The Sir Finks: Tres Mexicanos Del Sur de Texas

Around the same time the Bambi Molesters began riding a wild wave of instro-surf nostalgia in Zagreb, Croatia, the Sir Finks were carving up a similar ground swell of sound in the small Texas town of Corpus Christi on the Gulf of Mexico — slightly better situated for some fun in the sun, don’t you think. Formed in the summer of 1995 by skateboarding buddies Mike Guerro (guitars), Jason Gentry (bass/organ) and Ruben Garza, who was soon to be replaced by Damien Lianes on drums, the Sir Finks were grinding out fluid grooves of fender-drenched reverberation with a rolling white-water backbeat which paid homage to surf instrumental pioneers such as Dick Dale, the Challengers and the Ventures.

Tres Mexicanos Del Sur de Texas is a definitive collection that brings together all the now defunct band’s cuts on the independent Austin label Wildebeest, including their full-length album Instrumentals in the Key of Boss (which, at the moment, goes for $50 and up on Amazon) from 2000 in its entirety, along with rare singles and compilation tracks. Highlights among the 22 numbers include band originals “The Ballad of Mike Fink” and “Action Reef” plus covers of the Yardbirds’ “Heart Full of Soul”, an excellent slice of garage-surf mayhem, and a delirious fuzzed-out take of Lee Hazelwood’s “Boots” that was made famous by Nancy Sinatra but drowned in sound by the Sir Finks. Hazelwood, the man who co-wrote the classic twang-fest “Your Baby’s Gone Surfin'” with Duane Eddy, would surely have approved.