Michael Amaral can whip up a beach party anywhere. As the lead singer of the tribute band California Beach Boys, he’s equipped with a ready formula – the tunes written by the legends of surf music: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, David Marks, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and Dick Dale.
“We’ve all been playing music since we were kids,” says Amaral, whose tribute band features his cousin, just like the original Beach Boys.
“We all grew up with it. I used to surf and I’d listen to them on AM radio sing about California Girls and Surfing U.S.A. It was just so perfect.”
Often dressed the part in Beach Boys’ signature blue and white striped short-sleeved shirts and white pants, the six-man combo blends dreamy vocal harmonies with instrumental expertise.
Amaral admits the hardest part about saluting the Beach Boys is memorizing their layered vocals.
“You want to make sure all the parts are right,” he says. “There aren’t a lot of Beach Boy cover bands because a lot of people don’t want to take the time to learn all the parts.”
Members of the band - which features Amaral, Josh Meschi, James Nobriga, Jim Sealy, Richard Schmidt and Dennis Buldo - have shared the stage with Surfaris and Ventures and count The Fireballs, The Atlantics, The Chantays, The Shadows, and the Ripcords among their influences.
The melodic tunes of the 1960s, says Amaral, can even get the most flat-footed, left-legged audience on the floor.
“When I’m on stage, I never see anybody who doesn’t have a smile on their face,” says Amaral.
“If there’s no smile on their face, they don’t hang around for long. It’s all about fun.”
• The California Beach Boys tribute headline the Caribbean Festival in Maple Ridge on Saturday, July 9 at 7 p.m. The festival takes place on 224th Street in Maple Ridge, between Lougheed Highway and Dewdney Trunk Road.
Festival lineup
Saturday, July 9
• Noon -1 p.m. - DJ Kizum
• 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Nick Hope
• 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. - 3 The Hard Way
• 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Daddy Roy The Messenger
• 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. - Tropitonics Steel Band
• 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. - The Fireband
• 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. - Los Furios and Mama Pulpa
• 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. - California Beach Boys
Sunday, July 10
• Noon - 1 p.m. - Bounty Hunta
• 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Tropical Heat
• 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. - Costume parade
• 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Maffie and Crew
• 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. - Rumba Calzada
• 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. - Out of Many, accompanied by Tamasha Dancers
• 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. - Phase 3 Steel Band, Brazilian Beat Dancers
• 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. - DJ Carl’s Soundvibes
• 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. - Steele and Natural Flavas