It seemed like a pretty normal surf show until it wasn’t. The Young Barons were onstage performing their edgy, modern-primitive style of surf music. Suddenly, the drums exploded like Buddy Rich torturing the squares at a 1940s swing dance with an eruption of speed, cymbal crashes, and frenetic tom-tom volleys. Jaw-dropping percussive fusillades are hardly infrequent at surf-band gigs—”Wipeout” certainly gave surf drummers the permission and inspiration to unleash drum solos within the framework of a song—but seldom does one hear deep swing and sophisticated jazz licks amidst the waves of reverb-drenched guitars. It was an astounding and surprising moment, as Young Barons drummer Justice James is just 19 years old, and he dresses more like a car-club punk-rocker in a leather jacket, jeans, and Converse sneakers than a big-band jazzbo sporting a tux. The Young Barons—the current lineup features James, guitarist Anthony Denny, and bassist Raul Martinez—were formed in […]

August 2021 Issue