Lawndale (band)


Lawndale is an alternative surf rock instrumental band from Lawndale. The band was started in 1984 by guitar players and bassmen Rick Waddell, AKA Rick Lawndale and Jack Skelley and released two records on SST Records and some tracks on compilations. They split in 1987 but Rick Lawndale started it again in 1997 under the moniker Rick Lawndale Band with other musicians. Now, Lawndale and the Rick Lawndale band are both back together and playing shows. The L.A. Weekly described Lawndale as "The Ventures meet Led Zeppelin in Don Knotts' living room"

History

Guitar player, songwriter and vocalist Rick Waddell started his career as a solo acoustic performer in the 1980s and formed the psychedelic all instrumental surf rock band Lawndale in 1984 with guitar/bass players Jack Skelley and Steve Housden as well as drummer Dave Childs. They named the band Lawndale after the Californian city in which they lived, which Waddell also used as a last name instead of his real last name. They played original compositions as well as some instrumental covers to which they added modern tones, like Take Five from the Dave Brubeck Quartet including the bridge for Whole Lotta Love or Duke Ellington's Caravan mixed with Pink Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive.
They were soon signed by Greg Ginn's SST Records, which headquarters were in Lawndale. The signing was part of SST's efforts to expand its scope beyond punk rock and hardcore. They released two albums, Beyond Barbecue in 1986 and Sasquatch Rock in 1987, which featured Ginn on the song March of the Melted Army Men. They also appeared on three SST Records compilations during that period and two New Alliance Records compilations after they split in 1987.
The band split in 1988 and sporadically reunited to play some shows and write new material that was never released. In 1997, Waddell decided he still wanted to make music and started The Rick Lawndale Band with guitar player Ricky Sepulveda on guitar and bass. The Rick Lawndale band started working on a new CD in 2008.

Other ventures

Music from Surfabilly Rock was used on The Real World, Road Rules and Extreme Challenge on MTV in 2003. In 2005, Rick Lawndale did the soundtrack of the film A Happy Ending with composer Rick Bazilibavo.

Members

Lawndale

Lawndale