Surf music ensembles populate the scene in considerable numbers, yet their caliber ranges widely from masterful to dismal. While many draw primary inspiration from Dick Dale, the acknowledged king of the surf guitar, a portion complicate the form beyond its original design and others favor a raw, imprecise execution that reduces the sound to rapid reverb stabs and frantic tempos. Among the small number that faithfully occupy the correct stylistic territory stand the Torquays, a collection of musicians in their forties who performed the music during its initial period of innovation and continue to deliver it with the drive, and occasionally the proficiency, of much younger players. The band took shape in 1990 when guitarist Gerry Gordon, who had earlier fronted a California surf group of the same name that produced no recordings during the 1960s, joined forces with guitarist and noted instrument technician Steve Soest, formerly Dick Dale’s bassist for several years. Together they recruited drummer Duff Paulsen and bassist Don Parra, thereby establishing the current lineup. The quartet confines its performances almost entirely to its home region of Orange County, California, an area long recognized as a center for many foundational surf acts, and maintains a strictly traditional approach that extends to the use of period-correct gear. Their first album, A Date with the Torquays, appeared in 1998 and presents the group at its strongest, surveying classic instrumentals while demonstrating a capacity for composing fresh pieces that capture the same atmosphere as the originals. In the landscape of retro surf bands, the Torquays rank among the most authentic.
