuller- bass are Austin’s main, though far from only contribution. The 15 tracks, all originals, of which the spaghetti western-ish “Big Sky” has become a surprise listener request hit on KSYM, demonstrate that this trio could hold it’s own in any All Time Surf Fest.
~John Conquest
~ Dennis M. DeWitt
Cool, moody, spaghetti surf from Austin, TX with lots of twang and
feeling.
Pipeline Instrumental Review, Surrey,
England
Cactus Stingray opens up the thick beat with the deep vibrant
twang of Quick Sand. The title track follows and it’s quirky progressions on a
moody theme still prevent pigeonholing this Texas guitar band. The damped
picking behind superbly atmospheric lead of flight P-51 does provide the first
clue of who missed The Sandblasters stunning debut album Oyster Wax (Pipeline
32). How about Texas space surf with a strident bite – this band is not an
outfit that’s easily categorized!
Take Hungarian Hunch Dance. Sure the obvious Eastern European
melody is in there, but so are those edgy progressions and references to Out of
Limits. Submersionary is a bit of a doodly dreamer that sounds overly familiar
on first play but is one of those mind-transporting passages that’ll take you
wherever. The snare rolling, galloping rhythm and bass of Big Sky can only take
you way out west, and the proud lead guitar theme tops off an excellent
spag-west romp. Brutal Surfers is aptly titled, it’s almost discordant apart
from a tasty wah – wah crescendo midway. Bonesaw is a superbly dramatic builder
and one of the best numbers that Link Wray never recorded.
There’s plenty more drama in the Duel, where light lead is set
against spacious big guitar, bass and drum riffs – if only more bands had the
courage to play with dynamics in this way. A more formulaic mid – tempo rocker
is Snake Shake, but the Wipeout snare rolls of Board Breaker introduce a
sparkling short variation on the theme. Toothless Cannibal sways between the
sand beneath the surf and it’s desert cousin whereas El Cucumbre is an out and
out spaghetti western theme. Less focused are the jangling guitars of Raygun
Smasher where it’s more about mood than melody. For a finale we get the subtle
acoustic strumming of Estrellas set to a background of insect effects. A fine
end to another winner from The Sandblasters.
~Alan Taylor
Can’t read, it’s in
German!!
~B B
It’s been two years since their successful debut, Space BBQ, and the Sandblasters haven’t been idle in the meantime. Their latest release finds them venturing into new territory as evidenced by the spaghetti-western influenced “Big Sky” the Mermenesque “Submersionary” and the eastern European “Hungarian Hunch Dance” and more!
Austin Chronicle, January
22nd, 1999, Music Reviews
Surf Music is like
that which essence it seeks to bottle-water; sometimes it glistens with the
reflection of a million suns, sometimes it just lays there – like water. Cactus
Stingray , the second full length release by Austin’s perennial surf trio the
Sandblasters, is definitely of the sunblock variety – glaringly good. Riding
wave after wave of great sound and production values, the bass in the guitar,
bass and drums booming like titanic swells, Cactus Stingray has feel, flow and
personality, three things essential to making albums in a gene that’s all
instrumental and generally considered simplistic at it’s best - a form in which all bodies of water look
the same after a while. So, while you might not remember the song titles, the
melodies linger with you like sand in your shoes. Actually, the titles tell the
tale, from the sinking opener “Quick Sand” and the mysterious “Flight P-51” to
the three- tune tunnel of “Hungarian Hunch Dance” (Hendrix goes to Hungary),
“Submersionary” (meditatively Mermen) and “Big Sky” (Sergio Leone, who else?)
The slithering “Snake Shake” and humorously grinding “Toothless Cannibal” cancel
out the rather rotten “El Cucumbre’”, the only ebb in a lot of flow.
