I arrived atThe Angry Irishmen last Friday night, armed with my camera, a slight buzz and a head full of eccentricities. The anticipation hung thick in the air, crackling with the electric fervor of the crowd. This was no ordinary gig, for this was The Surf Zombies domain, a realm where reality and hallucination merged into a vibrant, psychedelic spectacle.
As I pushed through the hordes of music-hungry souls, I couldn’t help but notice the distinct aura surrounding the venue. The walls seemed to pulsate with colors that were far beyond the scope of human comprehension – a fitting precursor to the auditory trip that awaited us all.
The Surfzombies, Iowa’s own renegades of sonic exploration, took the stage amidst a kaleidoscope of swirling lights. Brook Hoover, the founding maestro, stood tall, his guitar slung low, ready to lead the audience on a mesmerizing journey. Beside him, Ian Williams added his own enigmatic touch, casting spells with every strum of his guitar. Trevor Treiber on bass provided the thunderous backbone, while Luke Ferguson’s drumming was the heartbeat that kept us all in rhythm with the cosmos.
The performance kicked off with an explosion of sound and color, engulfing the crowd in a wave of auditory ecstasy. The Surfzombies music wasn’t just heard; it was felt deep within the bones, a primal force that transcended the ordinary realms of rock ’n‘ roll. It was as if they had tapped into some ancient, cosmic energy source, channeling it through their instruments and into the very essence of the audience.
Hoover’s fingers danced across the strings, conjuring melodies that seemed to echo from other dimensions. Williams, his eyes ablaze with creative fervor, sent forth riffs that were both haunting and sublime. Treiber’s basslines resonated with a thunderous vitality, while Ferguson’s drums thundered like the hooves of mythical beasts, urging us all to lose ourselves in the music.
The band’s recognition by the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a Spirit Award in 2017 was well-deserved. Their performance was not just a concert; it was a shamanic ritual, an invocation of the spirits of rock ’n‘ roll past, present, and future. The crowd, myself included, became willing participants in this sonic séance, surrendering to the hypnotic grooves and mind-bending solos.
As the night progressed, time lost all meaning. The boundaries between performer and audience blurred, and we all became one entity, pulsating with the same rhythm, sharing the same cosmic consciousness. The music of The Surfzombies was a gateway to the infinite, a wormhole through which we traveled to the farthest reaches of the musical universe.
The Surfzombies had taken us on a journey, a wild ride through the surreal landscape of their music, and we had willingly followed, intoxicated by the sheer audacity of their artistry.
As I walked away, I couldn’t help but marvel at the power of music – the way it could transcend the mundane and transport us to places unknown. The Surfzombies, with their unbridled creativity and boundless imagination, had proven once again that surf rock was not just a genre; it was a cosmic force, capable of bending reality and expanding the very fabric of our souls 
