The BIO 

Landon McNamara grew up on the North Shore of Oahu and was raised in a pro-surfing environment. 

“My dad and uncle are both professional surfers, so I grew up in a surfing family,” Landon explains. “I grew up right by the beach, so I was in the ocean daily, one way or another.” 

Always encouraged to be himself, McNamara feels his freedom of expression can be heard in practically every song he writes. “My family and friends are big influences to me…I wouldn’t have had the nerve to go through with everything I’ve done without them having my back.”

Growing up listening to Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, McNamara also cites his neighbor Jack Johnson as a musical influence. “I grew up with him living a few roads down my house. I surfed with him a lot, and watching his career taught me that it’s possible to surf and do music, to do two things you love simultaneously. He’s successful at doing both simultaneously, so he’s one of my main inspirations.”

“Most of my songs have a positive message. What I’m trying to get across to people…I want people to feel good when listening to my music.”

When it comes to big wave surfing, Landon is known as one of the best of his generation. He feels as comfortable riding waves from 30 – 50 feet as playing music in his bedroom.

McNamara plans to take his music out to the people on his current California Coast Tour with/ Cisco Adler.  “Touring is the best way to get the music out and share it with the world. I want people to feel the music, and I think playing it live across the country is the natural progression.”  

Santa Cruz Vibes sat down to talk before his show tonight at the Catalyst (limited tickets are still available).

The VIBES Interview 

VIBES: Let’s jump back. It’s 2015-16, and you’re working in the studio and getting ready to drop your first album, “A Dollar Short & a Minute Late”. The album is legit and extremely well-received, and it sounds like you’ve been doing it forever. What came first for you, the lyrics or the beat? 

Landon: I started as a music fan. I have always been a music fan. I have always been a rap fan. Once I began learning other people’s songs, I realized I could play music. I love old-school rap, so I was really into the lyrics and storytelling of rap. I was trying to freestyle and was just amongst friends, partying, and all that stuff. And I was then laying that over the guitar; it used to be a lot of me alone in my room, just emotional about life. Everything was new, figuring out who I was as a man. 

Around 16 years old, I got into guitar and started making my songs. At first, it was a very personal journey, but it was very, very much just me and myself and my guitar for a couple of years. And then I started playing songs for friends, and I’d get a good reaction out of them, and then I realized that I’m like, not only do I want to do this, but it seems like other people might want me to do it too. It’s validating what I already had as a dream: to make songs that could bring change for us. That’s why I idolize guys like Bob and Jimmy; they spearheaded movements of positive change but not in a goodie-two-shoes way; they’re badass, too. That’s what inspired me. I genuinely wanted to see change for my friends and me.

VIBES: Is music therapeutic?

Landon: Yeah, for sure. I remember one of my first bio interviews for music a long time ago. They asked me, Who do I write my music for? And I said for myself, yeah, because it’s stuff I’m going through. I’m not trying to preach to other people what they need to do. It’s like me singing to myself, trying to work out what I’m going through, that everyone is interconnected in such a profound way that we don’t even realize sometimes, and by sharing what I’m going through at such a personal level, it speaks to other people on their level also. 

VIBES: So you’re processing your own emotions. But the trippy thing is that you’re just processing your feelings in front of crowds. 

Landon: Yeah, I try to stay connected with that when creating music. It’s not as much like, “Oh, what will everyone like?”  Rather than that, I’m going for what is authentic and personal.  Because of being true to yourself and genuine, you’re allowing other people to connect with you on a deeper level. So, I guess that’s the journey for me in creating.

VIBES: Do lyrics come easy to you?

Landon: Pretty easy. The words would come fairly quickly because it’s just the storytelling of my emotions. So, it was whatever I was feeling on the spot. Whatever I was feeling in that moment, that’s what would pour out. 

VIBES: So the thoughts and emotions are down. How does it flow from there? How does that become a song? 

Landon: You gotta start making it rhyme… that’s a big part [laughs].  I’m just a fan of lyrics. It’s the process of trying to figure out how to say something without saying it. Yeah, yeah. I remember I used to do this challenge amongst my friends. It’s like, give me a word, and I have to make a freestyle about the word without saying the word. So that’s to get creative with it because I love the art of poetry and being able to say something innovatively, or like I said, saying something without saying it is something I always keep in mind. 

VIBES:  Does the process and discipline you learn from big wave surfing translate to creating music ? 