“Instrumental music that surges through the veins of the sun baked Mojave
Desert” reads Cactus Stingray’s back-tray CD inset, which measns you’ll need
that SPF-35 strength paba-free, hypoallergenic, and waterproof sunblock. * *
* *
~Raoul
Hernandez
New Gandy Dancer, Magazine
For Rock Instrumental Music, UK
1996 was
the last CD – the quite wonderful “Space Bar-B-Q” from the red hot Austin trio
–guitarist Mark Stultz, drummer Spencer Clarke and bassist Drew Shuller. This
time around, they’re playing what they describe as cowboy space rock! Well
played, crisp production with no overdubs and nods in the direction of The
Ventures, The Astronauts from time to time on what is all original material.
It’s quite a job for an instrumental group of today to know which way to go –
play the same ols Miserlou which keeps most people happy or try and progress
into original material which is by default, totally unknown and therefore
risqué. The Sandblasters have – we think wisely – chosen the latter route and
it’s paid off. It’s not an easy album to listen to straight off, it will bear a
few playings before the base ideas start coming across. I should have liked to
hear something a bit more melodic somewhere (the western themed Big Sky is
probably the nearest) for commerciality but the album is a good one, two years
in the making and the guys deserve credit for not taking any easy direction. We
enjoyed it but you might find it grows on you subtly. ***
~DavyP eckett
Tracks: Weird Satellite, Wave King, Petrina, Naked Piranha, Water Gunn, Myan Sun Dance, Tarantula Taco, Mookiest Limbo, Fiberglass Camel, Oyster Wax, Body Bag, Jupiter Beach
Austin Chronicle, Texas
The Pulp Fiction soundtrack didn’t merely jolt a tidal
wave of interest in surf music, it also tied the genre in with B-movie schtick,
tribal rhythms, and twang, three things which this Austin trio pledge their
allegiance over the course of their full-length CD debut. It’s not Man or Astro
Man? Just yet, but rather a Mexican Bullfight in the sand, and that’s still
plenty Tarantino for me.
~Raoul Hernandez
Option Music Culture
Magazine August 1997
Reverb never really went away. It just got tweaked and twisted, overwhelmed by drier fuzzier distortions, and nudged aside by digital echoes. But, as both surf music and rockabilly have experienced healthy comebacks over the past few years, so has that cavernous twang. The Sandblasters can be found on the surfing side of the street, as their name implies. They’ve got all the sound down pat. What sets them apart are their tunes, which are a bit more interesting than the usual blues progressions or “Maleguena” riffs. Nothing too outrageous, just more melodic development and far fewer nods to classics like “Surf Beat” or “Secret Agent Man” . I guess that makes this album less than an instant classic, but quite a bit more interesting than just a genre piece.
~Michael Davis
Pipeline Instrumental
Review, Surrey, England
A reverb snap opens up Weird Satellite, the punchy surfy, space theme that sets
the tone for this, the first CD from The Sandblasters. Mark Stultz’s biting,
echoey guitar sound takes the lead with plenty of tremoloed chords to savour.
Organ provides support on this and a couple of other tracks, a second guitar is
also used to good effect on occasion. Dramatic acoustic work introduces the
Wave King with more of that tough
lead guitar. Our European friends will recognize the term piggtrad (barbed wire)
which was used in the 60’s to describe a tough electric guitar sound, it was
never more appropriately applied than to The Sandblasters! Both of these tracks
clock in at around 2 ½ minutes to
provide a dynamic start to Space Bar-B-Q.
Next up is Petrina ,
actually Jerry Lordan’s evocative Santa
Ana and presumably therefore a tribute to the great songwriter. A fine
arrangement from the band contributes significantly to his theme. Naked Piranha takes it on with crashing chords and cascading runs to create
a Latin-surf feel with a neat arrangement that incorporates a bass & drum
break alongside more from the guitar. This tasty track and the surfbeat section
of Fiberglass Camel are the closest to traditional
surf-styled pieces. The mean and moody Body Bag links in a touch of Rumble for dramatic effect while the
slow Tarantula Taco has a deep lead
allied to a strong acoustic rhythm in a fine Latin arrangement. The acoustic
feature Myan Sun Dance is a
brilliantly tense and dramatic number, using only guitar and hand percussion
instruments. It’s an amazing achievement that provides variety to the set
in an unusual way. Elsewhere the album is filled with solid power guitar rock
with a surfy edge, but it’s those special arrangements which will ensure The
Sandblasters’ future.
