“In the woods I will find what I seek.” That’s the first thing I heard from Small Sur, and it was love at first impression. This band is low-key, sincere, outdoor rock. Too many bands romanticize Big Sur, but the name Small Sur is perfectly humble. Small Sur’s music sounds great, says great things, and takes you to great places as you listen.

This guy has the thickest beard I’ve seen in a long time.

Small Sur has currently released two albums, both of which can be found on BandCamp. “The Woods” is the most initially memorable from Tones, their second album. It contains the description and feeling of finding answers which drew me in initially. Tones was released in June 2011.

I am a sucker for concept songs, and Small Sur’s song “Three Haiku” is so, so satisfying. It is, as you would expect, three haiku. They are beautiful, they fit into the song perfectly, and I am genuinely impressed and delighted. I’ll probably go personally tell several people about it in person.

Bare Black, their 2010 release, contains three songs as it is listed on BandCamp. They are solid, but I do believe that Small Sur made significant progress and refinements for Tones. All of this is worth a serious listen. They released this on hand-printed packaging for a while, but it appears to be sold out.

Small Sur appears to do some occasional touring in the northeast, and if you have the chance, you should absolutely go see them.