Surf music is up at Peach Days

By Linda East Brady, Standard-Examiner staff

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 7:32pm

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Kahuna Beach Party performs Saturday on the Main Street Stage during Brigham City Peach Days.

While there isn't much beach to speak of in the mile-high city of Denver, there is a band there named Kahuna Beach Party that celebrates the music of the Beach Boys. The musicians are bringing a little surf, sand and harmony to Brigham City's Peach Days on Saturday evening.

"Cap'n" Bill Francoeur, the singing founder/arranger for the band, has long loved the Beach Boys. He saw the five original members perform when he was 14, and was hooked.

"Honestly, ever since then, I thought at some point I wanted to do something with this music someday," said Francoeur, calling from home in Denver. "I had worked writing musical theater and performing for years, when a few years ago, I asked my agency, 'What do you think of a Beach Boys tribute band?' And they said, 'We actually get calls for that. But no one really does it, because they are too intimidated by the vocals.' So it got me thinking how this might be done."

Getting it right

Though sunny and simple-sounding, the Beach Boys' vocal tapestry, brainchild of the creative and troubled musical architect Brian Wilson, is densely multilayered, and thus complex. Francoeur knew he had to do it justice or it would sound like a train wreck.

"It took a whole lot of work," said Francoeur. "I am an ex high school choir director, and I am the band's arranger, too -- and as that, I am a real taskmaster. When we were trying to get this down, one of the guys said, 'I feel like I am in music boot camp. I have never worked so hard!' But I had my own reputation to worry about, and I also didn't want to let my agency down."

For a full year, before accepting a single gig, Kahuna Beach Party rehearsed, honing the sound during one or two sessions a week.

"We could only sell it if we absolutely sounded like the Beach Boys. Trying to capture not just the style, but also that inflection, that Southern California drawl, was what was needed. Now we have people come up who swear we are lip-syncing. When they find out we are not, and are blown away, that is really cool."

More than songs

The show is more than a concert, said Francoeur. Members -- Francoeur's son and daughter, Justin "Johnny Utah" Francoeur on guitar and Laura "Roxy Boardshorts" Francoeur on vocals; Mark "Riptide" Devine, lead vocals; Jared "Hang Ten" Ming, vocals; David "Wipeout" Heck, drums; and Lynn "Loco Moco" Tucker, bass -- are selected for Kahuna not merely for vocal ability, but also for their showmanship.

"Mark, a Southern Californian, had worked at Disneyland and on cruise ships. He is our seasoned pro who knows how to work a crowd. Then we have two guys playing the surfer/slacker dudes -- like 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.' They run in with their surfboards and are very comical.

"We do fun, crowd-pleasing stuff like that. We usually have a surfboard riding contest where we have people come show us their moves. And we do a hula hoop thing to 'Surf City' with the kids."

Francoeur said that the appeal of the show is multigenerational.

"This is purposefully family-friendly. The parents love it, remember it from their past, but it's also amazing when I see 10-year-olds singing along. It is very American stuff, and very happy music."

At this point, Kahuna Beach Party does mostly seasonal gigs, tied to summertime events.

"But we are trying to change that. Recently, in winter, we did a performance in South Dakota -- winds howling, so cold it was hard to believe. And Mark said to the crowd, 'There is a foot of snow out there, but it is always 90 degrees on Kahuna Beach.' And that's become our tagline, no matter the weather we are dealing with, it is always 90 degrees."

PEACH DAYS SCHEDULE

Events take place in and around Main Street in downtown Brigham City, unless otherwise noted, and are free, unless otherwise noted. For more details, go to www.bcareachamber.com.

Today

10 a.m. -- Festival opens, with book sales, refreshment sales, arts and crafts

11 a.m. -- Art and photography show, Brigham City Museum, 60 S. Main St.

5 p.m. -- Helicopter rides, Box Elder High School soccer fields, 380 S. 600 West, $15 (for reservations, call 435-752-3828)

6 p.m. -- Junior parade

6 p.m. -- Carnival opens

6 p.m. -- Softball tournament, Pioneer Park, 800 W. Forest St.

7 p.m. -- Main Street stage opens

9 p.m. -- Teen dance at Main Street stage

Saturday

6:30 a.m. -- Fire department breakfast, Forest Street Fire Station, 500 W. Forest St.

8:30 a.m. -- 10K road race, Brigham City Tabernacle, 251 S. Main St.