Space Bar-B-Q is a significant step forward from their cassettes
and a satisfying debut, I have a feeling they are going to be even better next
time around.
~Alan Taylor
New Gandy Dancer, Magazine
For Rock Instrumental Music, UK
Not to be
boring - but you’ll have a job believing these guys are a trio. 100% Mark Stultz
songs Mark is the lead player with
snappy drumming from Spencer Clarke and busy bass playing from anchorman Chris
Happel. Mookiest Limbo is Link Wray with a bit of surf thrown
in, while Water Gunn is much reminiscent of The Ventures
007-11 from 1966. But don’t get the impression that this band is a throwback -
Fiberglass Camel carries a camel beat, if that’s
possible, and is a haunting 12 bar, slow and deliberate with drums accentuating
the big beat until they introduce a raving middle section. There’s lots of
guitar effects pushed in too, on a CD of innovative rock instrumental guitar,
that , while original and inventive, doesn’t stray too far from rock spy and
surf as we know it. A bullet!****
~Davy Peckett
The Continental Magazine,
Bellingham, WA.
“Instro-mentals for Surf and space travel”. This effort from the
Sandblasters is a high-energy, full-on twangfest. Combining all of the elements
that make surf and exotica cool, this 12 track collection has got to be one of the best releases of 1996!
Even more amazing is the fact that these are all originals. Some of the melodies
may seem familiar, but that’s cuz they take the influence of others and use it
to create a sound all their own. Never has such cool music come from a trio. My
personal favs were the reverb and Farfisa-driven Weird Satellite and the driving
Oyster Wax.
~Sean Berry
ORB Confidential , Nashua,
NJ
Surf’s Up! And Austin’s own
Sandblasters are leading the parade. Extremely traditional 60’s American surf
sounds are expertly delivered here, with a tasteful hint of good ‘ol Texas
boogie surfing through the mix. For anyone not already hip to The Sandblasters,
vocals are not included in this too cool instrumental band.
From a musician’s standpoint, these guys are as tight as Gidget’s
ass!
~J. Belanger
…The Sandblasters opened for
Dick dale on 6th Street in Austin. I think we’ll be seeing lots of this hot surf/space music. They were
already on three international surf music compilations when the wave of
popularity grew out of Pulp Fiction,
and now Third Rock From The Sun.
With Space Bar-B-Q, their new CD in their fists, the waves will be
rising.
~ Sue Donahoe
Point Break, Hamburg,
GERMANY
Austin, Texas again, tape again.
The Sandblaster first caught my attention when I read a review of their
first tape in New Gandy Dancer, like one or two years back. I had never heard them, but they kinda stuck out in my mind because they
had a number of tunes, originally done by Laika and the Cosmonauts. I already knew about Laika playing in
Texas more than anywhere else, and the Teisco Del Rey connection they got. Great to see an up and coming band
having solid, global inspiration and giving credit.
As I am listening to Petrina, the opener, I realize how mature The
Sandblaster already are. It is a
mid-tempo tune, with interesting rhythm accents and a rather non-sixties style
to it. To give you a hint I could
describe the sound as a striped down Insect Surfers.
General speaking, I want to mention the patented Laika chromatisms
(spy-ish for the music theoretically-challenged reader). In real life, they are a trio, but
recordings are something different, and so Mark Stultz sometimes supports his
leads with powerful and competently placed chords. Like on Body Bag, which is a real dramatic and
classy one. Myan Sun Dance has got a magic blend
of acoustic guitar, tambourine, toms and electric guitar. The rhythm somehow reminds me of the
Mermen. It seems these guys are
very into all the really modern bands.
