Watch: James Cervi // Desert Haze

Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

I understand it's no Roy Orbison, but here's a quick lesson in match-making.

Joe Humphries sings and strums as James Cervi scores warm water barrels breaking around blanched, limestone shelves. If you've done the trip you know the feelings.

Footage by John Barton. Edited by Zac Walker.

Comments

peterb Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 12:59 pm new

The sun is out and the sky is blue
All I'm doing is thinking of you.

.... Stu, seriously. This is a dirge.

stunet Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 01:01 pm new

You got it, Pete.

And remember...

Anything you want, you got it
Anything you need, you got it
Anything at all, you got it

Joe Humphries Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 05:41 pm new

Glad you like the song pete. If you feel like writing a better one for this clip then be my guest. this was a quick little ditty i knocked up to compliment the insane waves Jamsey gets in this clip, yeah i could have gone all out and written a power ballad or whatever you wanna hear, but i didn't, i sat in my bedroom and did this in a morning.

btw. "this is a dirge" is the best compliment i've ever received for my music.

Love Joe xoxoxo

peterb Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 06:54 pm new

That's ok Joe. Everybody gets bad press.

stunet Friday, 14 Dec 2018 at 07:05 am new

Hey Joe,

If you can somehow work 'dirge'into an upcoming song - i.e desert dirge, purge the dirge, dirge for Pete etc etc then you can consider Swellnet your free PR company. Anything you want, you got it.

Well, almost.

-Stu
Swellnet editor

peterb Friday, 14 Dec 2018 at 08:59 am new

You got a pocket full of my money a little while ago,Stu, so it's fuck you all around, is it?

stunet Friday, 14 Dec 2018 at 09:05 am new

Always bewildering when the shit stirrer gets stirred.

Take it as you dish it Pete, with a side order of larfs.

peterb Friday, 14 Dec 2018 at 09:25 am new

Yeah ... my mistake. Great music, Joe, where can I buy the album? Maybe Stu can do you a deal and sell some advertising space on Sellnought. Great way to shit on a relationship, Stu.

Joe Humphries Friday, 14 Dec 2018 at 04:16 pm new

Deal, I'll sign the contract using the reclaimed ball of wax taken off an old Log gathering dust in the shed.

"im on the verge of purging the dirge, the dirge, the dirge, i purge the dirge...."

peterb Friday, 14 Dec 2018 at 04:58 pm new

Rough wind, that moanest loud
Grief too sad for song;
Wild wind, when sullen cloud
Knells all the night long;
Sad storm whose tears are vain,
Bare woods, whose branches strain,
Deep caves and dreary main,—
Wail, for the world's wrong!

Now that's a dirge, and thank you Percy Bysshe Shelley ... he used to play bass for Crazy Horse when Jack Nitzshce wanted the month off.

peterb Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 01:10 pm new

Ok, we're square with the dumb lyrics .... now we can concentrate on the quality of the instrument that's singing them.

stunet Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 01:29 pm new

I could very easily push aside this afternoon's work and take up the challenge here, Pete. Pen an essay on the topic, 'cause the whole notion of 'quality' in regards to music is a slippery slope. Here's an old but pertinent quote:

"There's better musicianship on the first three Ramones records then anything Hendrix did."
-S. Albini, fuck-knows-when.

Who cares about musical virtuosity when it comes to the feelz, whether it be jumping up and down and getting sweaty, or sensing a different state of mind, or feeling deja vu, or getting amourous, or any of the myriad reasons we listen to music. And when music is packaged with images, virtuosity is even less important. Suitability is the only currency. Imagine Kubrick choosing...I don't know, 'Little Deuce Coupe' instead of Zarathustra for A Space Odyssey?

Great song that Little Deuce Coupe, good quality musicianship, horrible match with HAL. I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave.

Meanwhile, ol' Joe Humphreys does the standard strum on an acoustic guitar for this clip. But shit, we're in the desert, we're dusty, eating raw protein hauled from the sea, reverting back to our forefathers, so let's ditch the trickery and keep it basic: surfboard, guitar, beers, and a campfire.

Right on...

OHV500 Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 03:19 pm new

Love the Australian sound, but simple ? - 2 guitars (maybe 3) and drums - not so simple :)

peterb Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 01:36 pm new

[retreats, abashed]

stunet Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 01:44 pm new

Just when it was your shout too.

Typical...

Island Bay Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 01:57 pm new

Two, three, four, Beat on the brat, beat on the brat...

crg Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 03:50 pm new

Just makes you want to load up the car and hit the road...byo soundtrack of course...

savanova Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 06:48 pm new

All this bla bla about music while watching perfect waves sure done with a beer in hand prob means not many waves around.

ojackojacko Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 07:25 pm new

nice guest appearance from kelly slater at 2:26.

those waves look soooo fun ...

goofyfoot Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 08:05 pm new

Those waves are soooo good. It makes you so keen for a surf trip.
But, what I want to know is how come this guy has a filmer with him every surf he has. How do you manage to talk someone in to doing that?
He’s a good, above average surfer but I didn’t see any stickers on his board so he’s not getting clips to impress sponsors?
Is it his mate, dad, bro??
Where do I find this guy?

lostdoggy Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 08:20 pm new

I think some people just love filming/photography in the same way others prefer to surf.

goofyfoot Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 09:01 pm new

Good answer, I think you’re right

Billyw Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 08:35 pm new

I love vids with regular surfers in them, amps me up heaps more than a pro doing stuff that I could never do.

CryptoKnight Thursday, 13 Dec 2018 at 11:33 pm new

'Who cares about musical virtuosity when it comes to the feelz, whether it be jumping up and down and getting sweaty, or sensing a different state of mind, or feeling deja vu, or getting amourous, or any of the myriad reasons we listen to music. And when music is packaged with images, virtuosity is even less important. Suitability is the only currency.'

'But shit, we're in the desert, we're dusty, eating raw protein hauled from the sea, reverting back to our forefathers, so let's ditch the trickery and keep it basic: surfboard, guitar, beers, and a campfire.

Right on...'

Ok. There was this ledge see. Nah, he's a ledge too, but not junior. The 'ol boy. In his prime. But ya can't ever google it. He made sure of that. Ya just had to be there. No history makin' emails... all them emails, with all them photerz... on knee high to a grasshoper bombs. He made sure of that. The desert rules.

Ok, but see, there was a dirty rotten, a stinkin' no good crime. Erase it. A fucking stinkin', dirty, lousy, shit heap, fucked up, MR barge hole fuckin' twinny. Ok, but, ledge. All who saw it agreed. And plenty who count did. Plenty of times, in plenty of down right mean, thick as fuck, square bombs. Triple up bombs even. But ya can't google it. He made sure of that. And it wasn't on the eastern seaboard. Not one of them 'legends'...

Toones.

'Its my way, or the 'hi' way. Hit the road jack...'

Desert... Twinny.... Legend ... 'feelin' it... Ya had to be there... Or wannabe.

You'll never google it. There were no secret emails. That 'feelz' aint for sale for any price. He made sure of that. That twinny ledge. Really 'feeling' the desert.

Bnkref Friday, 14 Dec 2018 at 05:12 pm new

Nice tune Joe. I dug it. Great clip, too.

batfink Saturday, 15 Dec 2018 at 05:24 pm new

Perty waves and water.

I enjoyed the music Joe, very country haze! No lyrics about missing you dawg, that'll do me.

You'd think Peterb would be in a better mood with all those letters to the SMH Editor being published in the last few weeks. :-)

lost Saturday, 15 Dec 2018 at 09:43 pm new

I have no idea what half these comments are on about ??????

Great waves and beautiful surfing.