Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Riding the ‘cerebral surf’ wave:
How Santa Cruz’s epic
surf-rock trio The Mermen keep on shredding
by Wallace Baine
WHY THE MERMEN ARE
SANTA CRUZ’S
GREATEST CULT BAND
by Wallace Baine
“The best Rock and Roll is poetry in motion, with or without words – and some of the best records of 1995 came without. The Mermen play an extreme brand of surf music, and black minor-chord moods of guitarist Jim Thomas are like a rough ride on the icy seas of the mid- Atlantic. Hints of Dick Dale filter through the cracked-sidewalk wave forms of Sonic You. But on long hauls like the nine minute “Obsession for Men” Thomas sounds more like Neil Young at the wheel of Crazy Horse. “
David Fricke, ROLLING STONE
“…ferocious and haunting instrumentals of an almost orchestral density…. roaring through mesmerizing waves of feedback and melody …. the Mermen never collapse into surf kitsch or fall back on the genres beloved but overfamiliar cliches… the burbling underwater atmospherics…and the shimmering riffs…disguise intricate arrangements, and the muted arpeggios and grandiose leanings are a long way from Wipe Out….”
David Dudley, NEW TIMES
Upcoming Shows
Pleasure Point
Street Fair
The Mermen
4:00PM – 6:00PM
Saturday
June 22, 2024
Free Admission
Portola Drive
between 41st and 38th Ave
Santa Curz, CA
The Mermen
with
Flamin’ Groovies
Saturday
July 13, 2024
The Chapel
777 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA
SURF GUITAR 101 FESTIVAL 2024
THE MERMEN
3 hour show
8:00PM – 11:30PM
Friday
July 26h, 2024
Golden Sails Hotel
Long Beach, CA
BUY TICKETS
Past Shows
A Day of Adventurous Recording
of a Guitar Feedback Only Session
Featuring composer/producer of event Stephan Thelen,
Guitarists: Jim Thomas, Henry Kaiser, and Bill Walker.
Guests are fretless guitarist Jon Durant,
music journalist Anil Prassad/innerviews.org/book,
Devin Prasad, guitar amp builder Charlie Plate,
and The Mermen bassist Jennifer Burnes
Recording Tech; John Karr
Sunday Afternoon
April 28, 2024
At Jim’s Studio
Santa Cruz, CA
THE MERMEN
The Mermen perform their groundbreaking album
FOOD FOR OTHER FISH
In celebration of
its release 30 years ago
Read about the album here
Sunday
April 7, 2024
Doors 3:00PM
Show 4:00PM
Great American
Music Hall
859 O’Farrell St
San Francisco, CA
NEW YEAR’S EVE
THE MERMEN
THE JOES
PRAIRIE PRINCE
Sunday
Dec 31, 2023
Doors 8PM
Show 9PM
Park Chalet
1000 Great Highway
San Francisco, CA
Live Water Surf Fairfax presents
SURF NITE with THE MERMEN!
Saturday
Nov 4, 2023
Show 9PM
Peri’s Tavern
29 Broadway
Fairfax, CA
Click a year below to see past shows
Click eye icon to see more
2022.12.19 THE MERMEN – JAMES BOND THEME at The Junction Mill Valley CA
2022.9.22 THE MERMEN – Little Stinky Kitty at Taros Essaouira Morocco