Nada Surf
Encyclopedia
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws
Matthew Caws
Matthew Caws is the lead singer of the band Nada Surf. His parents are Peter Caws and Mary Ann Caws.- Biography :...

 (guitar
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

, vocals), Ira Elliot
Ira Elliot
Ira Sebastian Elliot is the drummer of the NYC band Nada Surf. He was named after Ira Gershwin and Johan Sebastian Bach...

 (drums
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

, backup vocals) and Daniel Lorca (bass
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

, backup vocals).

Early years

Nada Surf was formed in the early nineties by Matthew Caws
Matthew Caws
Matthew Caws is the lead singer of the band Nada Surf. His parents are Peter Caws and Mary Ann Caws.- Biography :...

 and Daniel Lorca. Concerning the band's name, Matthew said, "it's actually referring to something much more existential, it's just surfing on nothing. Being lost in your head or in your imagination but you know, whenever I listen to music I always find myself off somewhere. Somewhere in space. You know, in mental space and it's a reference to that."

They met in the Lycée français de New York
Lycée Français de New York
The Lycée Français de New York , literally The French High School of New York, is an exclusive French-medium school for K-12 students based in Manhattan, New York which follows the French curriculum of study and allows students to study for the French general Baccalauréat, the international option...

 (USA); both spent some of their childhood in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. They played in many bands, including The Cost of Living and Because Because Because. Their first drummer, Dan (later alluded to in the song "The Plan" from the album High/Low
High/Low
High/Low was Nada Surf's first full-length album. The album is best known for its single "Popular."-Track listing:All tracks written by Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca.# "Deeper Well" – 3:55# "The Plan" – 4:31# "Popular" – 3:48# "Sleep" – 3:47...

), was replaced by Aaron Conte, with whom the band recorded its first 7", The Plan/Telescope (1994/Stickboy), as well as the demo tape Tafkans, the raw version of High/Low
High/Low
High/Low was Nada Surf's first full-length album. The album is best known for its single "Popular."-Track listing:All tracks written by Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca.# "Deeper Well" – 3:55# "The Plan" – 4:31# "Popular" – 3:48# "Sleep" – 3:47...

. Those raw versions were later released on their second 7", Deeper Well/Pressure Free (1995/Deep Elm Records), on the Karmic EP and on North 6th Street.

Conte left the band in January 1995 and was replaced by Ira Elliot
Ira Elliot
Ira Sebastian Elliot is the drummer of the NYC band Nada Surf. He was named after Ira Gershwin and Johan Sebastian Bach...

, former drummer of the Fuzztones (1984–1985), a very active band of the eighties NYC scene, of whom both Caws and Lorca were fans. Caws and Lorca had always intended to invite him to join, but wanted to wait until they improved as musicians. Elliot's arrival infused a new energy into the band; Caws and Lorca's ambitions greatly increased, partly to ensure Ira stayed with the band.

After a show at the Knitting Factory
Knitting Factory
The Knitting Factory is a music venue and concert house with locations in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno, and Spokane. The club originally specialized in jazz and experimental music and has expanded to showcasing all genres of music, performing arts and comedy....

, Nada Surf met former Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...

 frontman and Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...

 producer Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....

. With little hope, they presented him with a copy of Tafkans. Three weeks later, Ocasek called back with news of his intention to produce the band's album. At the same time, the band was finalizing a contract with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....

, through an executive, Terry Tolkin
Terry Tolkin
Terry Tolkin was the Vice President of A&R at Elektra Records from 1992 to 1996. He signed a number of critically acclaimed alternative rock bands, including Luna, Stereolab, Afghan Whigs, Scrawl, Jennyanykind and Nada Surf...

, who was working for its indie branch, No.6 Records
No.6 Records
No.6 Records was an independent record label, started in 1989 as a subsidiary of Rough Trade Records by A&R representative and booking agent Terry Tolkin...

, on which their release, the Karmic EP had been released in 1995.

