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The Growlers

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This article is about the U.S. band. For other uses, see growler (disambiguation).

The Growlers
The Growlers playing at Beach Goth 2018
The Growlers playing at Beach Goth 2018
Background information
OriginDana Point, California, U.S.
GenresSurf rock, psychedelic rock, garage rock
Years active2006–present
Labels
MembersBrooks Nielsen
Kyle Straka
Brad Bowers
Richard Gowen
Past membersBrian Stewart
Warren Thomas
Patrick Palomo
Clark Davison
Miles Patterson
Zachary Aguirre
Scott Montoya
Anthony Braun Perry
Jason Kaiser
Adam Walcott Smith
Matt Taylor
Websitethegrowlers.com

The Growlers is an American band from southern California. They began their career in the Orange County city of Dana Point, California in 2006. They are currently based in Costa Mesa.[1] The band is currently composed of singer Brooks Nielsen and keyboard player/guitarist Kyle Straka.[2] They have released seven albums, several EPs and a number of singles. The band's sound has been described as "a trademark style of music that somehow combines surf, pop, rock and beat" which has been labeled "Beach Goth".[3]

History

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Singer Brooks Nielsen and music director/guitarist Matt Taylor met in middle school in the beach town of Dana Point, California, bonding over surfing, skating, and partying.[4] When offered the chance to perform at a house party, the duo quickly wrote their first six songs in a single day, leading to the first incarnation of the band that would eventually become The Growlers.[5]

After releasing a handful of self-recorded cassettes and CDs, The Growlers issued their first studio album, Are You in or Out? in 2009 on Everloving Records. Aquarium Drunkard described it as “consistent in sound and tone that is as enjoyable straight through or on shuffle… Taken as a whole, the record is a beautiful mix of late 60’s freak-out, folk calmness and surf rock.” [6] Their second album, Hot Tropics, was released in 2010, also on Everloving Records.[7][8] The band's third album, Hung at Heart, the first to feature Anthony Braun Perry on bass and Jason Kaiser on percussion, was released in 2013.[9] The band originally worked with Dan Auerbach to record the album, but the finished version never saw official release. Instead the band recorded a new version of the album in Costa Mesa, CA with Mike McHugh at his Distillery Recording Studio, to get a more lo-fi sound.

Chinese Fountain, their new "more grown up, well polished" album was released September 23, 2014.[10] This album was produced by JP Plunier at Seahorse Studios in Los Angeles, CA. While touring the album, the band expanded their live band with percussionist Nick Murray.[11][12]

The band's fifth studio album, City Club was released by Cult Records on September 30, 2016,[13] while they embarked on a supporting tour in the same month.[14] It was the first Growlers album to be credited solely to Brooks Nielsen and Matt Taylor, as opposed to the whole band.[15] Nielsen and Taylor wrote and recorded demos for the album over a span of two to three months with the help of Kyle Mullarky at his studio in Topanga Canyon, CA. It was preceded by the title track as a single produced by Julian Casablancas,[16] who also owns the label.[17] Neither drummer Scott Montoya nor bass player Anthony Perry feature on the album.[18] On September 25, the band confirmed Montoya's departure from the band and stated that Perry was set to return in the near future.[19] The band toured for this album with Brad Bowers on bass, Adam Wolcott Smith on keyboard, and Richard Gowen on drums.[20][21] Whether their membership in the band is permanent is currently unclear.

The band released Casual Acquaintances on July 27, 2018, a collection of demos and unused material from the City Club sessions.

The Growlers have toured with artists such as The Black Keys, Devendra Banhart, Julian Casablancas, Night Beats, and Jonathan Richman.[22][23] They have also appeared at numerous festivals including Coachella, Bonnaroo, Primavera Sound, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Sasquatch!, Wakarusa, Treasure Island, Fun Fun Fun, Bestival, Way Out West, End of The Road, Burgerama III, Rock in Rio[24][25] and Outside Lands.[26]

Beach Goth

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The band has organized their annual Beach Goth festival since 2012. The event typically features performances by bands representing a variety of genres, including pop, rap, hip hop, heavy metal, and rock. Over the years, the event has included costume contests, amusement park rides, and live performances of Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Growlers have headlined both Saturday and Sunday night of the annual Beach Goth festival since its inception.

The likes of Die Antwoord, Grimes, Gucci Mane, Julian Casablancas, Mac DeMarco, The Drums, Foxygen, White Arrows and Ghost B.C. have appeared at the festival.

