The Growlers are an American band formed in Dana Point, California in 2006, now based in Costa Mesa.[1] The band is currently composed of singer Brooks Nielsen, lead guitarist Matt Taylor and keyboard player/guitarist Kyle Straka.[2] They have released five albums, three 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]

Contents 1 History 2 Beach Goth 3 Discography 3.1 Albums 3.2 EPs 3.3 Singles 4 References 5 External links History

The band released their first album, Are You in or Out in 2009. Their second album, Hot Tropics, was released in 2010.[4][5] The band's third album, Hung at Heart, the first to feature Anthony Braun Perry, and Jason Kaiser on percussion (Hung at Heart/Chinese fountain),was released January 22, 2013.[6] 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 studio, the 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.[7] This album was produced by JP Plunier at Seahorse Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Whilst touring the album, the band expanded their live band with percussionist Nick Murray.[8]

The band's fifth studio album, City Club was released by Cult Records on September 30, 2016,[9] while they embarked on a supporting tour in the same month.[10] It was the first Growlers album to be credited solely to Brooks Nielsen and Matt Taylor, as opposed to the whole band.[11] Nielsen and Taylor wrote and recorded demos for the album over a span of 2 to 3 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,[12] who also owns the label.[13] Neither drummer Scott Montoya nor bass player Anthony Perry feature on the album.[14] On September 25, the band confirmed Montoya's departure from the band and stated that Perry was set to return in the near future.[15] The band toured for this album with Brad Bowers on bass, Adam Wolcott Smith on keyboard, and Richard Gowen on drums.[16][17] Whether their membership in the band is permanent is currently unclear.

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

The Growlers have toured with artists such as The Black Keys, Devendra Banhart, Julian Casablancas, Night Beats, and Jonathan Richman.[18][19] They have also appeared as numerous festivals including Burgerama III, Rock in Rio[20][21] and Outside Lands.[22]

Beach Goth

The band has organized the annual Beach Goth festival since 2012. Held at the Observatory in Santa Ana, CA, the festival 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 presented 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.[23] 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 includes Bon Iver, TLC, James Blake, 2 Live Crew, Violent Femmes, Future Islands, Reel Big Fish, The Faint, the Pharcyde, Leftover Crack, and DJ Quik.[24] While it was hailed a success, the outdoor festival suffered from rain and resultant street flooding.[25] This caused the Growlers to delay their own set due to equipment damage.[23] In the aftermath, the band issued an apology.[26]

In 2017, The Growlers announced a new festival, 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.[27]

Discography Albums Are You In or Out? (2009), Everloving Records Hot Tropics (2010), Everloving Records Gilded Pleasures (2013), Everloving Records (US), Smack Face Records (Australia & New Zealand) 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) Casual Acquaintances (2018) Burger Records (US) EPs Split Growlers/Thee Ludds (2011), Palmist, limited to 500 copies[28] Gay Thoughts/Uncle Sam's a Dick (2013), Ayo Silver[29] Not. Psych!/Gilded Pleasures EP (2013), Fat Cat Records (EU),[30] Everloving Records (US), Smack Face Records (Australia & New Zealand) Lonely This Christmas (2017), Beach Goth Records Singles "Gay Thoughts" / "Feeling Good" (2011), Everloving, limited to 1000 copies on 7" vinyl[31] "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[32] "Late Bloomers" (2017), Cult Records LLC "Monotonia" (2017), Beach Goth Records "California" (2017), Beach Goth Records References ^ Zemler, Emily (2012) "The Growlers: Ragged But Right", Relix, January 24, 2012, retrieved January 28, 2012 ^ "The Growlers: Drinking whiskey, tripping out and getting weird for a living". the rooster.com. January 7, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2016.  ^ Keller, Brandy (2010) "The Growlers Interview: SXSW 2010", spinner.com, March 14, 2010, retrieved January 28, 2012 ^ "Growlers: About". Archived from the original on October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2011.  ^ "Q&A: The Growlers' Brooks Nielsen Talks Getting Drunk, Being Weird and Bill Murray". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved June 4, 2013.  ^ Hung At Heart. Everloving.com (November 8, 2012). Retrieved on December 14, 2013. ^ "Artist Interview: The Growlers". The Great Escape.  ^ "5 Minutes With Nick Murray". Original Fuzz. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.  ^ Earls, John (September 12, 2016). "Listen to Julian Casablancas-produced new single by The Growlers". nme.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.  ^ "Cult Records Announces New Growlers Album, Fall Tour". Retrieved September 22, 2016.  ^ ACE. "ACE Repertory". mobile.ascap.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.  ^ "The Growlers share Julian Casablancas-produced single "City Club" — listen". August 26, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.  ^ Romano, Evan (September 16, 2016). "The Growlers' Brooks Nielsen On New Julian Casablancas-Produced Album". Brooklyn Magazine. Retrieved September 22, 2016.  ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/city-club-mw0002976520/credits ^ "The GROWLERS - Timeline | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.  ^ "The Growlers: First Avenue". Retrieved March 13, 2017.  ^ "The Growlers: KRCW". Retrieved March 13, 2017.  ^ Gomez, Dominique (2016). "INTERVIEW + GIVEAWAY: THE GROWLERS". Do The Bay. Retrieved June 15, 2016.  ^ Cody Peterson. "Omahype". Omahype. Retrieved June 4, 2013.  ^ "Marcelo Camelo e The Growlers fazem show morno no Palco Sunset". G1.globo.com. Retrieved June 4, 2013.  ^ "Marcelo Camelo e The Growlers unem forças no Rock in Rio". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 4, 2013.  ^ "Outside Lands 2013: The 10 Best Things We Saw On Saturday". SPIN. August 11, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2016.  ^ a b "Beach Goth 2016 Festival Review and Gallery". Consequence of Sound. October 25, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.  ^ "Beach Goth 2016 Lineup". July 13, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.  ^ Brown, August. "Beach Goth's lineup had the goods, but fest may not be ready for its close-up". latimes.com. Retrieved November 25, 2016.  ^ "Beach Goth 2016 Festival Review and Gallery". Consequence of Sound. October 25, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.  ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Butthole Surfers to play The Growlers Six Festival". August 7, 2017.  ^ GROWLERS/ THEE LUDDS SPLIT 12″ OUT TODAY IN UK/ EUROPE | Palmist. Palmistrecords.com (October 3, 2011). Retrieved on December 14, 2013. ^ "Ayo Silver!". bigcartel.com.  ^ FatCat Records | Shop The Growlers – Not Pysch! FatCat Records | Shop. Fatcat.sandbaghq.com (2013). Retrieved on December 14, 2013. ^ Vinyl Shop. Everloving.com. Retrieved on December 14, 2013. ^ "Uncle Sam's a dick (7")". cinderblock. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2013.  External links Official website vteThe Growlers Brooks Nielsen Matt Taylor Kyle Straka Studio albums Are You In or Out? Hot Tropics Gilded Pleasures Hung at Heart Chinese Fountain City Club EPs Growlers/Thee Ludds Gay Thoughts/Uncle Sam's a Dick Not. Psych!/Gilded Pleasures Lonely This Christmas Singles "Gay Thoughts" / "Feeling Good" "Uncle Sam's a Dick" / "Drinking Song for Kids" "Late Bloomers" "Monotonia" "California"