Volume One of OnSurfari Sessions is a first in a series from soundtrack of the show "On Surfari", a surf exploration from the minds and talents of super surf couple Shane and Shannon McIntyre.

I had previously made some music for the surf movie Shelter with friends and art/musician extraordinaire, Fernie Apodaca, Todd Hanigan, and Chris McGreal. Together we took a piece off the first Crowded Train record, Safado, and treated it with spooky guitars, bass and Violin. This added another dimension to the piece which the filmmakers ultimately used for a segment featuring Kelly Slater. The piece was heard by Shane McIntyre who had been looking for music to accompany his new show.

A mutual friend introduced Shane and myself and he said he wanted to hear more of the music I had been producing. He had just finished taping the show that took place in India and needed some music with Indian undertones. Luckily, I had already been creating music in that vein, and when Shane heard the music, he was convinced it would work perfectly for the show. Using a few already produced tracks, and adding some new ideas, I was able to gather enough music to be used for travel sequences, surf segments, and interviews.

The songs Land of the Misfit Toys, Zen Camel, Mango Bay Bali High, Touchdown in Madras, Moringa Way, and Laurasian Goodbye are all from the first show that takes place in India. I used a variety of percussion, drones, samples, and some Indian sounding instruments to create a vibe that goes with the show. Some of the songs I already had produced before I met Shayne, and some were made after.

Touchdown in Matras features Fernie on violin. The use of berimbau, reversed congas, and violin gives the song an erie feeling, like being stuck out in the middle of the ocean in twenty foot surf. The song is used to start out the show and paints a surreal picture of India's chaotic yet powerful ambience.

Moringa Way was actually recorded in Brazil while I was there working on an album for friend/musician Rafael Ponde. Using my newly purchased Radel Magic DX electric tambura, bamboo flute, and a moringa (a large clay pot/drum), I created the piece that would eventually be called Moringa Way. The tune is used to create a peaceful undertone to help describe India's more spiritual and serene side.

Mango Bay was used for another surf segment with Shane surfing among hundreds of children and "untouchables". The people there had never seen surfboards before, but that didn't stop them from joining in the fun. The song was pieced together from a drum beat/bass line and acoustic guitar noodling. I sampled a sarod solo off my former tabla teacher, Sandip Burman's album. It added the melody I was looking for to create an authentic Indian feel. The addition of flute, snares, and alfias (a brazilian drum from the music of Maracatu), gave the tune a more ethnic feel.

The marimbas on Bali High gave Shane the idea to use it on a segment where Shannon goes shopping in the local fabric stores. The colors from the fabrics mix perfectly with the playful tones on the marimba. The segment is also cut with footage of Shannon's brother skating with the locals. The song was written as an experiment with the new marimba I had inherited. The riffs werer all sporadically played, but the addition of tablas, bells, and bodrahn gave the rhythm a seven beat pattern.

Zen Camel, was a splice of two songs. One recorded by myself and the other with friend Debu Mishra. Debu was visiting from Indian when we met. We got together and had some spontaneous jams. That was the first time I had every played with an Indian musician. Both him and his father are excellent sitar players, and when I finally rolled tape, Debu came up with some fascinating Sitar and Vocal melodies. I secretly stole some samples from that session and filled in some space on another song I was working on. Magic happened, and the music fit together perfectly.

Laurasian goodbye, was written and performed Chris McGreal and Steve Haney. The two of them had been experimenting with some drum and bass grooves when then came up with the beats and bass lines that would make up this tune. Shane used this song to finish up the show and add a feeling of longing and happiness.

For the Panama show, I ended up traveling out there to share in the experiences. We I came back, I had a good idea of vibe from the place, and set out to make songs for the show.

Shane wanted one piece to have an island vibe, so I created Bluff which has a bossa nova like guitar providing the bed of the tune as well as piano and percussion. I used a sample of some kids playing as a background to add an ambience to the song.

Congo Wave started as a sample I took while in Panama collecting music and ideas. The people in the North of Panama have a rich African heritage and get together to sing about life in the Caribbean. I recorded one such performance, and added a guitar and synths underneath to change the feel of their song. It came out sounding very ethereal.

Padtap got it's name from the intro of the piece where I used the sound of the pads on a flute to create a rhythm. I added pseudo Afro-Cuban percussion underneath, and Chris McGreal finished it off by adding a bass line and a melody on the bass as well.

Other songs from the album have their stories to tell, but I am running out of time right now. I hope you dig the music.


- Chad Farran