Beach Goth 4 (October 2015) was hosted by Pauly Shore and featured live performances of Rocky Horror Picture Show throughout the weekend as well as a performance of The Doors song "People Are Strange" by The Growlers and Julian Casablancas.

The 2016 edition of Beach Goth took place at The Observatory in Santa Ana, CA on October 23–24, 2016.[27] It was originally scheduled to take place at the Oak Canyon Park but was moved last minute due to unexplained circumstances. The festival's lineup included Bon Iver, TLC, James Blake, 2 Live Crew, Violent Femmes, Future Islands, Reel Big Fish, The Faint, the Pharcyde, Leftöver Crack, and DJ Quik.[28] While it was hailed a success, the outdoor festival suffered from rain and resultant street flooding.[29] This caused the Growlers to delay their own set due to equipment damage.[27] In the aftermath, the band issued an apology.[27]

Due to an ongoing lawsuit with Noise Group (owners of The Observatory venue) over the Beach Goth trademark,[30] 2017's festival took on the name "The Growlers Six", which took place on October 28 & 29 at the LA Waterfront. The festival included artists such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, and the Butthole Surfers.[31]

The Growlers returned to their trademarked "Beach Goth" brand name for the 7th annual festival, taking place at the Los Angeles Historic State Park on August 5, 2018. Beach Goth 7 hosted performances by The Growlers, Jonathan Richman, The Voidz, The Drums, La Luz, and GWAR.[32]

Allegations of sexual misconduct

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In July 2020, allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against the band, along with other artists associated with Burger Records and the Southern California surf and garage rock music scene. Arrow De Wilde, the lead singer of the L.A. rock band Starcrawler, shared a personal encounter on her Instagram page.[33] In her post, Arrow claims she was assaulted by a male stripper hired by The Growlers while they were on tour together in Australia. In a statement issued via Instagram on July 31, 2020, Growlers singer Brooks Nielsen took "full responsibility and accountability for the behavior of all Growlers' band members, past and present," and announced that Matt Taylor would temporarily leave the band.[34] Additionally, former Growlers touring keyboardist Adam Wolcott Smith admitted to an incident of abuse on his Instagram, while on tour with his band Zen Mother.[35]

Brooks Nielsen solo career

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Nielsen with a new band touring his solo album in 2023

In 2022, Brooks Nielsen released a solo album, titled One Match Left, which he toured into the next year.[36]

Discography

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Main article: The Growlers discography

Studio albums

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  • Are You In or Out? (2009), Everloving Records
  • Hot Tropics (2010), Everloving Records
  • Hung at Heart (2013), Everloving Records (US), FatCat Records (UK & Europe), Smack Face Records (Australia & New Zealand)
  • Chinese Fountain (2014), Everloving Records (US), FatCat Records (UK & Europe), Smack Face Records (Australia & New Zealand)
  • City Club (2016), Cult Records (US/EU)
  • Natural Affair (2019), Beach Goth Records & Tapes

EPs

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  • Split Growlers/Thee Ludds (2011), Palmist, limited to 500 copies[37]
  • Gay Thoughts/Uncle Sam's a Dick (2013), Ayo Silver[38]
  • Gilded Pleasures (2013), Everloving Records (US), Smack Face Records (Australia & New Zealand)
  • Lonely This Christmas (2017), Beach Goth Records & Tapes
  • Dream World (2020), Beach Goth Records & Tapes
  • Empty Bones / Graveyard's Full (2020) Beach Goth Records & Tapes

Other releases

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Singles

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  • "Gay Thoughts" / "Feeling Good" (2011), Everloving, limited to 1000 copies on 7" vinyl[39]
  • "Uncle Sam's a Dick" / "Drinking Song for Kids" (2012), no label, limited to 500 copies, of which 250 each were sold online and at concerts on 7" vinyl[40]
  • "Late Bloomers" (2017), Cult Records LLC
  • "Monotonia" (2017), Beach Goth Records & Tapes
  • "California" (2017), Beach Goth Records & Tapes
  • ”Who Loves The Scum?” (2018), Beach Goth Records & Tapes
  • "Natural Affair" (2019), Beach Goth Records & Tapes
  • "Foghorn Town" (2019), Beach Goth Records & Tapes
  • "Try Hard Fool" (2019), Beach Goth Records & Tapes
  • "Pulp Of Youth" (2019), Beach Goth Records & Tapes

