Freelance Johnson – “The Dopestopus”

The CD “The Dopest Opus” has attitude. An attitude that is everything surf culture embraces. To Freelance Johnson what really matters is the next big wave, bong hits and beautiful girls. Their lead singer “Crash” is an avid surfer who can be frequently found at the breakwater at Venice Beach, California riding the waves.

Their sound is not reminiscent of the traditional twangy guitar surf music of the 1960’s, but rather a reflection of the modern surf movement. The ideals of this new movement are reflected on track #2 “Kali4na” where Crash sings “I gotta worn ya, this is California”, a song that expresses surfers’ territorial rights to the best waves and at the same time their frustration with the increasing pollution of the ocean’s water. The incredible rock’ in guitar work of Crash is unmatched as the band shows it’s sensitive side on track #4 entitled “Tortured Artist”. The funky bass playing of “Matt” is reminiscent of early Fishbone and the listener is given a clear taste on track #8 entitled “Bass Solo”. The drummer “Ryan”, a true artist, lays down relentless groves that are consistent as the ocean’s waves.

The band got it’s name from the famous surfing scene from the movie “Apocalypse Now”. In the scene, Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall) commands a California surfing champion named Freelance Johnson into the waves even as the enemy continues to shell the beach. In one way, this band is a lot like Freelance Johnson from the movie, in that they will stop short of nothing in order to play their infectious music and ride the next big ocean swell.