Negotiations with Elektra did not pan out, so Ocasek connected the band with Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...

. The band flew to Los Angeles for a hectic audition; Caws had the flu, and they had to rent gear.

High/Low
High/Low
High/Low was Nada Surf's first full-length album. The album is best known for its single "Popular."-Track listing:All tracks written by Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca.# "Deeper Well" – 3:55# "The Plan" – 4:31# "Popular" – 3:48# "Sleep" – 3:47...

was recorded and mastered in January 1996 within a 19-day period. The recording was paid for by Elektra before the band signed its contract on January 18, 1996.

Major period

During the summer of 1996, as Nada Surf toured the United States with Superdrag
Superdrag
Superdrag is an alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The band had a hit with its 1996 single "Sucked Out" off their album Regretfully Yours, for which a video clip was broadcast regularly on MTV...

, their song "Popular
Popular (Nada Surf song)
"Popular" is a song by Nada Surf and the first single from their debut album High/Low. Each of the verses in '"Popular" presents, in spoken word format, sarcastic advice to teens. Initially offered in a calm, deadpan voice, the lyrics gradually build Kinison-style in teen angst and rage.The song...

" became a summer anthem, and the band toured overseas.

In Europe, The Proximity Effect was released in September 1998, produced by Fred Maher
Fred Maher
Fred Maher is an American drummer, programmer and record producer.He was a member of Massacre , Material, Scritti Politti, Lou Reed, and is best known as the producer of I'm Talking's album Bear Witness , Lou Reed's album New York , Matthew Sweet's album Girlfriend , and Information Society's self...

. However, the album did not gain commercial success in the United States.

Their record label, thinking the album lacked a hit like "Popular", had the band record many covers, including "Black & White" (The dBs) and "Why Are You So Mean To Me?" (Vitreous Humor
Vitreous Humor (band)
Vitreous Humor were an independent emo band, formed in the late 1980s by Danny Pound, Brad Allen, and Dan Benson. Originally a quartet, the band had a revolving door of bassists until in 1993, Allen opted to play the bass. The group stayed as a trio for a year until the band took in Brooks Rice as...

), to use them as singles.

Tired of the requirements of the A&R director, the band judged the album was complete and perfect as-is (even though Elektra even suggested the inclusion of an acoustic version of "Popular"), and broke its contract. As a consequence, Elektra did not release the album in the US and dropped the band while they were on a promotional tour in Europe. Despite these events, this album was critically acclaimed in France, where the band made a 30-show tour in March 1999.

Independent period and resurgence

After being dropped by Elektra, the band waged a legal battle to get the rights to The Proximity Effect; the litigation ended in the year 2000 and the band released the album in August 2000 on their own label, MarDev (named after Caws' maternal grandmother, Margaret Devereux Lippitt, daughter of the painter Margaret Walthour Lippitt). Following the album's release, Nada Surf performed at their record release party at Luna Lounge
Luna Lounge
Luna Lounge was a bar at 171 Ludlow Street, on the west side of Ludlow Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side. It opened in 1995, and was a popular venue for local bands and stand-up comics...

 in New York City and toured intensively for several months to rebuild their North American fan base.

During this three-year forced break (1999–2002), the band members took regular day jobs: Caws worked at a nearby record store, while Lorca worked on some computer projects and Elliot did drum and guitar session work for other artists. Caws would later refer to these times as a period of luxury.

In 2001, they recorded most of the songs for Let Go
Let Go (Nada Surf album)
Let Go is a 2002 album by Nada Surf. It was well-received by critics and reached #31 on Billboards Top Independent Albums chart. The single for "Inside of Love" received some airplay and reached #73 in the United Kingdom....

, produced by their friends Louie Lino and Chris Fudurich, who had engineered The Proximity Effect. The band paid them with $1 and $5 bills, the money earned from tour merchandise sales. Let Go was critically acclaimed, with the "Inside of Love" single receiving decent airplay. The release was followed by many months of touring, including many European festivals in the summer of 2003.