Landon: They’re very interconnected. And I think they both played different parts at different times of my life, like at that time my life, I was just off the wall, gung ho freaking about surfing, charging, life and music. In a sense, ignorance was bliss for me. So at that time, I was just like, we’re going hard and all of it now, surfing and music through, just through learning, trial and error, injury, heartbreak, I still can get a bit crazy with it, but more calculated, right? Calculated and just appreciative and grateful. I think my journey has all happened for me to figure out how grateful I need to be for this life and to really, like, nurture it and  still go hard, but in the right way.

VIBES:  Let’s move into 2019 and the Still Kicking album. What was life like for you at that point?

Landon: That’s was when I got heavy into, like, my partying phase for sure. So, I was all over the place with where I was regarding my headspace at that time. 2019, I don’t know. It’s hard. In a sense, I was feeling like shit was slipping away, but not being ready to own up to why. I mean,  you asked me about those years and I don’t remember a lot. [laughs]

You know what? [pauses]  I don’t want to say that. I do remember most of it. It was a confusing time of many different emotions for me—a tough time. Life’s always been confusing, but that was when I was all the way in it. 

VIBES: Crazy. The public perception of you at the time would have been you were very much on top of the world, surfing and musically. But in reality, the other side of it, you’re struggling. 

Landon: Yeah. Very emotionally unbalanced. And here’s what I talk about these times, which weren’t long ago, right? I tend to sum it up in a negative way, but it was not. It was just a part of a journey that needed to happen. A lot of good stuff happened, but many bad things happened, too. And it was just that I felt like it was me figuring out who I was again. It’s like I found this success off the first album that I rode into, not a dark place, but I just wasn’t ready for it, I wasn’t prepared for all of it. I just didn’t know how to nurture it, how I should have [pauses] I don’t know, it’s frustrating. This is a tricky question for me, returning to 2019 and what I was going through. 

VIBES: We don’t need to get into the high weeds there. Let me just reset what I’m getting at. In my view, you’re only 27 years old, but you seem to carry the weight of what has to feel like a lifetime of experiences because of some unique circumstances and early success.  We don’t need to linger in that time and beat you down. In these conversations, we tend to diminish those hard times and low points in life.  The reality is maybe those hard times make us who we are. 

Landon: Yeah. That is 100%  what I’m trying to say. And I just couldn’t find the words. Looking at that time, it was just another chapter. It’s me trying to figure out who I am and what I want from this life.

VIBES: Music history tells us that time in your life probably generated some of your best music and lyrics, right? That torture kind of tends to polish some gems. Did you get some good work out of that time?

Landon: Yeah. I look at it as one of those hallucinogenic trips where it’s like, you come out of it, and you don’t know exactly what it all means. And then you might realize a few years later, like, oh, okay, that’s what that meant. That’s why that happened. And coming into this phase of my life, I’m all about flipping negatives into positives and finding how Bob puts it; Everything has its purpose, which is to see its meaning. Everything has its purpose, and the meaning of all of it is still coming to me daily. And I’m grateful for my whole life journey because it’s led me to a place where, right now, I feel like I’m in a better place than ever to do what, deep down, I’ve wanted to do this whole time, which was make music, play it for as many people around the world as possible, and hopefully make a positive change of some sort along the way.

VIBES: Let’s move on to current times. You’re a father, a partner, dropped a collaborative album with DENM and you are fighting back from a significant injury. How’s life in 2024 Landon ? 

Landon: Big question. [sighs] A lot of time in between. There’s something I haven’t spoken about much in public, but leading up to 2019 to maybe 2022, I was dealing with some pretty heavy vocal issues, so I wasn’t doing much at all;  shows, recording anything. I was in really dark place, like, very, very, very bad place, and my head and my emotions and my endeavors. It’s actually hard to talk about. 

VIBES: Let’s try and linger there quickly for me before we move on if that’s ok. This was like out of the blue? You woke up in the morning, and you’re like, What the fuck is going on?  I lost my voice?

Landon: Literally, yeah. That’s it.  I woke up one morning. I tried to say hi to my friend, but something happened. He’s like, what’s wrong with your voice? What’s going on? And I thought I had just lost it or something. Yeah, it carried on for a few months. It wasn’t that I just lost it…I don’t want to get into the details too much, but basically, it was just this funky condition that took me a long time to figure out how to heal. It was just unclear if it was healable or if it wasn’t. It took me a few years of really struggling with trying to figure out what I need to do to fix this; what medication, what doctors, where do I have to go? I traveled around the world, from California to Australia, trying to figure out how to fix this. And it was something I kept on the down low because I didn’t want it to affect [pauses]. I felt like I had already made myself a bit of a liability career-wise through things I had done in the past. So I didn’t want to let people know what was happening because I didn’t want it to be like, oh, yeah, he’s a sketchy guy to book, right? So I kept it super low-key, but it was taking a toll on me, my personal life, career, and everything else. So, coming to the point and connecting with Mac Montgomery and my management, Christian, with Silverback, I was finally in a place where I learned how to cope.