References

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  1. ^ Reynolds, Wyoming (2018) "The Growlers Hope Beach Goth's LA Shift Leads To Its Salvation", OC Weekly, August 1, 2018.
  2. ^ "The Growlers: Drinking whiskey, tripping out and getting weird for a living". the rooster.com. January 7, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Keller, Brandy (2010) "The Growlers Interview: SXSW 2010", spinner.com, March 14, 2010, retrieved January 28, 2012
  4. ^ Salek, Yassi (November 4, 2014). "The Growlers are Southern California's Beach Goth Beatles, Mania and All". smashboxstudios.com.
  5. ^ Flanders, Kai (April 19, 2012). "The Growlers Have a Shot at the Big Time, But it Makes Them Feel a Bit Uneasy". laweekly.com.
  6. ^ Kramer, B=October 5, 2009 (October 5, 2009). "The Growlers :: Are You In Or Out?". aquariumdrunkard.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Growlers: About". Archived from the original on October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  8. ^ "Q&A: The Growlers' Brooks Nielsen Talks Getting Drunk, Being Weird and Bill Murray". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  9. ^ Hung At Heart Archived November 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Everloving.com (November 8, 2012). Retrieved on December 14, 2013.
  10. ^ "Artist Interview: The Growlers". The Great Escape. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  11. ^ "5 Minutes With Nick Murray". Original Fuzz. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  12. ^ YouTube ~ the Growlers (Live on KEXP)
  13. ^ Earls, John (September 12, 2016). "Listen to Julian Casablancas-produced new single by The Growlers". nme.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  14. ^ "Cult Records Announces New Growlers Album, Fall Tour". July 28, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  15. ^ ACE. "ACE Repertory". mobile.ascap.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  16. ^ "The Growlers share Julian Casablancas-produced single "City Club" — listen". August 26, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  17. ^ Romano, Evan (September 16, 2016). "The Growlers' Brooks Nielsen On New Julian Casablancas-Produced Album". Brooklyn Magazine. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  18. ^ "City Club - the Growlers | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  19. ^ "The GROWLERS - Timeline | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  20. ^ "The Growlers: First Avenue". Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  21. ^ "The Growlers: KRCW". Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  22. ^ Gomez, Dominique (2016). "INTERVIEW + GIVEAWAY: THE GROWLERS". Do The Bay. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  23. ^ Cody Peterson. "Omahype". Omahype. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  24. ^ "Marcelo Camelo e The Growlers fazem show morno no Palco Sunset". G1.globo.com. October 2, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  25. ^ "Marcelo Camelo e The Growlers unem forças no Rock in Rio". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  26. ^ "Outside Lands 2013: The 10 Best Things We Saw On Saturday". SPIN. August 11, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  27. ^ a b c "Beach Goth 2016 Festival Review and Gallery". Consequence of Sound. October 25, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  28. ^ "Beach Goth 2016 Lineup". July 13, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  29. ^ Brown, August (October 23, 2016). "Beach Goth's lineup had the goods, but fest may not be ready for its close-up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  30. ^ "Beach Goth is Dead. The Observatory Suing The Growlers Only Confirms It". OC Weekly. November 15, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  31. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Butthole Surfers to play The Growlers Six Festival". August 7, 2017.
  32. ^ "Beach Goth 7: Here are your set times for Sunday – buzzbands.la". buzzbands.la. August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  33. ^ "ARROW (@arrowdewilde) • Instagram photos and videos".
  34. ^ Hatfield, Amanda (July 31, 2020). "The Growlers issue apology; co-founder Matt Taylor temporarily leaving band". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  35. ^ Hudson, Alex (July 22, 2020). "Growlers Keyboardist Adam Wolcott Smith Quits Band, Issues Statement Saying "I'm Not Innocent in Abuse"". exclaim.ca. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  36. ^ Schoenberger, Katey (September 8, 2022). "Brooks Nielsen brings solo debut tour to San Francisco". Top Shelf Music. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  37. ^ GROWLERS/ THEE LUDDS SPLIT 12″ OUT TODAY IN UK/ EUROPE | Palmist. Palmistrecords.com (October 3, 2011). Retrieved on December 14, 2013.
  38. ^ "Ayo Silver!". bigcartel.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  39. ^ Vinyl Shop Archived March 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Everloving.com. Retrieved on December 14, 2013.
  40. ^ "Uncle Sam's a dick (7")". cinderblock. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
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