Susan and the Surftones is an American surf instrumental band. The band is considered part of the “third wave” of surf-revivalist bands that formed in the 1990s. The band was started in 1993 in Rochester, NY by lead guitarist Susan L. Yasinski, one of very few female lead guitarists in instrumental surf music. Influenced also by early Elvis and the Beatles, 1960s garage and 1970s punk music, their sound incorporates traditional surf with elements associated with these other genres, such as the use of the combo-organ. The band’s first recording deal was with Gee-Dee Records in Hamburg, Germany who released their first CD, WIthout A Word, in 1995. Subsequent releases on Gee-Dee and two other European labels, Surf Waves and OmOm, and four European tours, earned them a fan base in Europe as well as the US. Susan relocated to the west coast in 2000, and reformed the band in Portland, Oregon. They continued to release albums both on CD and as digital releases. Nissan used two of their tunes, their cover of and Moon Woman ‘42, in a promotional DVD in 2005. They performed a showcase at the ROCKRGRL Music Conference in Seattle in 2005 and have played halftime shows for the NBA Portland Trail Blazers. In 2007 two of their original tunes were used in MTV’s. In addition to thirteen full-length album releases and a vinyl EP, Susan & The SurfTones appear on compilation albums released in the US, Italy, Australia, Russia, Korea and Germany. Their recordings have received airplay on numerous radio stations in the US and abroad. In 2011, Susan recorded her first solo album, Shore, as Susan SurfTone, with producer Steve Kravac. It was released in October, 2011. Critically acclaimed, Shore followed on critical listening and appreciation of such classic greats as The Doors. Susan has followed the success of Shore with the release of four more albums as Susan SurfTone, also produced by Steve Kravac, Too Far in 2013, a six-song EP, Reckoning, in 2014, a seven-song EP, Blue Light at Midnight in 2015 and a six-song EP The Magician in 2016. 2016 saw Susan release her first vocal track, the single Little Bit Lied To as well as other single releases, ShadowLand and Blue Moon of Kentucky, all from The Magician. Two more vocal singles, the original Up Down And All Around and a cover of Elvis Presley's A Mess of Blues were released in late 2016. 2017 saw the release of a seven-song EP, Making Waves Again. In 2018 she released an EP of Elvis Presley covers, 2nd To One. Her two 2019 EP releases, Dicey After Dark and To The Crossroads And Back once again combined originals with cover songs.
Members
Susan L. Yasinski is lead guitarist and band leader. In 2006, she also became the band’s bassist for studio recordings. Other members have included Dave Anderson, Buck Malen, Jim Fritz, and Dan Ferguson; Judd Williams, Brian Goodman, Bob Becker, Matt Miner and Paul Barrall; and Kim13, and Avory Gray. In 2012 model/dancer Seana Steele became a featured member of the band as go-go dancer. The 2013 release, Too Far features Michele "Cookie" Heile on theremin on two tracks. Up Down And All Around features backing vocals by Mia Moravis and drums by Brian Foxworth.
