Just Cruise by The TVC
Photography by Monako Davis
Just Cruise started as an acoustic guitar chord progression that I recorded with my vintage Harmony guitar that I bought on Craigslist for $75 in North Hollywood. Why someone decided to sell this absolute gem of a guitar for so low of a price, I do not know. I hope it was just a guitar flip, and not a decision they had to make out of necessity. Either way, this guitar ended up in my hands. And, now it serves as an incredible instrument of channeling new ideas. It's bassically an antennae that reaches into the sky and catches the muse.
From there, I added some drum samples I recorded of my 60's Roger's kit that I also bought in Hollywood, and none other than Guitar Center. Some musicians runaway from guitar center because it's corporate, and usually over priced and under stocked. However, at this particular guitar center they were selling an incredible drum kit for around $900, and I immediately knew it had to be mine. I came home sampled those drums, and played them on countless tracks. And now several years later, those samples made their way onto Just Cruise.
I wish I could surf and skateboard, I grew up in the ocean in Southern California, swimming for countless hours. It's hard to do "beach" music without sounding like your corporatizing the beach. But the water, the ocean, the smell of salt, it truly is magical. So how do you capture that in a sound? You do everyhing you can to obscure the obvious parts, and you use vintage instruments with character, charm and imperfections.
I was really sick when I sang this track, but it forced me to sing quietly, and not over sing it. Monako Davis' voice added a much needed layer to third verse, and brought these vintage instruments into the present with her voice's pristine timber.
- Spencer
Photography by Spencer Riley Alfonso
Artwork by Monako Davis