Fun Fun Fun Fest Artist Spotlight: The Growlers
Written by Waylon ODay on October 17, 2015
The self-professed “Beach Goth” rockers from Southern California are bringing their unique sound and stage show to Auditorium Shores in Austin, November 6th-8th at Fun Fun Fun Fest. “Beach Goth” is a fusion of Sixties psychedelic, SoCal surf, and garage rock. Personally, I categorize them somewhere between “gypsy tunes” and “Bob Dylan on LSD” due to Brooks Nielsen’s nostalgic vocals and often folky instrumentation. The Growlers utilize numerous effects, both vocal and instrumental, namely reverb. The band also fancies ladies dresses, heavy stage makeup, and props as part of their one of a kind performance.
The Everlonging Recording artists released their debut LP Are You In or Out? in 2009. Behind the success of the album, the band began promoting their own festival in their home state of California, Beach Goth Party. Beginning in 2012 at The Observatory in Santa Ana the two-day festival featured like minded bands (including fellow Fun Fun Fun Fest artists Together Pangea) costume contests, and has in past years seen the likes of Wu Tang legend GZA, fellow Californians Foxygen, and Vacationer perform. This year Beach Goth 4 will see Parliament Funk, Riff Raff, Sir-Mix-A-Lot, and fellow FFFFesters Badbadnotgood. In 2013, The Growlers sophomore LP Hung at Heart (which is currently spinning on my record player) was met with positive reviews, cementing their sound as a legitimate one. The Growlers recently played Burgerama III, the annual festival put on by California Indie label Burger Records, and then in the same year dropped their long awaited third full length release, Chinese Fountain.
I personally have had the privilege of seeing The Growlers live at the Burgerama Caravan of Stars at Fitzgerald’s, and man, do these guys have some energy. Donning ladies sunhats, lipstick, and boots these guys always put on a good show. I recall lead singer Nielsen grabbing a bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila from an audience member, completely up turning the bottle for a good fifteen seconds, and continuing to jump around like a maniac long after the bottle had receded back into the crowd. Needless to say, these guys are a treat to watch, and you would be doing yourself a huge disservice if you missed a chance to see them live.
Below are some links to my favorite Growlers album as well as a link to Fun Fun Fun Fest’s site so you can snag your passes. Thanks so much for reading, please feel free to leave some feedback! Keep checking the site for new and exciting news about everything music.