As I am interested in odd surfing-locales, like Germany, places California guys laugh at, at best. I would love to see a video of Gulfcoast Longboarding with a soundtrack score by The Sandblasters. I am convinced (for a long time, now even more so) that it is rather the desire to surf good waves, than being all surf-out at the end of the day, that makes you create this kind of music. Enjoying it in a live bar, after a couple of hours of sun, salt, wind and water is always great of course. The Sandblasters managed to create a very inspired and entertaining tape. The tunes are shorter than the Insect Surfers and Mermen’s ones, I like it! Guys, contact a video company about a Gulf surfing video, do the music and send it to me for review. Leave your music as powerful, alive and a bit raw ( I mean not super-polished) as it is.
All the best for the Sandblasters.
~Sebastian Hartmann
Surf Music USA, Utah
After releasing several successful self-produced cassettes over
the last couple of years, The Sandblasters reach for a higher wave with their
1st CD Space Bar-B-Q. For a three-piece outfit they have a clean full
sound and more often than not sound like a four piece group. Wave King features a nice acoustic guitar intro
while Myan Sun Dance is all acoustic. They get down and dirty
with Mookiest Limbo that greatly reminds
you of the new Dick Dale sound. Oyster
Wax and Jupiter Beach takes you to the hidden
depths of the 007 genre. To slow you down a bit The Sandblasters pick out Body Bag . With liner notes from Davy
Peckett and an awesome colored CD disc, we have a winner here. The Sandblasters
are a powerful surf trio for the nineties.
~Robert Dalley
Mike’s Feedback Music Zine, Austin, TEXAS
Surf’s up dude! Pray for sharks…land sharks that is. The
Sandblasters are definitely making their own kind of waves with Space Bar-B-Q,
twelve rocking “instro-mentals” custom designed for surf and space travel. It
will have you longing for the beach and salt spray. The Sandblasters are Mark
Stultz, Spencer Clarke and Chris Happel. They manage to squeeze out the most
intense and exotic surf sounds that I have heard from three guys since I spent
tripping around the beaches of southern California. Not all surf music is
created equal, and the Sandblasters prove it with Space Bar-B-Q. Petrina had me longing for a beach party where
all the cool guys hang (and the chicks, well…)..Miss Funicello could’ve easily
wooed Moon Doggy with a groove like this . Myan Sun Dance and Tarantula Taco give a South of the Border flavor to
their brand of surf music. Oyster
Wax made me ready to don my
trench coat and fedora. Best of all, I got to surf the net while groovin’ to a
beat that grabbed me by the toes and rocked me to the quick. Whether
you’re hanging ten, or just hanging, try to catch this offering from The
Sandblasters. Better yet, grab your favorite beach bunny and find a place to do
the swim, the pony, or any other funky, groovy dance and …cut loose!
