A tall figure crosses the dark stage to check with one of his partners about their next move. He slowly returns to the front and turns around, lowering his hands from his face, revealing a stylish pair of neon green rimmed sunglasses. Teachers and students alike cannot resist bursting out in laughter and are left with joy in their hearts as they eagerly wait for The Unknown Surf Band’s next song.
From foot tapping to body rolling, the dark room and ample space compelled the crowd to move and groove to familiar songs such as “Y.M.C.A.” and “The Hokey Pokey.” Mr. Richard Hollinger, founder and lead singer of The Unknown Surf Band, boldly took the front of the 601 stage, freely expressing his love for singing, along with Mr. Gene Simons, Mr. Anthony Russell, Mr. John Gulack, Mr. Terry Sholty and Mr. Bert Ferntheil.
“I always wanted to be the lead singer in my high school rock band. These guys are professional musicians and they don’t like being in the front, so I get to jump around and make a fool out of myself,” Mr. Hollinger said. “My motto in high school was ‘embarrass yourself for the good of others.’”
Mr. Hollinger was able to get even more involved with the audience by stepping down to lead conga lines and arranging the crowd into a circle.
He admits that the worst thing that could happen is a dead crowd. However, Mr. Hollinger only wishes for more students to come out and have fun, even if it’s not for the music quality’s sake.
“We practice just to make sure we’re on the right key,” Mr. Simons said. “Our goal was never to sound super impressive or anything, it’s always been about having fun.”
The Unknown Surf Band originally started out as the Unknown Cowboy Band playing at a basketball fundraising dance, before changing their name to the Unknown Disco Band then to Rick Holly and the Unknown Surf Band and finally to what it is now. In the past, the band roster has included teachers like Dr. Ken Martin and Mr. Dale Smith. Although who will be onstage with the Unknown Surf Band is just as unknown as the band itself, students are excited for another appearance.
“I’d definitely go again, it was a really cool performance,” Sophomore Jack Cheng said. “Sometimes you only see teachers as teachers and that’s it, but you have to realize that teachers have a life and they do interesting things just like us. It’s really eye-opening.”