2018 live release. Surf instrumental music, as an art form, was established in the early 1960s. Every summer for the last 10 years, the Surf Guitar 101 Convention has attracted a great many fans to Southern California for a three-day feast of surf music. The event includes dozens of vendors selling CDs, t-shirts, and all sorts of swag related to surf music. The big draw each year, however, are the many surf instrumental bands invited from all over the country and the world to perform. The 2017 event featured some of the best surf bands from Southern California that included Outerwave, The Volcanics, The Tequila Worms, Par Avion, and The Insect Surfers (originally formed in 1979, this group is recognized as the longest running modern surf instrumental band). The rest of the country was represented by The Mystery Men (from Georgia), The Atomic Mosquitos (from Washington D.C.), The Exotics (from Wisconsin), and The Madeira (from Indiana). Since this music has become truly universal, the 2017 Surf Guitar 101 Convention also featured The Kilaueas and The El Caminos. These two bands, from Germany and Japan, respectively, prove that surf instrumental music is not only loved and accepted on the other side of the planet, but the reverence that exists for the music's traditional sound and style transcends language and cultural barriers.