Surfer Joe
Surfer Joe is an Italian surf guitarist from Livorno. Long a regularly used nickname, Valdambrini adopted the stage name officially in 2011, when he returned to Italy from living on the island of Antigua and decided to go solo and break away from his previous band, Wadadli Riders. The name was also adopted by a retro American-style diner opened by Valdambrini and his brother Luca in Livorno called Surfer Joe Diner. This diner would eventually become the host location for the largest surf music festival in the world, the Surfer Joe Summer Festival, which was also based upon the stage name of Valdambrini. He is also active as a specialty producer for this unique niche genre of music, and has worked on projects for Reverberati, Paul Johnson, Rev. Hank and The Bradipos IV.
The band is one of the most active touring acts in modern surf music, playing upwards of one hundred plus concerts per year, and have toured extensively around the world including Japan, Mexico, Brazil, USA, Europe.
The band's style is traditional surf, which harkens back to the original era of the early sixties and focuses on strong melody, fairly clean guitar tones, and spring reverb, with a rhythm section that has more in common with jazz than rock.
Legacy
Guitarists and bands who have covered Surfer Joe songs include Saguaro Pricks, Waves Of Steele, Sys Malakian, Oporto, Watang, Aloha In Hell, Surfantasmas, and The Mentawais, among many others. His music has appeared in film and television, including promotions for Bear Surfboards. And he has been interviewed for prominent books and documentary films covering surf music, such as Tim Cooley's Surfing About Music, Steve Seagren's Reverb Junkies, and John Blair and Tom Duncan's Sound Of The Surf. His music has also been selected to be included in prominent compilation releases that document the contemporary international surf scene, including Brave New Surf, Surf You Next Tuesday, Surf You Next Tuesday 2! The Revenge and Wave Walk'n: A Tribute To The Surf Raiders.Discography
With Wadadli Riders
Surf Music Kings Of The Caribbean EP Rev Hank Meets Wadadli Riders EPMade In Antigua LPSurfer Joe
Señor Surf Fenderoni Diavolo El Sonido Cojonudo De Surfer Joe / Live In Brighton Señor Surf 2nd Edition The Kilaueas and Surfer Joe Play The Astronauts & More The South Swell / Go-Go Martucci Yé-Yé: Surfer Joe Plays France Gall Swell Of Dwell Bits And Pieces Hiroshi No Subarashi Ramen / Black Sand Beach Surfer Joe Plays The Astronauts World Traveler Billie Jean / Beat It Señor Surf- ''Still Workin' - The Best Of Surfer Joe Vol. 1''