Surf Punks

As the name would indicate, the Surf Punks combined two emerging sounds of the late '70s — punk rock and surf revival. The band, fronted by Dennis Dragon, personified the surf's-up, lighthearted West Coast attitude — they were even featured in a PBS documentary demonstrating "California Beach English." The Surf Punks' irreverence, immaturity, and skepticism of outsiders came shining through in songs like "My Beach," "No Fat Chicks," "Teenage Girls," and "Locals Only." The band's self-titled debut in 1979, made on their own Day-Glo label, became a cult classic. Epic came calling and the Surf Punks peaked with My Beach in 1980, before they were dropped by the label when Dragon blew off a big show in favor of going surfing. They went indie for 1982's synth pop-influenced Locals Only on Hot Curl Records, then took a short break before returning in 1987 with Oh No, Not Them Again! The combo rode its final wave in 1988 with Party Bomb.