It’s one thing to be a top name in a “scene” but it’s another to be spearheading a movement.
Black Flamingos — an instrumental trio based out of the Jersey Shore — have been the leading proprietors of surf music at the Jersey Shore and some (this writer) would be bold enough to say the East Coast. The band along with their label Hi-Tide Recordings have been championing the sweet sounds of surf for close to a decade — performing not just in bars and clubs throughout the world, but organizing a surf musical festival (Hi-Tide Holiday) and fostering the surf an tiki culture as well.
This Saturday, the trio will kick off the Sea.Hear.Now. Festival on Saturday September 18 on the Park Stage in Bradley Park directly across from Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey. We spoke with Black Flamingos drummer and Hi-Tide Recordings’ Vincent Minervino about the band’s new music, Halloween, the surge of surf music’s popularity and Sea.Hear.Now 2021.
You’ve got a new single ‘Feathery’ dropping on September 15 — tell us about the concept behind the single and how you feel it stands out from the rest of your catalog?
It’s been a little while since Black Flamingos released new original music. Our last LP Play Speedway and Other Hits released in 2018 and was recorded immediately after our West Coast tour with The Volcanics. We were super well-rehearsed for that one, recorded the live tracks in just two sessions. Shortly after that record was released Declan [O’Connell] took a full-time touring gig with another group, so Black Flamingos was on pause for writing and recording for practically all of 2019. Then 2020 hit. We’ve done some fun cover work over the last few years – “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” theme, a medley of Home Alone melodies, and a Kenny Rogers and The First Edition cover, which is part of the set for Sea.Hear.Now.
“Feathery” feels like a return to fundamentals for Black Flamingos, and the word seems to describe the feel of the track. It wraps everything we are known for into a tight little two-minute package – melody, emotion, performance, bouncing between time signatures and keys. We have been told that this single is “so Black Flamingos” and also our best work yet.
With a new single dropping, does this mean we have a new full-length and/or EP on the horizon from you guys?
There is a B-side to this single that we are going to drop later this fall – a fun version of The Shadows’ “Stingray.” We have some new music written and plan to continue writing throughout the winter in hopes of hitting the studio in spring for a fall release.
You guys have been at the forefront of the surf music revival (particularly on the East Coast) for years. How do you feel the perception and reception to surf music has been not just in Asbury Park, but everywhere you’ve toured has changed since the band first began?
We could feel it back in 2014, which is why we started our Hi-Tide Summer Holiday event (formerly Asbury Park Surf Music Festival). As we took Black Flamingos on the road and met more bands around the world that had the same passions – Surfer Joe in Italy, Les Agamemnonz in France, Lulufin the Woo Hoo in Japan, Los Frenéticos in Argentina – we found ourselves at the center of this new wave. As for perceptions, we are proud to be under the Hi-Tide label which people have begun to see as the benchmark within the Surf, Lounge and Exotica scenes.
Halloween is around the corner and you guys have created a number of songs (original and covers) celebrating the spooky season. Two-part question – First, can we expect a new Halloween themed song from you guys this year and Second, why do surf music and Halloween work so well together?
Nothing planned for Halloween this year. We think “Feathery” has a little spook to it, and we are also super proud of our “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” theme we dropped in 2019. I think surf and Halloween work so well together because it’s instrumental, which leaves the sounds and melody to create the emotion instead of words. This is way scarier than listening to someone try and scare you with their words. Listen to Satan’s Pilgrims “Creature Feature” to hear a perfect example of this.
Check out a curated Black Flamingos Halloween Playlist.
Talk about the past year and a half during the pandemic and being creatives. Did this weird time allow you to flex your creative muscles in the studio or was it a wildly frustrating time because of lack of live shows (e.g. Hi-Tide Holiday) or a bit of both?
We are fortunate in that our music translates well to situations that require atmosphere. We played a good amount outside, socially distant, and even inside at Langosta Lounge when they were doing their reduced capacity “dinner and a show” series. We recorded “Just Dropped In” completely remotely and had some fun with re-amping to get the right sounds. We learned a lot for sure. And it also inspired us to collaborate outside of just Black Flamingos. Declan and I both did a bunch of remote recording with people around the world. I guess that is a silver lining of the pandemic, that was way less common before.
Black Flamingos is performing at Sea.Hear.Now this weekend.
1a. How did the band become involved/get invited to perform?
We are fortunate enough to call Tim Donnelly from Asbury Park a friend. He has been a big supporter of Black Flamingos and Hi-Tide Recordings since the beginning. Can’t thank him and his team enough for the invite.
1b. This has to be your largest live show pre-pandemic, talk about getting back in front of this many people and performing?
Yes, this is really our first SHOW in almost two years, and we invited some friends to make it as special as possible. We’ll have Ryan Gregg on keys and Chris Fitzgerald on Sax for the show. Rehearsals are sounding great.
1c. Sadly, The Beach Boys aren’t on the show this year, but who are you looking forward to seeing play live the most?
Yes wow, that would have been so cool to see The Beach Boys on the beach in Asbury Park. I am a huge ’90s alternative kid and was absolutely obsessed with Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins. I saw Smashing Pumpkins on the “Mellon Collie” tour, but I have never seen Pearl Jam. I’d say I am equally excited to see both of those bands.
What’s something you guys — outside of Sea.Hear.Now — are stoked about in the near future?
We are super excited to get back out and play some clubs. Here are a few shows we have coming up:
October 16 at Asbury Park Yacht Club with BNBC
Novemeber 20 at Asbury Lanes with Ribeye Brothers
For those who’ve never heard you before — what song would you recommend they listen to online in order to fully get what Black Flamingos is all about.
“Check out our new single “Feathery” and see where that takes you! The catalog is streaming everywhere, and the vinyl is available locally at Lofidelic Records in Belmar & Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank + online from Hi-Tide Recordings.
