Monica Topping
Radio Radio Radio

Sacramento isn’t exactly known for its (non-political) waves, so how does a surf band form where there is no surf?

“Actually, that’s one of the misconceptions about us,” says Robbie Allen, lead guitarist for The Outer Edge. “We do play some surf rock, but we’re actually just more-or-less instrumental. Especially when it comes to our albums and our own original music, we kind of branch out into a lot of different territory.”

The members of the Outer Edge live as far away as Petaluma (bass player Geoffrey Clegg) and Placerville (drummer Gary Christensen), but Allen and keyboardist William Charles are from Sac, so that’s where the band has laid its foundation.

Allen was playing in a few different bands and working on a solo instrumental record—on which he recorded all of the instruments but the drums—when he got a call from Christensen, who was trying to start a surf band and was looking to put together a group that could open for an Elvis Presley impersonator. The money was good, so they took the job.

“He actually asked us if we could open the show with whatever we wanted to do — maybe some ‘50s and ‘60s guitar instrumentals and surf and things like that,” says Allen, “so we picked a bunch of songs by the Ventures and…we played those, and afterward, we decided, ‘Hey, the crowd was actually cheering for our instrumentals more than they were the Elvis impersonator,’ so we decided we might be onto something.”

The Outer Edge formed in May of 2008, about a month before Allen’s solo album, “Artifical Horizon,” was released.

Allen explains that most surf bands try to stick with the 1960s sounds and styles, but “we don’t,” he says. “We really like to push it a little harder and use more modern tones and effects, and I like to use modern playing techniques in my style. I just like to try to make this music a little more contemporary.”

“We kind of get psychedelic,” he adds, and that might just be where the Outer Edge came from.

For the band’s recordings — like their album “Lost in the Sweep,” which was released in September of last year — they’ve stuck with the instrumental “genre” of music, but Allen says the live show is a little bit different. Christensen — a fan of classic rock — sings most of the band’s songs, though Allen — who likes Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and the Grateful Dead — pitches in on a few, throughout the set.

“We like to rock out and try to put on a good show,” says Allen. “We try to just have fun (and ) we try to make sure the audience has fun, too.”

He says they try to keep their shows family-oriented, but “we do get crazy with the guitar and things like that.”

The Outer Edge has recently been noodling around in the studio, taking a lot of ‘60s surf and instrumental songs and “kind of bringing them up to date a little bit, playing them more our style, using modern recording techniques,” says Allen. He hopes that album will be out some time this summer.

“Then after that, we’re going to be working on a new original album,” he says. “We’ve been writing some new songs … and we’re hoping to have that out by probably this winter or maybe by January.”

Robbie Allen and the Outer Edge is playing at the Arcata Theatre Lounge on Saturday, March 13, as part of Humboldt Surfrider’s membership drive. The event starts at 7 p.m. with a screening of the 1978 surf film “Big Wednesday,” and the band will start around 9 p.m.

Admission is $6, or free with a new or renewing $25 Humboldt Surfrider membership, and the event is open to all-ages.