I found enough to get back to start doing recordings and whatnot. And I knew that DENM was great at producing and also a great artist. So, I figured out how to get him out to Oahu. And I’m grateful it happened because he came out. Right off the bat, the first day together in the studio we came up with ‘Wild Trip,’ which re-revitalized my career. I’m grateful for DENM because he did what I couldn’t do. He was touring our music hard, getting the song out to the world, and I was still on the back end dealing with my struggles. So, yeah, I went through a few years of not knowing if I could do this anymore. That trip with DENM out here changed me.

VIBES: How so? 

Landon: We got that song out, and it gave me hope again. You know what I mean? Career-wise, performance-wise, everything. I was like, okay, I can still do this. That process gave me the confidence to keep pushing and figuring out how to make this work. Today, I have about an album worth of songs that I have  recorded and I’ve been working with some friends in Malibu; Cisco Adler, and my friend Braxton. We will release the first song of that project in a few weeks. I’m going on the first tour that I’ve been on in over two years. It is the first show I’ve done in over a year because I had the back surgery and all kinds of stuff was happening. I got hit hard all at once; the medical stuff, personal stuff, all of it. Ws just a point where I had these substantial pivotal points regarding confidence and uncertainty. Are people even going to show up at these shows? Is the new song going to do good? Are people stoked on me anymore? 

VIBES: I think you’re gonna be surprised Landon, people are stoked you are back out there again. You excited to bring it this week to the Catalyst? 

Landon: I am. I love Santa Cruz, so I’m stoked to be coming out there to play. But yeah, it seems like a proving moment in my life, even though it’s just like a song and a little tour. It’s a lot more than that. You know I mean?  Everything that I’ve overcome over the last years, it’s all coming to a point where I can see it.. [pauses]  it’s not that I see the light at the other end, I feel like I’m in the light and ready for it all. But, you know, as an artist I am still in the emotional battle of it all. I’ve never been in a better place to do this. So I’m just fucking stoked to do it. 

VIBES: Let’s dig a bit into the rest, as much as you do or don’t want to talk about it,  but it sounds like you found some touchstones lately. It seems like you found a little balance. You’re feeling healthier and have a committed partner, and it all seems to correspond. I know fatherhood can do things to you and give you a different perspective. But is there anything in that complete reconciliation from 2016 through today that holds significant value to you? 

Landon: Yeah. I mean, I just realized at one low point that “if this is what it is,’ then clearly this ‘isn’t fucking it for me.”  I just found myself, I mean [pauses]… my Santa Cruz people, you guys are raw, like North Shore, so I’m down to be open with you guys right now.  I just went through years, to be honest, of just freaking torturing myself, and then I found myself in a jail cell, in complete psychosis. Just in my own personal hell… [ pauses ] I was in that cell and was like, “You know what? This isn’t what my life’s supposed to be. Fuck this.” I just got over it right there. I would love to give it up to being a father or because of all the love I have in my life, support, and career. But to me, it was just like, I’m fucking done. I’m over this shit. This is not what I’m trying to do with my life.

VIBES: I’m feeling you. Simply having a kid and that responsibility will not get you straight. But he’s here, and I’m sure he’s now a touchstone. Tell us about him. 

Landon: His name is Chaz. He just turned five years old and is the biggest blessing in my life overall. He’s part of the balance I’m trying to find now. It’s like, “Okay, how do I do both at the highest level: my career and family?” He’s my son, so at the end of the day, I just want to find that balance. I know people do it (touring) but it’s the life if you’re making music. I know I missed out on doing a lot of touring supporting the music while I was going through what I went through. I’ve got a lot of touring I want to do now and I realize that will consist of being away. So, while I’m here, I must make the most of my time, especially with my son and family.  

VIBES:  I think the answer, and the one that I land on a lot of time, is complicated as fuck to do, but the word is present. It’s easy to talk about being present, like in this interview; right now, this minute, I’m already thinking about other shit. I’m thinking about the next question. I want to be present with you, but I’m struggling. It’s hard to be present without letting regret about the past and worry cloud the future. We overthink it a bit. 

