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.
Rademaker: Talk about irony. Growing up on the west coast of Florida and being a part of the mid-to-late-’70s skateboarding scene and the heyday of the skatepark, my brother and I made many friends. Among the most dear were our friends from South Florida Kevin Pedersen and Alan Gelfand. Yes, that Alan Gelfand. He is the inventor of the ollie, the no-hands ariel that revolutionized skateboarding for generations to come. The first part of this ironic blog is that I never really learned how to ollie while I was in my prime, skating in contest and sessioning with the future hall-of-fame of skaters from around the country.
Cut to many years later (present day) when skateboarding had led me into a career as a musician. (Yes, skateboarder magazines’ coverage of the punk scene started it all.) Like many former skaters you never really quit, and over the years I was lucky enough to keep my equipment updated by my good buddy Chuck at Deckcrafters. On a recent session at our local East L.A. skatepark, I put away my ’70s Sims woodkick used for carving the snake run and broke out my Deckcrafters Blue Haven Pool Cue (vert board) and discovered a perfect spot to launch my version of the ollie. I was stoked and by the second session, I was launching three feet of air with smooth landings. In the Instagram world we live in, I had to share this with my friends, and a full-on photo session began after three attempts to capture it. My brother’s iPhone was a bit late, so he asked me to do it once more. Famous last words. Going extra bio, I got airborne, landed sketchy and slammed … Fractured my femoral neck in my leg/hip. Three months recovery, then physical therapy. The worse part: no skating unless I want a hip replacement. Ironic? To me, yes. Spent my summer on crutches and a cane. Too old to ollie, indeed.
Video after the jump.
