Dylan Oldham - Lead Guitar

Recent transplant from NYC who has been playing and teaching music for nearly two decades. Loves all things rock and jazz, but mellow surf music has been an influence on him since he was young and growing up in the heart of surf music country, Southern California  

Gene torres - bass

curt pleiss - drums and recording engineer

After relocating to Tucson from New Mexico Gene has been involved in many musical projects playing a wide variety of music from Blues, Rock ,Soul, Variety, Cumbia and also tribute acts. He is now excited to add Surf into his repertoire.

Recent transplant from Denver with a wealth of experience in many different genres. He’s previously only dabbled in surf music, but is diving in head first on this project. Curt also has a small recording studio called Ocotillo Audio where he does drum tracking and mixing for remote clients, and where Desert Undertones does all its recording.  

Desert Undertones are an instrumental surf rock band based in Tucson, Arizona. They have garnered a following for their unique blend of classic 60’s surf rock influences, reminiscent of Dick Dale and The Ventures, with elements of more modern groups such as Jon & the Nightriders, Insect Surfers, Slacktone, and Los Straitjackets. Drawing additional inspiration from the iconic spaghetti western soundtracks of Ennio Morricone. The band has played some notable shows including: Surfin’ Sunday at Huntington Beach Pier, Surf-By-Surf-East in Austin, two Spaghetti Western Festivals in Los Angeles, and Surfapalooza in Tucson. And they’ve been honored to share the stage with some high profile surf bands such as Insect Surfers, Surfer Joe, and The Tourmaliners. Their debut EP, titled “Paniolo,” was released in December 2023, followed by several singles throughout 2024 In December 2024, they released their first full-length album, “The Sentinel.” The most recent album, “En Regalia,” was released in November 2025.