HONKING CAPISTRANO SESSIONS

By Corky Carroll

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the “Rock for CHOC” benefit coming up which features music by the legendary Laguna Beach band “HONK.”  I wanted to follow that up with a little bit more about the band and the depth of their contributions to the music scene over the past thirty-five years.   This is my favorite band of all time.  They got started by doing the soundtrack for the huge surf movie “FIVE SUMMER STORIES,” and went on to tour with the Beach Boys and Chicago.  All of the members have gone on to become extremely successful.

Just as I was about to put this column together I received news about an evening that you will not want to miss which features HONK band horn player Craig Buhler.

Buhler has become known as one of the finest woodwind musicians in the world and developed a teaching system that is now the state of the art in that field.   He has just completed his seventh jazz album titled “Capistrano Sessions” which was produced by fellow HONK band member Richard Stekol.  Richard has written songs for Kenny Loggins, Ricky Nelson as well as Kim Carnes.  He has played on and produced music for scores of top name musicians.  

To celebrate the release of the new CD, Craig and fellow musicians who performed on the album are doing a dinner concert at the Renaissance Café in Dana Point on Wednesday, November 8th at 7:30 and 10:30.  

Along with Craig Buhler the other featured musicians include pianist Dave Witham who has played with George Benson, Grover Washington, Eddie Harris, Chick Corea, Michael Brecker and more.

Trumpeter / Vibraphonist Brian Atkinson is in the Disneyland Band and has appeared with Lou Rawls, Natalie Cole, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, etc..

Bassist Joel Hamilton is a first call L.A. studio musician and has performed with Phil Woods, Bill Holman Orchestra, and many other fine jazz organizations.

Drummer Paul Kreibich, who played on the CD, is unavailable that evening.  Instead, we will be treated to the wonderful drumming of John Ferraro, who has recorded & performed with Larry Carlton, Barry Manilow, Boz Scaggs, Promise Keepers, and Rod Stewart.

It is also possible that Richard Stekol himself will appear with the band and also offer some of his own work that evening.  

To hear samples of this music, please visit:  http://cdbaby.com/cd/craigbuhler.  

The Renaissance Dana Point is located at
24701 Del Prado Ave, Dana Point.  To make dinner show reservations for the Craig Buhler concert call  949 661 6003.


This will be a fantastic night for all you O.C. jazz lovers and fans and friends of the HONK band.  You will NOT want to miss this.

Besides the success of Craig Buhler and Richard Stekol other HONK band members who have gone on to greatness in the music industry include Grammy winning composer, producer, songwriter and singer Steve Wood.  Steve is currently a producer for Sony Music and has worked with George Harrison and Sting along with earning Grammies for his work on the soundtracks for the IMAC movies “EVEREST” and the “LIVING SEA.” 

HONK drummer and childhood surfing pal of mine Tris Imboyden went on to earn numerous gold and platinum records as the drummer for both Chicago and Kenny Loggins.  When Tris was like ten years old his drum set took up his parent’s entire living room in the little house in Sunset Beach.  He kept his board behind the drums and every time I would go get him to go surfing he would knock over the whole set getting his board out.  

Beth Fitchett has become a leader in children’s albums and her version of the famous song “Heat Wave” is still considered one of the greatest recordings of rock n roll ever. 

The bass player, Will Brady, has gone on to become one of the great blues singers and guitarists of our time and also is a guitar teacher in Laguna Beach. 

In the summer of 1975 HONK used to hold midnight concerts at the Laguna Beach Theater.  Anyone who was ever at one of these shows can testify to have been at some of the best live music ever played in Orange County or anywhere else.   I would show up at those shows so tired and sleepy from surfing all day that all I really wanted to do was fall asleep.  But ten seconds into the first song and I was wide-awake and stoked.  This is a really important part of Orange County history and the chance to hear any of these players in person these days is a chance not to be passed up.  

CAUGHT INSIDE ~ THE WAVE

by Corky Carroll

From time to time you hear me write about my pal “The Iguana.”  The Iguana is this dude whose real name is Tim Dorsey and he was the chief of lifeguards for the City of Seal Beach for like a zillion years.  I first met Tim when I was about eight years old and he was one of the hottest surfers on the California coast at the time.  He also drove the lifeguard jeep at night on the beach in front of our house in Surfside Colony, where I grew up.  My mom used to feed him dinner almost every night.  

The Iguana and I have been friends this whole time and surf together all the time.  He is one of those dudes who make the sessions so much fun because he keeps you and everybody else in the water laughing all the time.  He always has something so classic and off the wall to say that makes people just fall off their boards laughing.  

So the other day the Iguana and I are out surfing at a far away spot that I am not going to mention the name of.  The waves are really big and we are the only two surfers in the water.  It was really good too, but everyone on the beach thought that it was closed out.  It wasn’t, it was perfect.  But this particular spot breaks way, way, way out and it is hard to judge from the beach.  On this day it took us about twenty minutes just to paddle out and that is in a channel without getting out hair wet.  From the beach you could not see the take offs unless you were standing on top of a building.
So the Iguana and I are sitting out there catching a few big fat waves and having a good time.  We are laughing about how nobody else came out and how we had the whole place to ourselves and all of that.   As we are sitting there waiting for a set to come along I looked out and saw this huge monster wave coming way outside of us.  I pointed outside and told the Iguana that maybe we should paddle out farther because a huge wave was coming.  

The Iguana doesn’t see very well and he looked outside and said “Really?  Are you sure?”

I said, “Yeah dude, I am sure…..paddle.”  

So we paddle as hard as we can and barely make it over this really big wave.  And outside of that one an even bigger one is coming.  And I am talking about what anybody would consider big, like as big as a two-story house big.  

So I say to the Iguana, “..dude paddle hard, a bigger one is coming.”

The Iguana, who doesn’t see too well, squints at it and says to me, “Really?  Are you sure?”  

I say, “…yeah dude, I am sure….paddle.”

So we paddle as hard as we can and just barely make it over this wave that was bigger than the one before it.  And outside of that is and even bigger one coming. 

So I say to the Iguana, “…dude paddle your butt off, an even bigger one is coming.”

The Iguana, who doesn’t see too well, squints again and says to me, “ Really?  Are you sure?”

I say, “…yeah dude, I am sure….paddle.”

So we paddle as hard as we can and really just barely make it over this one by the skin of our teeth.  And the Iguana, who doesn’t see too well and also chews cigars, has some pretty nasty yellow skin on his teeth too.  It’s not pretty.  And outside of that there is yet another even bigger wave coming.  A huge thing that is blocking out the sun. 

So I say to the Iguana, “…uh oh, dude, we really need to paddle hard, this one is really big.”

The Iguana, who doesn’t see too well, squints yet another time and says to me, “Really?  Are you sure?”

So I say, “Well actually you might just want to turn around and go for this one, it looks really good.”  

The Iguana, who doesn’t see well at all, turns around and starts to take off.  The last thing I saw as I was breaking over the top of this monster wall of water was half of the Pacific Ocean coming down right on top of him as he had this really surprised look on his face.  

The next wave was even bigger but I was just out far enough to turn around and make a late take off.  As I was dropping down the face of this huge wave I see the Iguana lying there in the water with a real sarcastic grin on his face and as I start to pass him he flipped me the finger.   I started to laugh and as I did I hit a bump and got launched.  I think I was held down for about a week.

When I came up both the Iguana and I are laying there flopping around in the water like two half dead fish. 

 He is laughing at me and saying, “That’s what you get.  Why did you tell me to take that thing?”

I could only laugh back and tell him, “Dude, I was just getting tired of you arguing with me.”