Beach Band plays surf music to recreate 60s atmosphere

As the sun set over the Springville Veteran’s Memorial Park on Friday, the Beach Band —decked out in Hawaiian shirts and white pants — played lighthearted classic tunes to a crowd of attendees who ate, drank, listened and danced to their hearts’ content.

The band achieves their “surf music” sounds from the style of their lead guitarist, Doug Kennedy, said the five band members.

“We try to simulate what music would sound like if you went back to and listened to a band playing in 1962 or 1963,” said bass guitarist and lead singer Dave Geffken. “When surf music was big, this is what it sounded like.”

Geffken, a Porterville resident, works at the Porterville Development Center when he’s not moonlighting as a musician.

Phyllis Taylor has organized the events since 2001, taking over the responsibility for originator Donnie Hammond. Taylor calls the Concerts in the Park series “Donnie’s brain child,” and credits her with the event’s inception.

The concerts begin on the last Friday of every May and continue through the first Friday in September.
“Depending how the calender year falls, that works out to about seven or eight bands each year,” Taylor said. “They range from jazz to rock to country and Western,” she said.

One regular attendee that would be happy to see an entire summer filled with country-western performers is Jim Velt. Velt, who enjoys dancing to the music played at the series each year, prefers dancing to that style of music, though he attends each show in hopes that the music will provide him with the opportunity to spend some time on the dance floor in front of the gazebo that houses each musical act.

“My favorites are country and old-time rock and roll,” Velt said. “I’m here hoping [the Beach Band] will play something I can dance to.”

The concerts used to begin at 5:30 p.m., but were moved to 7 p.m.
“The concert timing is better at 7 p.m., because the sun has just started setting behind the Springville Inn,” Taylor said.

The well-attended community event occasionally gets a guest appearance and some free treats from local firefighters. On Friday, the uniformed volunteers moved quietly through the crowd handing out bags of hot popcorn.

“This is our way of giving back to the community,” volunteer Chief Mark Hillman said. “The community supports the Springville Fire Station by donating fire equipment, so this is our form of community service.”

Satisfied by good company and good snacks, attendees enjoyed being transported back to the 60s by the happy melodies of the Beach Band.

Though they can only attend sporadically because they have to respond to calls, the firefighters do their best to be there as often as possible.

“When we can, we make popcorn and walk around to offer it to attendees,” he said.

-- Contact Sarah de Crescenzo at 784-5000 x 1050, or sdecrescenzo@portervillerecorder.com.