BUMP & SURF 4: Jammin' in The Junction

You know that I've been posting about this lil thing called Bump & Surf the last couple of months. I joined forces with local Surf band, Luau or Die for a monthly residency at Junction City Music Hall. We combined two of my favorite things, pinball and Surf music! If you have been following this blog for any time at all, you know how much I love JCMH's pinball line-up. It's even better when you can play along to some great live Surf! We are reaching the end of summer and along with that, the end of our lil residency at JCMH! 

Unfortunately, Luau Or Die are unable to make this show but in their stead we have two fantastic bands from the Toronto Surf Scene, The Cliff Divers and The Calrizians. In addition, I will be spinning all sorts of great surf tunes on physical and digital media. 

Since you may be unfamiliar with the bands, I'll give you a quick review! 

The Cliff Divers consists of Johnny G on the guitar, Nautiloid Rick on the bass, and Big Bad Danny Brody on the drums. They got a real heavy Surf sound, keeping things a bit like the traditional Surf that you are used to while also throwing in some real neat tricks to get you movin' and shakin'! 

Just wait till good ol' Johnny G busts out the steel lap guitar, Surfy! They got a few other surfadelic licks up their sleeve so you better come out to Bump & Surf and experience it for yourself! 

Next up we have The Calrizians and they are real cool. The Calrizians rock a unique sound by incorporating an electric organ to their mix of classic surf tunes and covers you never thought you would hear! I'll give ya a hint... Blondie and Black Sabbath. Want to know how that sounds? Well, you better make it out to the show on September 26th!

As for the pinball at JCMH, if you caught my previous post about City Pinball, Twilight Zone has joined the lineup and man it is GOOOOOOOOOD! 

Thanks to Mike B. for this pic!

Hopefully this is enough to entice you to come out to Bump & Surf 4 at Junction City Music Hall on Saturday, September 26th! That's next week! It is a matinee gig so come on out around 1PM, stick around for some awesome Surf music, maybe grab a drink and play some pinball, then go home and have a nap so yer ready for Saturday night! NICE! Don't forget to click this link and RSVP on the Facebook page!

Bump & Surf 2: The Reckoning

The surfin' and ballin' events in Toronto just don't quit! Hot off the heels of Shut Up and Hang Ten at 3030, Luau or Die are at it again!

Click the pic to RSVP on Facebook!

Luau or Die is teaming up with the bad cats sent to the past to save the present from the Future, Rocket XL5! Good times are to be had at Junction City Music Hall this coming Saturday on July 18! Bump & Surf is mixing things up and kickin off the surfin' and swingin' at 1 PM! There's no cover so just mosey on it, grab a drink and grab a game of pinball! Maybe grab a t-shirt or something from the bands too. Show a little love for two wicked Surf bands! If you need any convincing, allow me to persuade you to join us in the Junction on July 18th!

Dag yo, if that doesn't get yer hips shakin' then I don't know what will! Just don't shake too much or you might tilt the pinball machine! Luau or Die are no strangers to the silver ball; they know that pinball and surf go quite well together! 

Pretty cool set-up at Shut Up and Hang Ten! BUT HEY Junction City Music Hall also has a pretty cool lineup so mosey on down to the Junction this Saturday on July 18th for a whole lotta Bumpin' and Surfin'! Luau or Die and Rocket XL5 are bringing the afternoon tunes at 1 through 5 so squeeze it into your day! The chores can wait.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP TO BUMP & SURF 2: THE RECKONING! 

SHUT UP AND HANG TEN! Luau or Die at the Canadian Pinball Championships 2015

Here's what I am most excited about for the 2015 Canadian Pinball Championships!

On the opening night of the Championships, Friday, July 3rd, local surf band Luau or Die are gonna be playing two wet 'n' wild sets of surf music on the stage of 3030 to kick off the weekend!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR THIS!!!

For those that know me, Surf music is one of my biggest passions. I produce a monthly Surf music podcast, The Surfphony of Derstruction 2000, and attend a ton of local shows. When I'm not writing about pinball, I'm writing about Surf shows on this wicked blog, Punks Don't Think.

Of course, pinball is my other passion so to bring these two together is a dream of mine! Come on out on Friday, July 3rd at 10 PM to 3030 Dundas West to witness this amazing night! Play some pinball, listen to some awesome Surf music and have a few tasty beers. You will not be disappointed; every person I have brought out to see Luau or Die has been completely floored by the band. See for yourself what the surfer spies will have in store for you!



These are exclusive tracks that I obtained when I infiltrated the secret headquarters of Luau or Die. I also sat down and chatted with the band which you can here right here!



If you can't get enough Luau or Die, dig on their album, Dead on The Floor. Buy it, listen to it, and demand more Surf! Hopefully we can whet your appetite on July 3rd! I mean, there will be two sets so I'm sure we will. You just have to do one thing... SHUT UP AND HANG TEN!

We also have an appetizer for you! On Saturday June 20th, Luau or Die and King Beez will be playing a matinee show at Bumper City favorite Junction City Music Hall! Catch a wave from 1 to 5 PM in the Junction!

Ottawa Pinball Expo 2013 Part III

Yeah, yeah, I know it's now 2014 and the Ottawa Pinball Expo was several months ago but wait! I still have some pictures and notes to share with you!

Before we dive into Part 3 of the Ottawa Pinball Expo, let's get you up to speed on what has already been covered on Bumper City. During Part 1 of my trip report, I gave a general look at the event with a bit of a focus on some of the System-11 tables, especially Williams' Roller Games.

In Part 2, I took a closer look at some of the tables there, especially many of the licensed tables like Dr. Who and Elvira & The Party Monsters.

I have mentioned a few times that the lineup at Ottawa Pinball Expo was more eclectic than what I have usually seen. Not to say that's a bad thing though; no way, it was awesome! Instead of seeing the usual perennial favorites, I got to check out a lot more obscure tables that don't often come to mind. Among the lineup were a couple of late model Premier tables that I've never seen before, let alone heard about, like Gladiators!

This table was released in the 90's, a little while after Gottlieb became Premier when their company assets were bought from their previous owner, The Coca-Cola Company.  During this time, the quality of their tables was really hit-or-miss. Sometimes you would get stinkers like Tee'd Off but also some gems like Stargate, which is considered one of Premier's top-of-the-line tables. Gladiators is a very underrated table that often gets passed up when talking about Premier, conversations often tending to focus on the lack of quality that many of Premiers releases were burdened with.

The neat thing about Gladiators is that instead of there being a particular ball lock shot, you must light the word MULTI by hitting different shots in order. I like it because the game encourages you to slow down and focus on your shots instead of shooting hapharzardly. The one issue I did have, in particular with this table, is that late-model Gottlieb flippers become weaker over time and the flippers on this table weren't the strongest. This made it very difficult to hit the M shot which is the left-most ramp as it is quite long and the ball can't build up enough speed to make it the entire way around without a little nudgin'.