Sunset Sons Announce British Tour: Band’s Drummer Explains Setting Up Surf Coaching Biz In San Clemente

Sunset Sons have made a name for themselves gigging in top surf spots across Europe, including prestigious surf events such as the Quik Pro in Hossegor, Boardmasters in Newquay and working with companies including Vans, Euroglass, WSL, O’Neill, Brixton, Stance, Dakine and more.

Surfers themselves, the band were formerly based in Hossegor, SW France but since drummer Jed moved to the US, they’ve been making music à la Postal Service. With the announcement of their upcoming UK tour, we spoke with Jed about his business, Debut Surf School he set up in San Clemente, California and the close relationship he’s formed with Album Surfboards.

Photo: Mike Palmer

Tell us about Debut.
So I’ll try make this the short version. But everyone knows if you start a story with that you better put the kettle on..
Me and my wife found out we were expecting a baby in early 2020 and came over to Cali to visit her Mam and share the good news. We had a layover in London on our way here as we were living in Hossegor at the time. And when we woke up that morning to fly here Trump was on the news saying he was gonna close the borders. We had a pretty stressful trip here. Lauren was super bad with morning sickness and I was anxious I’d get turned away. Anyway turns out we got in just before they shut up shop and that was us kinda stuck here. We holed up and had the baby and I started the whole green card process. We were going to have Lilah in France but knew that the universe decided we should be here.
The next thing was deciding what to do next. There definitely wasn’t going to be any tours with the band for a while. I only came over with a backpack and 2 boards thinking we’d be here a month. 18 months and a pandemic later and I got talking to a new mate of mine Mike from Album Surfboards. He basically said if I wanted to set something up they’d back me with boards and that was enough to light the fire. I then got in touch with San Clemente city and initially they said no, but I came back with a business plan and showed them I had local backing and they wrote me a permit for T Street in San Clemente. Couldn’t believe my luck really. An OC surf school permit is a rare find!

Tell us about your roots…
I’ve been teaching 20 years all over the place. Started in Tynemouth then the Canaries, Portugal and then France (Hossegor is where I met the lads and formed the band). It’s always been something I’ve enjoyed doing on the side but the opportunity to have my own surf business here in the OC was just a little pipe dream until it wasn’t. I’ve set it up as a super low key mainly 1 on 1 surf coaching operation. I don’t do groups larger than 3. And all sessions are private. I swim with all the clients as I find this helps massively.
All my clients book their sessions through the San Clemente City Recreation website which works really well as the City has marketing covered for the locals. So between them and holiday makers that find me on Google I’ve been pretty busy for my first year.

Debut Surf School

Tell us about your relationship with Album.
The guys at Album are super cool. I was actually going to just work in their store initially but then got talking to Mike and he convinced me to try the surf school idea. They have given me a great range of soft tops that go super well for the clients. I have a few different sizes depending on abilities etc.
Their ‘regular’ boards are like works of art. They make sick Asyms and Twin fins that go so well in real waves. I haven’t really seen anything else like them before. And the boys that work there are top lads and we surf together a bunch and shoot photos. They’re whole vibe is cool AF.

How have you been received as a non-local starting up a surf school?
To be honest this was the only issue that concerned me. I know how I would have felt if an American had come and opened up a surf school in Tynemouth back in the day.
But because I’m backed by the City council and their Recreation Website is an integral part of their community (locals use it for everything from yoga classes to language courses and water colour painting etc) they know that I’m legit. Also, there’s no one else really doing what Debut is offering. Here the kids if they’ve never surfed before usually go to summer surf camps but that’s only for 2 months during school holidays. The kids normally surf for 1 week and that’s it. Or you have the super talented groms who have a coach doing mainly video analysis from the cobbles at Lowers, but that’s a really small market and usually catered for by dads or ex pros and people deep in the San Clemente surf scene.

I wanted to offer something in-between. I’ve built up a great client base and 80% of my business is repeat clients. I have a bunch of kids really starting to progress with their surfing and everyone is super stoked on it.

I’m also planning on offering a summer camp some time in the future as an extension of my school. Something fun for the little groms with surfing and body surfing etc. Then if they get hooked they can come take 1 on 1 sessions through the rest of the year and practice themselves in between. That’s the beauty of Southern California. There’s always waves!

Album Surfboards

Speaking of Albums, how are things with Sunset Sons?
We’ve just finished our 3rd album which we recorded in lockdown in 3 different countries. Me here and the lads in France and our manager/producer Steve back in London. It was a pretty mental process and there were a lot of WhatsApp debates/tantrums, and sending of ideas back and forward but we got there in the end. It’s sounding pretty mint and we’re touring in April – so exciting stuff on the horizon.

How’s the SW France surf industry differ from the Southern Cali surf industry?
I loved my time living in Hossegor. I was there 10 years and all my besties are still there but I never really got in to the surf culture there. Sure the waves are sick but man the locals are hell. It’s the language barrier I guess and English speaking tourists are never looked upon favourably in the water there. I’d try my best with my French and I can do ok but I’m far from fluent.
Here is just so much cooler. There’s a lot of different surf craft being ridden everywhere you go and sure there are some localised spots like anywhere, but it seems a little more sensible and orderly here. Most of the time anyway. And to be honest I feel like that spills into the surf industry. There’s just a quiet cool about the California surf industry like they know what they’re doing so have nothing to prove. I never felt that in Hossegor. It always seemed a little try hard. We made an album downstairs in a certain surf brand HQ (that shall remain nameless) and the people we worked with in the studio were so lovely but the staff working upstairs never even cracked a smile when we would pass by. We were there 2 months! Like what’s that all about man? Surfing and the culture associated with surfing is meant to be about fun and sharing.

I feel the vibe here is so much more inclusive as long as everyone behaves kindly and most of the time that’s been my experience.

But then what do I know?  I’m just a Geordie surf instructor.

Sunset Sons 2022 Tour