HOW A HI-TIDE RECORDINGS SURF MUSIC POWERHOUSE

SURFACED IN THE HEART OF FREEHOLD

- BY BILL BODKIN

When you think of epicenters for surf music, you think of locations with killer point breaks, roadside hamburger stands, and sand as far as the eye can see – not Freehold, N.J.

But at the corner of Main and Throckmorton stands an unassuming building with a neon sign reading “Records” in the window. You might think this is another mom-and-pop record shop run by music nerds looking to create their own High Fidelity fantasies.

Well, that’s not entirely inaccurate. The mom and pop in this store are the husband-and-wife team of Magdalena O’Connell and Vincent Minervino, Freehold residents who are behind one of the global leaders in surf music, Hi-Tide Recordings.

THE LABEL CONTINUES TO GROW WITH MORE TALENT BEING ADDED TO THE ROSTER, WHICH NOW INCLUDES THE VENTURES – THE TOP SELLING INSTRUMENTAL BAND OF ALL TIME.

It’s wild to think that this internationally renowned label and record shop all began as a “funny accident.”

Minervino and O’Connell established their mark in the surf music world on a local level. Minervino’s bands The Brigantines and then Black Flamingos (featuring O’Connell’s brother Declan) became staples playing the Asbury Park music scene.

By 2014, the couple, just a handful of months after their wedding, produced The Asbury Park Surf Music Festival – a celebration of surf music featuring bands from around the Northeast. The festival would grow yearly with the card featuring bands from around the world including the Messer Chups from Russia and The 5, 6, 7, 8’s from Japan.

Yet, there was one band that would irrevocably change everything for the couple: The female Canadian surf outfit The Surfrajettes were booked for the festival in 2016.