Ted Lennon
photos and music courtesy of Ted Lennon
by Daniel Gannaway
posted 2005-02-15
My wife gave me Ted Lennon's self titled debut album for Christmas, and I've pretty much played it constantly since. Ted's album is warm, stripped back, and intimate, in his own style of laidback, folk-blues. Mostly it's Ted's hushed vocal over his lightly strummed or plucked guitar. His father tastefully backs him with subtle flourishes on ukulele, guitar, xylophone, and adds his own voice in places to fill out the vocals.
In My Yard, 2004 - Photo by Kasey Lennon
Ted's album is superbly mellow, the mood for the most part introspective yet upbeat, with descriptive, thoughtful lyrics and sometimes unconventional lines used as chorus. It's an album that uses a confident, minimal approach to settle into your subconscious and later rises to find you singing lines you didn't know even you'd heard. Overall it left me with the feeling that Ted and his father had just set down in my living room and personally played a few ditties for me. It was this feeling that left me wanting to know more about Ted and his music. You get to find out too.
DG - Hey Ted, how goes it?
TL - Good, thanks.
DG - I've just got to say again, I love your album. I've been playing it nonstop. This morning I started laughing when I realized I was singing 'Jesus underwater' while surfing small Monster Mush.
TL - I'm stoked you like it...that means a lot coming from a fellow songwriter/musician.
DG - Have you been getting any waves yourself?
TL - Yeah there have been some good days over the past couple weeks. I mostly surf a beach break called Emma Wood, about 15 minutes south of Rincon. It breaks on any kinda swell. There is an outer reef, then it re-forms on the inside. It is no world class wave but that's where I seem to have the most fun, probably cuz it's where we all grew up surfing.
DG - Sounds super fun to me...but I guess you're in a full suit right now?
TL - Yeah, that is one of the downfalls of living in California is the cold water, especially this time of year, but I just recently was gifted a really comfortable zipperless all-smoothie full suit from a friend, so it's not so bad.
DG - Nice. So what kind of equipment are you riding?
Emma Wood St. Park '03 - Photo by Kasey Lennon
TL - Well, the board I have been riding is one of those 'occy' '84 models shaped by Rusty. It is a 5' 11 but real thick rails and not as much rocker as a modern shortboard. It was shaped for Kelly who gave it to Jack and then Jack let me ride it cuz I broke my board. I find that it can handle pretty well in different kinds of surf cuz it's got enough foam. I tend to lean toward boards that float a little more so I can lean into turns and glide through slow spots.
DG - Does surfing influence your musical creativity?
TL - Living by the Pacific Ocean is a very calming thing for me. Surfing puts me in touch with that pure place where all creativity stems from.
