Categories
GUEST EDITOR

From The Desk Of Beachwood Sparks: Ambulatory Outsides With Great Views (Favorite Walks Of The Past Year), Part 4

They burned brightly, but briefly. Now, they have rekindled the flame. For Beachwood Sparks, the metaphor is all too easy and all too apt. The band’s discography is succinct: two albums, plus an EP and a few singles. There wasn’t much, but there was something indelible about those records. They took the cosmic American music of the Flying Burrito Brothers and Byrds, added the bittersweet sounds of middle-period Beach Boys and Sister Lovers Big Star, then turned them into a sun-dappled, dreamy, psychedelic brand of alt-country. But by 2002, Beachwood had run its course, and the group disbanded amicably, five years after it formed. Now a decade later, Beachwood Sparks—guitarists Farmer Dave Scher and Chris Gunst, bassist Brent Rademaker and drummer Aaron Sperske—is back with The Tarnished Gold (Sub Pop). The quartet will also be guest editing magnet magazine.com all week. Read our new feature on the band.

Gunst: Top of Lanai to the beach at the bottom. Basically a Four Seasons-to-Four Seasons hike; you walk from the Lodge at the top to Manele Bay at the ocean. Jump into the ocean at the end; it’s about 16 miles and not as downhill as it would seem, so many great views. We took a detour at the end and saw all these cool deer that look like some mid-world creatures. I think the story is they brought ’em over from India way back. Views of Molokai and Maui. Inter-island ions. It was great to walk the whole way seeing the ocean seemingly far off and way below. Then to jump in it at sunset while the young locals were practicing canoe racing was a great reward. So many micro climates, too, with cook pines at the top that look like if Northern California big trees breeded with legos. Had a great meal at Blue Ginger Cafe to recharge. Super local, fresh and yumba.

Video after the jump.