July, 2017 RollingStoneAus.com | Rolling Stone | 37
SOUNDS LIKE: Blurring the lines
between funk and hip-hop, all
bound together with rap flows
and bold brass
FOR FANS OF: Anderson Paak,
Dorsal Fins, Jordan Rakei
WHY YOU SHOULD PAY AT-
TENTION: In 2015, 26-year-old
vocalist and multi-instrumental-
ist Brett Ramson, aka Winston
Surfshirt, dropped his solo act
and became the leader of the
genre bending collective that
bears his adopted monicker.
Hailing from Manly, the six-
piece came together organically
over time. “I think the end goal
was [always] to have people
play with me,” says the front-
man. Surfshirt met guitarist
Mi-K and bassist Julio in high
school, while keyboardist Dool
is Julio’s cousin. “Bustlip [beats]
is just a friend, and then we
met the Bone [trombonist] at a
party,” says Surfshirt.
With inspiration rooted in
Motown and a flow reminis-
cent of late Nineties hip-hop,
Surfshirt’s biggest influence
is John Winston Lennon, even
down to partially adopting his
name. “There’s some footage of
Lennon talking with, I think Mick
Jagger, where he calls himself
‘Winston Leg-Thigh’ and I
thought that was funny.” Calling
his stage name the “stupidest
name ever”, the rest of his band
soon caught on, hence their
monickers.
The group sold
out their first tick-
eted show at the
Newtown Social
Club earlier this
year, and single
“Be About You”
was played on Sir
Elton John’s Beats
1 radio show in
March. After open-
ing for Midnight Oil at Selinas
in April and supporting RÜFÜS
on their regional tour, Winston
Surfshirt are setting out on
their debut headline tour in
June. They’ve been sitting on an
album for two years, but it will
be released soon.
THEY SAY: “It’s
like A Tribe Called
Quest splitting
spliffs with your
parents’ favou-
rite band,” says
Surfshirt of their
sound. “There’s a
bit of soul, a bit
of hip-hop, and
‘Beatlesy’ song-
writing behind it.”
HEAR FOR YOURSELF:
“Be About You” channels the
brass and bass of a soulful hip-
hop jam. JACQUELYN SCHWARTZ
Winston Surfshirt
“There’s a bit
of soul, a bit
of hip-hop,
and Beatlesy
songwriting
behind it,” says
Surfshirt.