Nada Surf followed Let Go with The Weight Is a Gift
The Weight Is a Gift
The Weight Is a Gift is Nada Surf's fourth full-length album. It was produced by Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla and mixed by Geoff Sanoff. It was released in 2005 and features vocals from the Long Winters frontman John Roderick...

(produced by Chris Walla
Chris Walla
Christopher Walla is an American musician and music producer, most notable for being the guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie. He is also a former DJ of KCWU, 88.1 The Burg...

, among others) in 2005. The band finished touring for The Weight Is a Gift in October 2006.

In March and August 2007, the band recorded their fifth album, Lucky
Lucky (Nada Surf album)
Lucky is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Nada Surf. It was released February 4, 2008 in Europe; February 5, 2008 in the US, Canada and Australia; and February 18, 2008 in the UK and Japan to very positive reviews. It reached #82 on the Billboard 200.The band issued an...

, with producer John Goodmanson
John Goodmanson
John Goodmanson is an American recording engineer and indie rock record producer.-Selected discography:*Aiden "Conviction " *Simple Plan "Crash and Burn"...

 in the Robert Lang Studios
Robert Lang Studios
Robert Lang Studios is a recording studio in Shoreline, Washington, United States, just north of Seattle. Numerous bands have recorded at Robert Lang Studios including Alice in Chains, Candlebox and Bush. Perhaps the most famous recording session at Robert Lang Studio was in late January 1994 when...

 in Seattle. The album was released on February 4, 2008 in Europe and on February 5, 2008 in the US.

Nada Surf was featured on the cover of Beyond Race magazine for the publication's winter 2008 issue.

Nada Surf's song "No Quick Fix" was featured as the Spinner MP3 of the Day in 2008.

Their sixth album, If I Had A Hi-Fi, features their take on 12 of the band's favorite songs from other bands and artists. Milwaukee noise rock band IfIHadAHiFi
Ifihadahifi
- History :The group originally formed in Central Wisconsin in 2000, following the breakup of their previous band, The Pop Machine. Each member took a palindrome as a pseudonym: Dr. Awkward , Mr. Alarm and Yale Delay . All three founding members share vocals...

 plans to reciprocally title their forthcoming 2011 album Nada Surf.

Nada Surf will be releasing their 7th studio album called The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy on January next year.

Studio albums

  • High/Low
    High/Low
    High/Low was Nada Surf's first full-length album. The album is best known for its single "Popular."-Track listing:All tracks written by Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca.# "Deeper Well" – 3:55# "The Plan" – 4:31# "Popular" – 3:48# "Sleep" – 3:47...

    (1996)
  • The Proximity Effect (1998)
  • Let Go
    Let Go (Nada Surf album)
    Let Go is a 2002 album by Nada Surf. It was well-received by critics and reached #31 on Billboards Top Independent Albums chart. The single for "Inside of Love" received some airplay and reached #73 in the United Kingdom....

    (2002)
  • The Weight Is a Gift
    The Weight Is a Gift
    The Weight Is a Gift is Nada Surf's fourth full-length album. It was produced by Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla and mixed by Geoff Sanoff. It was released in 2005 and features vocals from the Long Winters frontman John Roderick...

    (2005)
  • Lucky
    Lucky (Nada Surf album)
    Lucky is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Nada Surf. It was released February 4, 2008 in Europe; February 5, 2008 in the US, Canada and Australia; and February 18, 2008 in the UK and Japan to very positive reviews. It reached #82 on the Billboard 200.The band issued an...

    (2008)
  • If I Had A Hi-Fi
    If I Had A Hi-Fi
    If I Had a Hi-Fi is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band Nada Surf. It was released on June 8, 2010 and consists only of covers.The album title is a palindrome.-Track listing:Original artists in brackets#"Electrocution"...

    (2010)
  • The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy (2012)

External links

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