WELLFLEET – Talk about good vibrations.
Attending the Cape Cod Oldtimers Longboard Surfing Classic, which took place recently at Whitecrest Beach, is like entering a sunny time capsule full of good vibrations.
The surfboards are old school at this contest. Longboards only. No leashes, and no wetsuit. The contest has been going on for more than half a century, and several of the founders still attend and many of them still surf.
Although Oldtimers is clearly a celebration of the original generation of Cape surfers, it is also something of a half a century continuous party, passing the fun from generation to generation.
Here is a short video that hopefully captures the vibe at the event. This one is pretty special as it is accompanied by parts of three songs – “Summertime,” “Grunions,” and “Let’s Go!” – by The Incredible Casuals.
The Incredible Casuals were Chandler Travis, Johnny Spampinato, Aaron Spade, Rikki Bates (and Steve Shook for part of their history) and they had a 25-year Sunday residency at the iconic Wellfleet Beachcomber, about a mile away from Whitecrest Beach. These songs are a perfect fit, we think.
Please check out Chandler Travis’s music at his website for more information.
Rikki Bates often plays drums with Travis’ various bands.
Also check out Johnny Spampinato’s webpage for his band The Value Leaders.
Aaron Spade passed away in 2023. Here is video of a memorial concert in his honor.
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