The Space Cossacks - Live Supernova (2016)

The Space Cossacks arrived in 1996. They were an all-instrumental, four-piece outfit from Washington D.C. who fit in nicely with the surf music crowd, but had taken the genre to a completely different level. They made quite a splash after only a few live performances; an overabundance of critical acclaim followed.

The songwriting and musicianship made them exceptional, a one-two punch sorely missing from a lot of contemporary guitar instrumental bands. The sheer, brutal force of their music made it exciting and incendiary. They were, as the saying goes, a cut above the rest, coming to an end only because of circumstances, not by desire.

Their legacy would have been assured if they had stopped after “Interstellar Stomp,” their debut LP/CD in 1998. However, they continued with the “Tsar Wars” album in 2000 and a 2005 “Best Of” compilation that included several previously unreleased studio and live recordings. These records were not only strong contributions to the canon of instrumental surf, they remain as required listening and important genre releases of the modern age.

The band consisting of lead guitarist Ivan Pongracic (originally from Croatia and considered one of the finest guitarists in the surf music genre), rhythm guitarist Mark English, bassist Catherine Gray, and drummer Doug Hoekstra journeyed to the West Coast in the summer of 1998 for a 10-day tour. Recording equipment was brought to their gig at the Foothill Club in Long Beach, California, on the night of July 10. All 21 tunes of the entire hour-long set were captured by surf music archivists/engineers Jay Hector and Richard Blair. The complete performance has remained unreleased for 18 years, losing none of its vitality or urgency during that time. The band was on fire that night, which makes this recording an important historical reminder of how far surf instrumental music had creatively progressed by the end of the 20th century.


"Fiery double-picking, great melodies...this fiery quartet blazes with raw energy while incorporating flavors of Latin, Caribbean and Russian dance surf music." ~ JUXTAPOZ MAGAZINE

"I knew before putting this on that it would be a five star release ─ when it comes to instrumental rock 'n' roll, The Space Cossacks are at the top of the heap." ~ THE CONTINETAL

"The Space Cossacks give everyone food for thought when debating what could be the greatest surf instro album ever made. It just doesn't get any better than this." ~ MUSIC DISH

"Most surf guitar players are going to hear this album, start crying and throw their guitars away. Just when you thought the surf music genre couldn't be topped, along come The Space Cossacks." ~ COOL CULTURE