Moonshiner: Jordi Davieson.
Fellow Moonshiner and lead crooner of the Fremantle born indie band San Cisco. Raised among the idyllic surf breaks of Gracetown, Jordi's passions weave a unique alchemy. His deep connection to the West Australian coast and its vibrant community, combined with his intimate knowledge of music, infuse his wave-riding with a unique and melodic elegance.
Our Sheriff shaper Jack Medland tailored Jordi a custom 5’10” Demon. Akin to Australia’s favourite Allens Banana, this Demon delivers a hit that leaves the senses tingling. Its sharp pintail design offers exceptional pivot, enabling Jordi to glide through turns effortlessly. With its exaggerated double concave bottom, this board becomes a powerhouse in the waves, excelling both as a groveller and an all-around performance twin, seamlessly adapting to diverse surf conditions.
We journey to Boranup Beach with Jordi, sharing waves, snacks, and stories about the realms of music, surfing, and the art of the Demon shape.
You spent a lot of time in Gracetown growing up. Can you share some stories from those early days? How did this influence your passion for both music and surfing?
I spent so much of my childhood in the bay. There's some confusion about where I actually grew up. My family lived in North Freo but every Friday, after school, we'd head south. I wasn't allowed to participate in weekend sports, as it would disrupt the family routine. In the early years, we'd stay in our family friend's caravan on their property in the bay, then In the early 2000s, we purchased a bush block just outside the bay, which my parents still passionately work on to this day.
Every school holiday (apart from the July holidays when we headed to Red Bluff) allowed me to spend a lot of time in the water with remarkably talented kids. I learned to surf on Laura Macaulay's hand-me-down boards and spent most my time surfing Huzzas, Karates, and Ulus. I can't exactly pinpoint how this influenced my music, I think I’ve always felt like a surfer more than a musician (which kinda feels strange saying that now) but aside from water-based activities, playing the guitar was one of the few activities on offer at the shed, either that or Mario Cart on Nintendo 64.
Who are your musical inspirations, and how have they shaped your style and sound as a songwriter?
In my younger years, I listened to Kings of Leon, The Gorillaz, Jack Johnson, David Bowie and Angus Stone. I really studied their music and attempted to emulate them best I could during my busking days. As I grew older, i refined my sounds by just taking the bits from each artist that felt the best until it became my own sound. Later, when San Cisco came into existence, we drew inspiration from bands such as Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, The Temper Trap, and The Strokes.
I think my love of surfing influences my approach to music. When there were no waves, options for activities became limited, so I'd spend my afternoons watching the same 5 surf movies, the ones you used to get for free from a tracks mag. I wasn't just watching the surfers; I not only studied the surfers but also the way the surfing was edited to the music. There was something magical about a well-put-together section where the surfing and the music complemented each other. This helped me understand timing and the power of music. At around 14, I began making surf videos of myself and my friends. This not only improved my surfing but also deepened my perspective on music. I started noticing the moments where music could create something special. My obsession with the film making also taught me how to sit in front of a computer for hours which was something I have never been good at and really came in handy when i started recording my music, I found both software to be kinda similar in their logic.
Tell us about your newest addition to the quiver. What about the Moonshine Demon most excites you?
Well, the thing looks absolutely beautiful! After our session at Boranup, I started to get a feel for it, but I'm pretty excited to explore it further. I was blown away by how much drive and speed you can generate when doing drawn-out turns, but when you put it in the pocket, the thing comes alive and gets wonderfully loose. The minimal rocker makes it fast, so much so you have to burn speed sometimes. That bit of extra foam makes getting into waves easy as well. I pretty much only surf high-performance short boards, but I'm really not high performance, so I thought it was time to try something different. I'm kind of hoping this board will be a good all-rounder.
From Gracetown to Boranup, we listen to "Demon Days" by The Gorillaz from start to finish. It felt like the perfect soundtrack for the journey and not only because we were all surfing our Moonshine Demons ;)
If you could describe Moonshine surfboards in three words, what would they be?
Beautiful, Classic, Craftsmanship.
You can listen to San Cisco’s latest release “High” here and presave their new album "Under the Light".
Ride on.