SAN DIEGO, CA -- On July 31st, the highlight of the night at Surfindian was not only the artwork and musical performance, but also the mingling of San Diego and Orange County faces. Artwork of various forms, from surfboard to drawing, colored the walls of the Pacific Beach Surf Boutique, with pieces by Tyler Warren on display everywhere the eye turned. Surfboards shaped by both Josh Hall and Manny of Mandala had Warren’s artwork on them; the film playing on the background was a documentary by John Smart on Warren; the photography on the wall was Warren’s; the drawing was Warren’s; and the crowd, too, was Warren’s, or sort of.

Friends and fans of the Dana Point artist battled the rough Friday commute down the border town to offer their support. On hand, there were some notable faces, like the Growlers and Denny Michael from the Doheny Longboard Association, among others. In terms of San Diegans, local standouts included Richard Kenvin (a.k.a. RK) and upcoming Windansea grom Luke Dirkse, both cohorts of the Windansea following. But also representing other surf bevies, Pacific Beach surf club flooded the house with the likes of Pablo Smith, noserider extraordinaire and father of women longboard world champion, Jennifer Smith. Swamis Surf Club, also with a considerable showdown, had as ambassador none other than John “Happy” Haffy, Joel Tudor’s surf buddy and an exceptional surfer on his own right.

After the initial schmoozing was underway, the Growlers took on the stage – or, more precisely, made up a stage – and began to “growl” along, with an improvised headphone set as microphone and natural acoustics as amplifier. And to project the sound (sorry, “growls”) through the room, lead singer Brooks Nielsen had the audience sitting on the ground, surrounded, remember, by Warren’s artistic shadow. Nielsen, much like his artsy counterpart Warren, didn’t disappoint. Headphone in hand, crouching and dancing in full swing, Nielsen growled along as the night unfolded.

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See: All Photos from Art/Music Night (free registration required)

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