Photos and words by Scott Sheff

The vibe of the beach found its way inland to the Teragram Ballroom where indie rockers Surfer Blood set up shop to headline the evening, alongside the chill pop sounds of hometown Cayucas.

Surfer Blood rode into town with a new look after the departure of bassist Kevin Williams who left for a job in Texas and guitarist Thomas Fekete who is treating a rare form of cancer (please donate what you can to his gofundme page). While half the band looks new, the sound is the same with the addition of Mike McClearly on guitar and longtime friend Lindsey Mills on bass.

Lead vocalist/guitarist John Paul Pitts bonded with the crowd via music and candy. Midway through the set, Pitts and Mills tossed out sweet treats to the crowd for no reason other than to be nice and share some candy that made the trek with the band from West Palm Beach. Or perhaps it was to give people a sugar-high and be amped when Pitts made his way into the crowd during “Take It Easy,” a song he attributes to help him lose 30 pounds while on tour. Regardless, fans ate up the love (and the candy) and returned the favor by showering the band with adoration.

Surfer Blood wrapped up the night with what Pitts coined “cover roulette,” with a couple of the guys from opener Cayucas joining the band on stage for a cover (of sorts) of Richie Valens’ “La Bamba.” While the instrumentals were spot on, the lyrics were spotty at best. But none of it mattered because everyone was having fun, on stage and off.

Like the small coastal town that inspired the band’s name, Cayucas kicked off the night with a set fit for the beach. With their laid back style to match their music, Cayucas’ sound took the crowd on a nostalgic journey to a mystical surfside community from yesteryear, when all that mattered was how big the waves were and hanging with friends at sunset with a brew and a campfire. While there was no sand, and certainly no campfire, Cayucas’ set helped re-imagine a time and place with their soft surfer-pop sounds.