.:Meet The Samurai:.

  The Secret Samurai was formed by Ryan Ruiz & Steve Van Wyk in the Spring of 2005 after the veteran instro-surf quartet, Surf Report, ended its 12 year reign. The initial incarnation of the band was as a four-piece, including Craig Yarnold (Buck 'O Nine) on saxaphone and ex-Surf Report drummer, Eric Lustig, on drums. The current lineup has been refocused towards a guitar-heavy, no frills trio consisting of Ryan Ruiz on lead guitar, Steve Van Wyk on bass, and Chris Russo on skins. They straddle the line between traditional and no-wave progressive instro-surf and incorporate a wide array of musical influences from The Astronauts to Morricone to Middle-Eastern and Asian cinema.

 

 

Ryan Ruiz

Ryan has been playing the guitar for about 25 years and has been heavily influenced by a plethora of musicians from various genres including surf, rock, metal, blues, jazz, country, asian, middle-eastern, classical, etc. His main surf-related influences include Laika & The Cosmonauts, Jim Messina, Dick Dale, The Astronauts, The Atlantics, Phantom Frank (The Treble Spankers/Phantom 4), Frankie Blandino (The Fathoms), and Ivan Pongracic (The Madeira/Space Cossacks).

His first fouray into the surf genre was as an original member of the veteran surf revivalists, Surf Report, in the summer of '93. He spent the next 12 years with the twin-lead band and contributed a good portion of the songwriting to their four classic albums. His obsession with the surf genre continued to grow however. As a result, he helped form The Secret Samurai to expand his interpretation of the genre.

Gear:
American Vintage Reissue '62 Fender Jazzmaster
American Vintage Reissue '62 Fender Stratocaster
1967 Dual Showman Amp
Mid-sixties 2x12 Bandmaster Cabinet with Weber 12F150T Ceramic Speakers
Early 90s Fender '63 Reissue Reverb Tank

Steve-O

Steve took up the bass at the ripe age of 18. He learned to play on a Peavey Patriot with a small amp in his college dorm room (to the dismay of the other students). He was, and still is an avid show-goer. He met up with Ryan in 1993 and was also an original member of Surf Report.

Highlights of his career include: opening for Link Wray, Dick Dale, Jackie and the Cedrics, D.I., Tanner, the 5,6,7,8's...having the following musicians sit-in with band: Paul Johnson, Mike Palm, and Dusty Watson.He enjoys all sorts of music: his current favorites being Belle & Sebastian, High On Fire, the Secret Chiefs 3, and MONO. He enjoys a good Scotch, Russian Literature, and bullseye-ing womprats in his T-16 back home (they're no bigger than 2 meters.)

Gear:
All Parts Precision Bass
Gallien-Krueger 800RB Amp
Ampeg 4x10" Cabinet