~W.T. Bryant
Jalepeno Salsa Surf! Finally
The Sandblasters make it to CD. This effort is quite good. The Sandblasters have
an Austin Surf sound, meaning there’s the unmistakable Austin feel about it, and
the Surf is the underlying current. Mark Stultz writes and plays guitar, and is supported synergistically by
drummer Spencer Clarke and bass player Chris Happel. Mark’s melodies are
generally Southwest / Surf / Spy / Spaghetti Western oriented, with heavy doses
of South of the Border…Weird Satellite
starts right of with a big
reverb kick, then settles into a grande melody and spacey feel. Very nice
number. Wave King opens with a
Spanish acoustic guitar into a big Austin whammy surf number with a nice melody
line. Petrina is a traditional tune with a light and
Euro arrangement. Naked Piranha is
very VERY dark, with huge grodie guitars issuing up low-E comin’-to-getcha
chords. Water Gunn is a very unusual tune, with it’s cowboy
rhythm and double picked bridge. Myan Sun
Dance is an acoustic near-tango
with hand drums, pretty but not special. Tarantula Taco is a grand song with mariachi
trumpets and beautiful chords. This is a huge winner!!! The female vocals that
come into the song near the middle are the frosting on the cake. Mookiest Limbo is hardly a limbo…it’s a Link Wray
sluggish in your street gang number that
moves into a swashbuckling
scene before a low-E menacing melody and back to the Link thing. Heavy duty
track. Fiberglass Camel moves from a really nice Middle eastern
melody / progression into a big Dick dale sounding lead. Oyster Wax has lots of James Bond influence and a
nice melody feel. Body Bag sounds just like the name implies, a
corpse lying in the alley in a B-movie detective story. Jupiter Beach is very Los Straitjackets oriented
with twinges of Penetration. This is a very good CD.***
~ Phil Dirt
This is the
real thing. With the advent of retro (does that make sense?) lots and lots of
60’s and 70’s sounds are making
their way back into popular music. Remember spinning your sister’s Ventures
records on her cheap turntable that has speakers built right into the sides?
This is what you would’ve heard - bone rattling reverb, jazz style drumming,
lots of minor chords and a whole lot of guitar. They even do the fake flamenco E
to F progression better than anybody BUT the Ventures. add to that a little rock
n roll swagger on Mookiest Limbo
and you’ve got one helluva
party record.
~JAG
Livewire, Canadian Magazine For Instrumental Rock
The Austin, Texas surf band have finally
got their CD out and it’s a winner! The CD has a “sweeter” sound than the
cassette due to remastering and
EQ-ing…so here’s a rundown
of the “hot” tracks: Mookiest Limbo
is the toughest surf rocker on
here—could’ve been titled Boss Surf as it sounds like a surf take of the
Rumblers big one! Bodybag is a Spanish sounding guitar opus
with shades of Rumble thrown in for
danger. Building surf guitar blast after blast, the lead picker of The
Sandblasters creates a mighty original Wave King . A Flamenco acoustic guitar
introduces Myan Sun Dance with it’s minimalist picking on a
nice melody. Get this CD today for your very own summer
soundtrack!
~Rich Hagensen
“Summer ’95” cassette, released May
1995
Tracks:
Naked Piranha, Jupiter Beach, Fiberglass Camel, Oyster Wax, Mookie Limbo, Weird
Satellite
New Gandy Dancer, ENGLAND
Naked Piranha; Jupiter
Beach; Fiberglass Camel; Oyster Wax’ Mookie Limbo; Weird
Satellite.. Here’s an advance preview if you like of
six new Mark Stultz guitar surfers that will hopefully be the backbone of their
new CD. We have always liked the
Sandblasters here at NGD and this shows why. All strong and innovative tunes with
Naked Piranha and Oyster Was especially worth a mention. We will have to wait a little while yet
after this premiere for the big release since the CD or cassette of all
originals is not slated until the end of the year. We will be in the queue for it. Mark is on guitar with quality
percussion from Spencer Clarke and boss bass from Chris Happel- Good Luck
guys. ***
~Davy Peckett
California Music Magazine, AUSTRALIA
Four more surf gems
from the Austin, Texas trio ( Mark Stultz, guitar; Spencer Clarke, drums; Chris
Happel, bass) who have scored more rave
reviews than Dick Dale has melted guitar picks. Recorded “LIVE” to 2-track at
Cedar Creek Studios in Austin, Texas (produced by the Sandblasters, engineered
by Tim Dittmar), these six Mark Stultz penned tunes once again reinforce the
group’s standing in the surf music kingdom. ****
~ Stephen McParland
Livewire, Canadian Magazine for Instrumental Rock
Austin, Texas band
just recorded some new material since their last tape ( reviewed in LIVEWIRE
#7). Their originals keep gettin’ better - ‘specially Fiberglass Camel with loping desert surf guitar
sandwiched around a fast paced Dick dale bit. As the title suggests, Jupiter Beach has dyno-mite surf meets space guitar runs.
