In the same week that kids and adults alike went trick or treating on another warm Halloween evening, an Atlanta band had its instruments tuned to another holiday: Christmas. It was then that surf rock quintet the Frigidaires began rehearsals for its half of one of Atlanta’s finest music traditions: the annual shows at the Earl celebrating iconic 1960s pop Christmas albums by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, the Beach Boys, the Ventures and Phil Spector-produced artists.
“We look forward to it every year and have so much fun doing it. It’s like a big reunion,” Frigidaires guitarist-singer Chad Shivers said on a recent Zoom call with all five group members.
The Frigidaires deck the halls with reverb in their Ventures- and Beach Boys-focused opening set, complete with choreography, before Jeffrey Bützer, TT Mahony and friends play spirited versions of the songs from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” interspersed with Spector-produced classics from the likes of Darlene Love and the Ronettes.
As is customary, the groups are bringing the party to the Earl for three nights (Dec. 19-21) and to MadLife Stage & Studios in Woodstock for one (Dec. 16). Bützer and Mahony have also announced shows (with just their set, minus the Frigidaires) in Decatur (Sunday) and Duluth (Dec. 11). Bützer and Mahony started the series 17 years ago, with their surf rock friends joining the festivities a few years later.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Bazemore Photography/Morgan Bazemore
Credit: Photo courtesy of Bazemore Photography/Morgan Bazemore
The Frigidaires have a host of reasons to celebrate this year-end. Shivers and his bandmates — guitarist-singer (and brother-in-law) Nick Bazemore, guitarist-singer Brad Mattocks, bassist Matt Steadman and drummer Sean Zearfoss — are wrapping up their busiest collective trip around the sun.
On New Year’s Day the group released its debut album “Play It Cool.” “This has been our best year,” Shivers said. “We didn’t expect anything to come of it. The first surprise was us sending the album to Otitis Media (Records) and them saying, ‘Sure, we’ll put this out.’”
Zearfoss suggested having Scott Sugiuchi — well known in the surf music community — create the album artwork. “He’s almost the surf artist,” the drummer noted. “He nailed it (the artwork) across the board.”
The artwork connection led to several opportunities that boosted the band, including a festival appearance in Italy and a magazine cover shared with none other than the Ventures, the progenitors of surf rock.
One highlight of “Play It Cool” is the Shivers-penned instrumental “Roller Skating Queen,” written in honor of his wife, a former roller derby athlete in the city. Bazemore’s daughter loves the song so much, she’s written words to it, to the delight of band members. Lead track “Rip Current” sets the record’s tone with a midtempo surfscape that puts the listener so firmly in the Pacific Ocean that it’s almost hard to believe it was recorded at Shivers’ Georgia house.
As pleased as the Frigidaires are about the first release, they feel even better about album No. 2, nearing completion and in the mixing stages as 2024 draws to a close. In an exclusive, the group revealed to the AJC that the record, due sometime next year, will be called “Hot Vacation.” Based on an inside story by Mattocks, the title later inspired the guitarist to write a song by the same title, which will be included.
“I think we’ve learned a few things from the last record,” Bazemore said. “I feel like I was able to get a guitar tone that I was really excited about.”
For Steadman, more in-person work makes the sophomore album stand out. After recording his bass parts for “Play It Cool” at home during COVID-19 restrictions, “this time I did it at Chad’s, and we had a lot of conversations about how we wanted this to sound. It just really felt so collaborative.”
“With this one, we all got to be in the room together and flesh it out, write intro parts, this and that,” Mattocks noted. “It shows our growth, but it also shows how well we can work together to build something that we’re all so proud of.”
While dates are pending, the band is planning festival appearances to coincide with the release of “Hot Vacation,” which will contrast the blue color theme of “Play It Cool” with reds and oranges throughout the artwork. And in perfect harmony with the beach and surf backdrop, the album will boast a recipe for a new rum-based cocktail being developed for the Frigidaires by the manager of Don the Beachcomber, a tiki bar in theMadeira Beach, Florida.
Interestingly, it was playing covers of the Ventures’ 1965 holiday record live at Christmastime that was the catalyst for the progressive pop/emo group Vipers and Adders to morph into today’s Frigidaires. Only Shivers had been in a surf band before. For that holiday album, the Ventures covered well-known Christmas songs with then-current pop songs worked into the introductions.
“The Ventures spawned a thousand bands,” Shivers noted. “Surf music owes a great deal of gratitude to the Ventures.”
Released the year before, “The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album” was a natural addition to the Frigidaires’ holiday set.
“Nick, Brad and I have always harmonized really well,” Shivers said. “So I think that really helped us conquer that Beach Boys record and is why we love it so much, because of all the harmony.” The album is noteworthy among Beach Boys aficionados for being one of the group’s first cohesive albums (beyond the singles the band had been known for) and features the catchy “Little Saint Nick.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Bazemore Photography/Morgan Bazemore
Credit: Photo courtesy of Bazemore Photography/Morgan Bazemore
Put together, the set’s songs put the band and audience members in a festive mood as the Frigidaires set the table for the more serene “Charlie Brown Christmas” set that follows.
“It’s a privilege to be part of something that people hold dear during the season,” Bazemore said, enthused.
Added Steadman: “You feel like you’ve shared this amazing Christmas experience with 280 of your closest friends that you don’t know and may never see again. For me, that’s what keeps the shows interesting, and I look forward to them every year.”
The holiday concerts provide the perfect opportunity for the group to unwind and celebrate an action-packed 2024 while bringing Christmas cheer to those in attendance.
“We hear it all of the time,” Bazemore said. “There are so many people who are like, ‘This is my Christmas, coming to this show,’ so it’s just cool to be a part of that.”
And matching the fun had by Frigidaire fans, the band members continue to play together because they’re even closer friends now than when they started. “That means a lot to us,” Shivers said.
To which Zearfoss added: “We’re very proud of the music and especially the albums and the shows — we feel like it gets better every year. But it’s secondary to getting together with this group of guys.”
IF YOU GO
A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring Jeffrey Bützer, TT Mahony and Friends
Sunday. Shows at 3 and 6 p.m. (all ages). Waller’s Coffee, Decatur. $22. 240 DeKalb Industrial Way, Decatur. jeffreybutzer.bandcamp.com/merch.
A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring Jeffrey Bützer, TT Mahony and Friends, with openers Duluth High School Chamber Orchestra
Dec. 11. Red Clay Music Foundry. Doors open at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. $30 in advance, $35 day of show. 3116 Main St., Duluth. eddieowenpresents.freshtix.com.
A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring Jeffrey Bützer, TT Mahony and Friends, plus the Frigidaires
Dec. 16 MadLife Stage & Studios. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $29.50. 8722 Main St., Woodstock. eventbrite.com.
Dec. 19-21. The Earl. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., show at 8:30 p.m. $25 in advance, $28 day of show. 488 Flat Shoals Ave. SE, Atlanta. badearl.com.
More information on the Frigidaires’ music: thefrigidaires.bandcamp.com.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
