Lords of Atlantis is something a surf supergroup, comprised of members from The Madeira, Aqualads, Insect Surfers, and The Manakooras (VG, October ’22). Fronted by guitarists Ivan Pongracic and Jeremy DeHart, the quartet writes catchy instrumentals that avoid most surf clichés.
Ivan and Jeremy granted VG readers an underwater tour of Lords of Atlantis’ reverb-soaked debut.
“Chariots of the Gods” has a huge, wet sound – almost like you’re playing under the ocean.
Jeremy DeHart: That is one of the very early songs that Ivan played for me when we were on the East Coast tour for Blair Pongracic Band, in 2017. I play rhythm guitar, as well as bass.
Ivan Pongracic: I used the Gomez G-Spring reverb, which is hands-down the best-sounding reverb unit I’ve ever heard. I play lead on that and on the majority on the album. I haven’t developed my rhythm-guitar chops nearly as much as Jeremy, who played a lot of rhythm in Aqualads. He’s much more-versatile than me – great rhythm guitarists are rare!
How are your guitar styles different and complementary?
IP: Dick Dale is my primary California-surf influence. As I dug into the history of surf music, I discovered that Dick got his tremolo-picking technique from his grandfather playing the oud, a stringed instrument from North Africa. The further I explored, the more it became obvious that tremolo is common to many Mediterranean cultures; in Greece with the bouzouki and in Croatia, where I was born and raised, with the tamburica, which Leo Fender claimed inspired the Strat headstock shape.
JD: Ivan plays all of the leads, even on songs that I write, but I take a lot of pride in my rhythm parts. I think people tend to really concentrate on solos and think of rhythm as non-consequential, but a great chord part can really make or break a song.
“Temple of Poseidon” is a real song, versus a bunch of surf clichés strung together.
IP: That’s one of Jeremy’s tunes and was inspired by rautalanka, the early-’60s instrumental genre from Finland. That music was inspired by the success of The Shadows, with Finnish kids trying to emulate those clean, “Strat through a tape echo into a Vox AC30” tones. By the way, rautalanka means “barbed wire,” a reference to the trebly electric-guitar tones used by those bands; their songs tended to be very melodic, as well as quite melancholy.
Lords of Atlantis was recorded in the music building at Hillsdale College, in Michigan. Is that an auditorium or an actual studio?
JD: It’s a huge hall with massive 30-foot ceilings and tons of reverb. We made sure to put a mic in the room, so we could dial-in that all reverb as a separate track. We did some overdubs, but a lot of what you hear are live parts with myself, Ivan, and drummer Dane Carter, and no bass. Jonpaul Balak was unable to record bass parts for this album, so I recorded the others.
What was your studio gear?
IP: I’m a dedicated Strat guy. For the recording, I used a Clapton signature body and a Contemporary Strat neck with scatter-wound Rocketfire Total ’60s pickups, which are unbelievable. Also, I had an American Vintage Reissue ’62 with Seymour Duncan Antiquity Surfer pickups, and a ’65 AVRI Strat with a ’62-reissue neck from 1986. I only used the middle pickup.
For amps, I had my Gomez Amplification gear and just two pedals – an Xotic EP Booster set all the way down, just to warm up the tone a bit more, and a Strymon El Capistan echo, which was always on and set to about 400ms. That’s a bit of my signature.
Which original surf guitarists have you met, especially those that made a lasting impression on your playing?
JD: I got a chance to meet Paul Johnson of The Belairs and PJ & the Galaxies. He has always been an inspiration to me because I loved his approach to surf music. When everyone else was focused on Dick Dale, Paul was much more focused on creating thoughtful songs and interesting arrangements.
IP: I’ve been incredibly fortunate to not have only met, but become friends with some of my greatest influences, like Jim Skiathitis, of the iconic Australian band The Atlantics. The things he and the co-guitarist Theo Penglis were doing pre-dated many of Jimi Hendrix’s echo experimentations by three or four years.
I also became friends with Eddie Bertrand of The Belairs and Eddie & the Showmen, and met the rhythm guitarist from the Shadows, Bruce Welch. The Shadows are one of my greatest musical passions. With all of my surf heroes, I hope to do the best I can to carry on their legacy and make sure the music is not forgotten.
This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