Mookie Limbo’s guitar patterns have
shades of Malaguena & blends those Spanish stylings well with an imaginary
spy movie theme. By the way, this is a preview copy- it’ll be released with more
instros at the end of the year and will probably be titled Jupiter Beach. Watch for it.
~ Rich Hagensen
Orb Confidential, Nashau, NJ
Get ready to go
surfing southwestern style with The Sandblaster out of Austin Texas. Hip and fun, Mark Stultz, guitar,
Spencer Clarke, drums and Chris Happel, bass, have that Coopertone and Tiki
sound that makes surf fans want to ride The Sandblaster wave.
~D. Hutton
“Oyster Wax” cassette, released June
1994
Tracks: Oyster Wax, Weird satellite, Surf’s You Right, Miserlou,
Sufromania, Night in Tunisia, Spy vs. Spy,
Galactic cactus, Pipeline ’52, Hippy Trip, Dick Tracy,
Lullabye of the Leaves
Surfers Rule,
SWEDEN
Direct from
Austin Texas comes this combo that play real cool surf instrumentals. The band includes Mark Stultz, Tom
Bombara and Jeff the Viking. Tracks
include Surf’s You Right; Pipeline 52; and Weird Satellite, strongly recommended.
~Goran Tannfelt
January 1995 Pipeline,
ENGLAND
Oyster Wax; Weird Satellite; Surf’s You
Right; Miserlou; Surfromania; Night in Tunisia; Secret Agent Force; Galactic
Cactus; Pipeline’52; Hippy Trip; Dick Tracy; Lullabye of the
Leaves…
Hints of the
“Hawaii 5-0” riff greet you as the Sandblasters introduce their guitar, bass
& drums attack on the pacey Oyster
Wax. Tom Bombara’s adventurous bass helps guitarist Mark Stultz flesh out
the sound, a role taken on by a spacey Farfisa-style organ fills on the aptly
titled Weird Satellite. Mark’s guitar
has a clean-cut echoey jangle to it and he does well on Miserlou with the aide of some powerful
tub thumping from Spencer Clarke. Organ plays all the right parts in support,
yet I’m not convinced it has quite the correct sound for this old surf classic.
It does fit the more melodic Night in Tunisia but makes no further
appearances, the rest is guitar all the way. I can imagine The Sandblasters deliver quite a punch live,
in the studio they rely on a single guitar to fill the soundstage, They
have used organ on these two tracks but might consider a second guitar part to
free the arrangements up a bit before achieving a major deal. Secret Agent Force is an amalgam of spy themes built into a
pleasing medley with some welcome changes in guitar tones, Galactic Cactus is a neat run through the Fireballs Vaquero and Pipeline gets updated courtesy of some guitar
effects before launching into some Peter
Gunn bass riffing and spacey
guitar doodling. Hippy Trip sandwiches The Stones’ Paint It Black and 19th Nervous
Breakdown between The Doors’ Break On
Through while Lullabye of the Leaves
makes a great closer with it’s
powerfully sustained lead guitar. With touches of surf, spy, space and straight
rock instrumentals, Oyster Wax has
something to please everyone.
~Alan Taylor
April, 1995. Outlet magazine, Essex, ENGLAND
Guitar Instrumentals are still in a class of their own..
THE SANDBLASTERS “Oyster Wax” A three piece playing
regular weekly gigs in the Austin area.
