“The Harsh Carpets, ‘the original Malibu band,’ whose repertoire of punk, blues and rock is so eclectic it defies categorization.” –Malibu Times

Imagine picking off the wave of the day, and then just sitting on your surfboard and looking off to the horizon. The sun is shining through the back of the green glowing waves, and things couldn’t be any better. Out of nowhere a massive set comes in and lands right on your head, and there are 5 more behind it. This is what The Harsh Carpets new edgy surf tunes are all about, and while their heavy blues tunes continue to evolve, they are also working on a jazz project with different players for the more upscale scene and a punk project for the more aggressive shows.

The Harsh Carpets played their first show at The Malibu Inn 2/17/95. The original members are Cameron Wellwood – guitar/vox, Todd Nosek – drums, and Dave Tenhouten – bass. From the beginning, the band performed a wide variety of original music ranging from blues, surf, ragtime, jazz, reggae, and punk. Hendrix, Coltrane, Fats Waller, and various punk bands were big influences. They have played all over Los Angeles for the past 20 years.

The Malibu Underground Surf Film, which was on Charter Cable for quite a few years got the band a lot of exposure, and its members have backed up some pretty amazing bands over the years like Buppy and the Uplifters and The Bateke Beat. There are also a few incredible jazz recordings on “The Harsh Carpets play Coltrane” featuring the master jazz pianist, Brian O’neal of the BusBoys.