Landon: On man [ laughs ], I’ve been tripping on this lately. I can’t believe we are talking about it. This whole idea of being in the moment, it’s like, okay, yes, we want to be in the moment, but I need to figure out how to be in the moment while still keeping my lessons from the past instilled in me without letting it ruin me and like, make me over. How do I live with the lessons of the past without letting them negatively overtake me while living in the moment and working towards a better future?

VIBES: You know, there is a Buddhist saying; “Don’t get caught in the past because the past is gone. Don’t get upset about the future because the future is not yet here. There is only one moment for you to be: the present.” So now this has become a Landon McNamara TED Talk… what are you doing daily to be present? 

Landon: So, daily, you know, I realized there’s not much of those extreme peak highs I’m going to have, right as when I was doing the things I was doing, but there’s not as many of those extreme lows either. It’s more like daily, what I’m doing, I’m getting back to music and that love, because that’s huge for me, just being able to be therapeutically playing music, yeah, that’s one of my big therapies, right there. Another one is I stay active. I stay active, whether working out, getting in the ocean, riding a bike, or returning to nature. I’m a nature kid, but I still love that adrenaline and stuff. The difference is that I can have delayed gratification now, which is a perfect thing. I can see what I’m working for right now with.  I will still get those adrenaline feelings when I jump on stage playing music for people, I get that feeling, it is like surfing big waves.  So instead of just searching for that cheap, unsustainable high, I’m steadily doing the work every day, just working for it.  I’m just going to keep moving forward and being positive or I start feeling like inferior, inadequate, or just bummed out on myself. So daily, I’m doing the vocal work, doing guitar work, trying to get better at recording. I’m doing physical work, working on something on my mind, trying to be a better father. Feel like as long as I’m doing something to progress and know that there is something I’m working towards that helps me out a lot. 

VIBES: I’m getting the sense that you are locked in. 

Landon: Yeah, It is purpose. The purpose is enormous. When you have purpose and find your purpose, you’re like, you’ve got something to live for. You know what I mean? Having a clear, clear purpose helps me out a lot. And right now, I keep it simple. It’s like career, which is music and surfing, yep, and family, yeah, that’s like, so everything that ties into that. Just trying to keep it simple.

VIBES: Let’s jump in the water quickly. Are you back injury-wise? Are you healthy? 

Landon: So, yeah, I’m healthy. Just yesterday, I made huge ground in my recovery. It’s still a work in progress, but I can do whatever I want in the ocean this winter. My back’s not going to hold me back on that. I’m doing training, physical therapy, and all that stuff daily. And the surgery was a success. So I’m grateful for that because over the last five years there has just been so much uncertainty and I was just trying to pull it off in my head with false confidence. Right now I got objective evidence to back up the fact that shit going to be good, and I’m ready for it.

VIBES: Is being in the water enough for you? Has the injury changed your perspective on how much you want to risk competitively going forward?

Landon: Crazy you asked that.

I was thinking about that exact question today while in the water. Because…[pauses] it’s like, big wave surfing is a selfish pursuit. It’s not like something I’m making much money on or whatnot. It’s more for me, but even with that said, I don’t see myself not doing it. If it’s big, I will want to go. I don’t know; it’s fair to say that there’s something inside that drives me to it. 

VIBES: You can say it’s in your blood?

Landon: I think it is, yeah [ laughs]  

VIBES: So is the big wave draw it a family blessing or curse? It’s one of those two, right? I mean your uncle Garrett has a show on HBO (100 Foot Wave) about the pursuit. 

Landon: It’s funny because this all goes way back. The family name McNamara means ‘Son of the Seahound,’ so it’s like there is something deeper instilled inside of us, you know what I mean [laughs] 

VIBES: I think we’ve got it, Landon. I’m excited to see you this week at the Catalyst. Is there anything else you want to get in? 

Landon: Yeah, this conversation has me thinking, and I have one more little nugget. All these things in my life are going on: career, music, surfing, family, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc. I think it’s not as much about finding balance. Because what happens when something is perfectly balanced? It’s nothing. It makes me think of a scale. Nothing’s happening when it’s completely balanced. For me, this journey is more about finding harmony in all this. So I think that’s my path and purpose. I’m focusing on what I cherish and love and discovering how they can harmonize. If I find that, it will be reflected in my life and music.

VIBES: Thanks, Landon, this was amazing. The show will be sold out. 

Landon: I appreciate the time, love, support, and Aloha. I can’t wait to see you all in Santa Cruz at the Catalyst.