Mark Stultz, Tom Bombara and Jeff the Viking offer 12 tracks live in the
studio and boy does it sound like they had some kinda fun. Mark offers as influences Dick Dale,
Tornadoes, Shadowy men, Cosmonauts and Freddy King. Well, listening to their exhuberant
tape, I guess it goes a little deeper than that. Sure there’s obligatory covers of well
worn vehicles Miserlou and Pipeline but they don’t go for note perfect copies but rather treat them just a
little bit differently. They go
though a series of spy themes linked together and are not afraid to go into a
rolling Stones medley when the mood prevails. Their originals hand effortlessly around
all these influences but to make things righter than right, the group play with
a verve and twang that displays a deep love of the genre and they also play like
old pros. Their own logo adorns a
surf board…. But hang on aren’t hey a bit of along way from the beach???
Tracks: Pink Flamingo, Night in Tunisia, Hippt Trip,
Surfromania, Mookie Limbo, Surf’s You Right, Miserlou, Oyster Wax, Martian
Monster Stomp, Galactic cactus, Secret Agent Force, Weird Satellite, Blue Moon,
Pipeline’ 52, Dick Tracy
The
Austin instrumental band scene has
flowered with new bands like THE SANDBLASTERS and DEATH VALLEY.
~Dave Arnson (Insect
Surfers
…This 3-piece from Austin comes alive on their first
cassette release. The group now consists of Mark Stultz, Tom Bombara, and Jeff
Moree. Songs are all instrumental and were recorded live with no overdubs which
makes it easy for live shows. Sound is tight, splashing and refreshing-new surf
at it’s best. A CD is now in
the works.***
~ Robert Dalley
Music Section “BEST BETS IN THE CLUBS” Surf guitar legend Dick Dale
performs at the Back Room, where The Sandblasters contribute their own 1060’s
style surf instrumentals as the opening act.
New Gandy Dancer, ENGLAND
Pink Flamingo;Night
in Tunisia; Hippy Trip; Surfromania; Mookie Limbo; Surf’s You Right; Miserlou;
Oyster wax; Martian Monster Stomp; Galactic Cactus; Secret Agent Force; Weird
Satellite; Blue Moon; Pipeline ’52; Dick Tracy…More Texas surf with Mark Stultz
(guitar); Tom Bombara bass); Jeff Moree (drums) recorded in Austin, Texas from a
band that whips up a storm of exciting guitar theatrics. Some great originals
here from a trip who have been playing surf for a couple of years-sounds longer
by the quality of the sound-and a band who drive mercilessly through fifteen
pulsating tracks. Liked their versions on Pipeline, they’ve worked hard to be
different on this with up-tempo drums and all and Dick Tracy which is mean and moody. Wall
to wall guitars of the real thing rough-riding, forceful and ear bending high
quality splendor. Loved it!****
~Davy Peckett
Recently at Tiesco
Del Rey’s birthday bash at The Hole in The Wall, The Sandblasters did a guest
set and there, wailing away on a vintage Farfisa in true Nutrocker style was
Greta Poulson.
Though, as mail order queen of Waterloo Records, her name is
familiar to subscribers around the world, she now stands poised to leap into
local awareness as an Austin surf instrumentalist as famous as, er, well, maybe
this sentence needs a little work...
~John Conquest
Pink Flamingo/Night in Tunisia/Hippt Trip/Surfromania/Mookie
Limbo/Surf’s You Right/Miserlou/Oyster Wax/Martian Monster Stomp/Galactic
Cactus/Secret Agent Force/Weird Satellite/Blue Moon/Pipeline’ 52/Dick
Tracy
Oyster
Wax/Big Hunk of Love/Hippy Trip/Boots Are Made For Walkin’/Surfromania/Secret
Agent Force/Somebody To Love
Oyster
Wax/ Weird satellite/Surf’s You
Right/ Miserlou/ Sufromania/ Night in Tunisia/ Spy vs. Spy/Galactic Cactus/ Pipeline ’52/ Hippy Trip/ Dick Tracy/Lullabye of the
Leaves
Naked Piranha
Jupiter Beach
Fiberglass Camel
Oyster Wax
Mookie Limbo
Weird satellite