George Greenough .... He's One Cool Cat... By Eric Cedeno

This is what I found out about him on http://en.wikipedia.org

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Greenough is an innovative surfer and cinematographer from Santa Barbara, California who now resides in Byron Bay in New South Wales,Australia. He was born to a wealthy family but despised its trappings and spent most of his time in the ocean. Greenough is best known for creating the modern surfboard fin. He altered the design from a wide-based, cumbersome keel to a more powerful and efficient dolphin fin-like foil.

In the 1960s Greenough's equipment was distinctly different from the longboard design of the day, and he rode short kneeboards under 5' 5" and air mattresses regularly. He is credited as being the best mat rider ever, and still surfs the unique waveriding craft. His most famous board was a fiberglass spoon using only small amounts of buoyant foam, shaped kneeboard he christened "Velo". Greenough is also known as a genius level inventor and the master of fiberglass engineering, design, and construction, having used the material to build surfboards, camera housings, and boats.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Greenough released two feature films The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun and Crystal Voyager. His footage above and below the water were personally selected by the members of Pink Floyd as the imagery for their "Echoes" film after the group saw Crystal Voyager, which used the Pink Floyd track as the music for the final sequence of the movie. Greenough is also featured in an early scene in Bruce Brown's surf film The Endless Summer.

Check out some footage from his films:

Crystal Voyager (1973)

ALSSurfProductions Uploaded on Dec 5, 2009

A 10-minute editing of one of my favorite surf films, shot by the creative and talented George Greenough. Great soundtrack including "Echoes" by Pink Floyd, and other songs by G. Wayne Thomas and Bobby Gibbert

Crystal Voyager 1973. Filmed, written and narrated by surfer, photographer and filmmaker George Greenough. Directed by David Elfick.

Band of Frequencies - All I've Found (film by George Greenough)

lowpressurevision Published on Jun 17, 2012

Innovation and inspiration trickles down through generations and when the pioneers collaborate in a cross generational project there is a timeless spark that reverberates through the ether. Band of Frequencies have been cultivating those sparks through a long term collaboration with one of the greatest legends of oceanic cinematography and surf craft design, George Greenough.

Georges seminal surf film 'The Inner Most Limits of Pure Fun' influenced a whole generation of filmmakers. It was filmed in the late 1960's and featured the first ever footage taken from inside the tube, giving surfers and non-surfers alike the unique perspective from the inside out on film. George captured those shots on his own hand crafted, custom made waterproof housing for an ex army issue 16mm film camera. He filmed whilst riding either his handcrafted high-tech 'Spoon' surf craft called 'Velo' or an inflatable surf mat.

The Innermost Limits film also documents the shortening of surfboards due to Georges surfing and design influence and features the first examples of his flexible high aspect ratio surfboard fins (as seen in this clip) modeled off fish fins that revolutionised modern surfboard performance and surfing period. He went on to film for Hollywoods 'Big Wednesday', created 'Crystal Voyager' and also collaborated with Pink Floyd on 'Echoes' that was used as part of their groundbreaking live show for years.

Shannon Sol Carroll and Band of Frequencies have worked with George Greenough creating soundtracks for two short films, 'Deep Tube Riding' and Wipeout', over the last two years which then lead to this collaboration for the bands latest single 'All I've Found'. The film was cut and edited by George himself and features previously unreleased footage from his archives filmed in Australia and California in the late 60's.

Having just recently previewed the film clip down the Californian coast as part of the TransparentSea Voyage (transparentseavoyage.com) and at the North Shore Surf Film Festival in Hawaii, Band of Frequencies are stoked to be officially releasing it Worldwide for your pleasure and edification.


All I've found: Lyrics by S. S. Carroll

I'm on the road I'm on the move,
Nothing to gain, nothing to lose
If I don't go now I'll never know

Wind in my hair ease my mind
Leave my troubles way behind
If I don't go now I'll never know

All I've found
I've found through pushing on
Rise again and move beyond
And this journey never ends.

Spinning wheels, spinning tunes
Bring me life. Bring me truth
If I don't go now I'll never know

Nothing is gonna hold me back
Freedom calls me off the beaten track
If I don't go now I'll never know

All I've found
I've found through pushing on
Rise again and move beyond
For this journey never ends.

We're onward bound
Yeah we're bound to evolve
As these wheels do revolve
Will you ride with me my friend

Oh this journey never ends
Will you ride with me my friend
Who knows what's around the next bend.

Credits:
Shannon Sol Carroll - Guitar & Lead Vocal
Oj Newcomb - Bass & BV
Mark Henman - Drums & BV

Written by Shannon Sol Carroll & Band of Frequencies
Recorded, Mixed & Produced by Jeff Lovejoy @ Blackbox Recording
Co-Produced by Oj Newcomb & Sol Carroll

Film clip by George Greenough

A limited edition 'All I've Found' EP with a frame grab of Greenough on the front cover is available for a short time only at switch-foot.com

It's also available to download at:
lowpressureproductions.bandcamp.com/albu­m/all-ive-found-ep

Stay informed about Band of Freq's future movements via:
www.bandoffrequencies.com & facebook.com/bandoffrequencies