Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Gary Sredzienski and the Serfs - Cruisin' The Creek
 | Oh my gawd! Extreme polka meets surf in an alley, and it's hard to tell who wins! This is just too much fun! Gary Sredzienski and the Serfs have an identity crisis brewing that is unparalleled in surfdom today. No surf per say, but if your attitude hat isn't on so tight you're lacking oxegyn, you just might have fun with this. |
Picks: Flight Of The Serfer Bee, Hava Nagilah, High Tide In Tokyo, The Spaghetti West, Serf City, Quassar, The Last Demon Of Bucharest, Corsica, Rumanian Shopping Spree, Cruisin' The Creek, Stella, Mozart Polka, Some Other Time and Place, A Good Looking Cossack!
Track by Track Review
Extreme Polka (Instrumental)
Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov circular fun-dango "Flight Of The Bumble Bee" is amazing at the hands of these crazies. It's damn hard not to grin while partaking of the honey making within! Yikes!
Near Surf Middle Eastern Extreme Polka (Instrumental)
This is brilliant! Mystical middle astern drones, haunting accordion melody, down right spooky sound, and exceptional arranging! A Bedouin caravan crosses the Gobi as gypsies flow their veils in the warm night air. Astounding!
Far East Polka (Instrumental)
Egad, east meets middle east on the Tuscan green. With their identity crisis in full bloom, Gary Sredzienski and the Serfs waft between cultures like it's supposed to be, but it's NOT! Too fun!
Spaghetti (Instrumental)
As soon as you get a whiff of the banjo and accordion dueling against the solid bass and drums, you know the spaghetti western genre will never be the same. Entirely cool!
Surf (Instrumental)
Great title... no, it's not a cover of Jan and Dean's pop hit. Imagine an Irish jig set in Jerusalem. maybe it would be like this. Lots of energy and fun, with a jumpin' rhythm. Way cool!
Space Polka (Instrumental)
Hernando's hiding in space at a sidewalk cafe near Orion's belt. Really! Too fun!
The Last Demon Of Bucharest Cantina Mediterranea (Instrumental)
I suspect that "The Last Demon Of Bucharest" is on a diet, 'cuz he's floating on that lone puffy white cloud seen in Mediterranean holiday film. You only need an horizontally red and white striped shirt to make it complete. And those whammy chords - what are THEY doing there.
European Holiday (Instrumental)
"Corsica," the car or the place? It does not matter! Floating with an almost Jimmy Buffet feel, the Serfs make nice with a no-worry journey and bongos.
Railroad Polka (Instrumental)
This is a rousing gypsy whirl like the Blues Magoos would have done, if only they evolved into the Serfs. Pumpin' fun rhythms a la "Orange Blossom Special," a train chooglin' pace, and real sense of adventure to come. Is that double picked accordion?
Near Surf Polynesian Polka (Instrumental)
With a sense of "Adventures In Paradise" and a touch of "High Tide," inverted, blended, and swirled in polka mystique and vacation adventure, "Cruisin' The Creek" makes it all seem somehow sane. Suave and aquatic in a most bizarre way!
Tango Polka (Instrumental)
"Stella" by barlight meanders the tango floor in search of mister goodbar. You can just see the hunting ritual evolving.
Surf (Instrumental)
I'm willing to bet that Mozart didn't mean this, but I'll bet he'd enjoy it. "Mozart Polka" redefines scary.
Some Other Time and Place Last Call Polka (Instrumental)
the softness of "Some Other Time and Place" presents images of the last lonely patrons on the verge of going home alone yet again. So sad, and a little haunting too. Abut half way through, an island exotic edge takes over, and all is optimistic again.
Surf (Instrumental)
Circulating accordion lines run alongside dark double picked surf guitar, creating a cross-pollinated blend of tradition and twang. It's an excellent combination that's very inventive and endearing. To loosely quote the Toy Dolls, "dig that groove, baby!"