Deven Berryhill, founder and guitarist of Pacific Beach-based surf rock band The Tourmaliners, can probably thank a photographer and the owner of a Linda Vista bar not only for his group’s name but perhaps even for launching its career.
As one might expect, the quartet, performing Friday night at Tiki Oasis, took its name from PB’s popular Tourmaline Surfing Park.
But the story behind the name has a few more twists and turns.
Eight years ago, photographer Howard Fincher could often be found hovering over Tourmaline with his long-lens camera, filming surfers for his DVD series, “Tourmo Blasters.” When he met Berryhill, then recording surf tunes in his home studio, Fincher asked if he could use the instrumental music on soundtracks for his films.
“People started loving the songs. They were like, ‘Great video, Howard, but who’s the music?’” Berryhill recalled. “Howard came back to me and said, ‘Man, people are digging your songs. You should put together a band.’”
At the time, Berryhill was playing in his dad’s band, The Surfaris, revered for the 1963 surf-guitar classic “Wipe Out.” After a gig at Tio Leo’s on Napa Street, bar owner Frank Sciuto asked if Berryhill would be interested in putting together something of his own for a regular Tuesday night spot.
“I was like, ‘It’s interesting you say that because I have this surf band.’ And he goes, ‘Cool, what’s it called?’ And I’m like, ‘The Tourmo Blasters!’ Just off the top of my head, kind of stealing the name from the video. He said, ‘Let me think about that.’”
The name, however, didn’t make it to opening night.
“I get a call about two weeks before the show, and he’s like, ‘Dude, we can’t do that name. Our clientele is a little jazzier, more mature. Can we call it something else, like The Tourmalines or The Tourmaliners?’ And I’m like, ‘Sure, whatever, pick something.’ He picked the Tourmaliners, and it just kind of stuck.’
The band — which currently includes guitarist Joe Dameron, bassist Matt Clowmintzer and drummer John MacElwee — went on to play more than 100 shows at Tio Leo’s. They even recorded last year’s “Live & Alive” at the popular lounge.
The Tourmaliners expect to play many of those original songs when returning to Tiki Oasis, in Mission Valley, for the third time on Friday. They began with an acoustic set on the grass following the pandemic before graduating to the pool stage in 2024. This year, they’ll move to the main stage, opening for ’80s icon Josie Cotton.
“We’re stoked!” Berryhill exclaimed. “We’re coming guns blazing. Straight out of the chute, we’re gonna be bringing the energy.”
They’re also excited to debut their new single, “El Gato,” which dropped on all digital platforms July 19. Showcasing a jazzier, more Latin-inspired sound, the song draws inspiration from Miki Dora, the legendary surfer known as “Da Cat” in “Endless Summer.”
“He was considered the greatest to ever surf Malibu,” Berryhill said.
The single will appear on The Tourmaliners’ upcoming fifth album, which carries the same name, due out on Pacific Records in September. In addition to the live album, the group has released two studio albums — 2019’s “Tourmaline Dream” and 2022’s “Surfidia,” winner of a San Diego Music Award for Best Rock Album — as well as the 2020 holiday collection “Surfin’ Christmas Carols.”
Growing up the son of Bob Berryhill, co-founding member and guitarist of The Surfaris meant becoming a surf rock guitarist was in the musician’s blood.
“I was born to a surf rock legend,” Berryhill said. “I really didn’t have a say in the matter. I just grew up around it in Seal Beach, and my room was above the garage, where his studio was. He would have the band practicing my entire life downstairs. So, I think through osmosis it kind of went up through the floor.”
As a small child, Berryhill watched his dad perform with such surf rock legends as Dick Dale, The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. By the time he turned 8, he wanted his first guitar so he could follow in his father’s footsteps.
“So we went down to Tijuana,” Berryhill said. “He bought me the crappiest guitar he could find. He goes, ‘If you can learn to play this, you can play anything.’ I’m like, ‘Dad, I want a Stratocaster like you!’ He’s like, ‘No, no, no. You gotta learn on this acoustic. You gotta build up your calluses and your fingers.’”
Eventually, Berryhill mowed enough lawns at 12 to buy his first Fender Mustang guitar.
“I bought it in pieces off the ‘Recycler’ magazine,” he said. “My dad helped me put it back together, and we refinished it.”
Over the years, Berryhill honed his craft playing in alternative rock bands, but he never lost his love of surf music. After a short-lived solo stint, he joined his father in 2002 as a guitarist in the Surfaris, which evolved into a family affair.
“My brother had learned how to play drums, and my dad brought my mom into the band as a bass player. She was a concert violinist, and he taught her how to play bass,” Berryhill said. “We just started backing up my dad as a family, like the Partridge family.”
The group toured worldwide in that incarnation for 20 years before Berryhill decided to carve out something of his own.
“I just thought it was good to have something local where I can start writing my own songs,” he explained. “This Tourmaliners thing just kind of organically happened. I really wasn’t aiming to form a band. It just came out of those ‘Tourmo Blasters’ soundtracks and Frank asking if I had something going on.”
Eight years later, The Tourmaliners remain rooted in those humble beginnings and committed to delivering more than just nostalgic sounds.
“We came together as a community of surfers, beach people, and San Diegans egged us on to [play music] that makes people want to dance and have a good time,” Berryhill said. “Tiki Oasis is so fun because it brings people together. There’s an element of that love of community. That’s what our band has always been about. When we play somewhere, it’s not just another gig for us. It’s an opportunity to bring joy, happiness and fun.”
Donovan Roche is a longtime music writer and regular contributor to Times of San Diego.
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