From the mezzanine level of Amoeba Music in Hollywood, one could count over 400 damp heads (it
was unfairly hot in L.A. this past Saturday) eagerly awaiting a performance that could get even the most dehydrated youngster dancing. The Growlers, a band formed in Long Beach in 2006, performed a last minute in-store show after the cancellation of Sunset Junction, where they were originally scheduled to play.
Dressed in suspenders, jeans, sneakers, and oxfords, the six-piece group leaped into action and opened up with the song “Drinking the Juice Blues.” The full playlist was comprised of 11 songs that ranged across their first album, Are You In Or Out?, the 10” EP Hot Tropics, and their Record Store Day 7” Gay Thoughts. As hundreds sang along to favorites such as “Something Someone Jr.” and “Wandering Eyes,” the group matched the enthusiasm of the crowd with excellent chemistry and seamless effort.
If you were close enough to the stage, you could admire their unabashed and quirky offness: a large mass of foil draped over the drum kit, a hand-painted image on a guitar, a rustic pair of conga drums that had been spray-painted. To top it off was the charming vocalist Brooks Nielsen, dancing and swerving without shyness as one might do when they’re alone in front of a mirror. The group’s lo-fi sound, a blend of surf and garage with psychedelic nods, clash rewardingly with their lyrics, which reference displacement, morbidity, and the strangeness of the self.
After the show, the group braved a swarm of eager fans who anticipated getting something signed. Many brought albums, but others requested that various limbs, scrap paper, and even parking stubs be personalized. The most endearing aspect to the signing came from the group’s alacrity over the entire process. Like a dear friend from school, they signed each article with random comments, jokes, and even childlike doodles.
Ultimately, The Growlers' in-store experience as a whole seemed to further enhance the feeling you get from their music, which is a delight to say the least.
Check out the photos from the in-store HERE!
-- Edythe Smith
was unfairly hot in L.A. this past Saturday) eagerly awaiting a performance that could get even the most dehydrated youngster dancing. The Growlers, a band formed in Long Beach in 2006, performed a last minute in-store show after the cancellation of Sunset Junction, where they were originally scheduled to play.Dressed in suspenders, jeans, sneakers, and oxfords, the six-piece group leaped into action and opened up with the song “Drinking the Juice Blues.” The full playlist was comprised of 11 songs that ranged across their first album, Are You In Or Out?, the 10” EP Hot Tropics, and their Record Store Day 7” Gay Thoughts. As hundreds sang along to favorites such as “Something Someone Jr.” and “Wandering Eyes,” the group matched the enthusiasm of the crowd with excellent chemistry and seamless effort.
If you were close enough to the stage, you could admire their unabashed and quirky offness: a large mass of foil draped over the drum kit, a hand-painted image on a guitar, a rustic pair of conga drums that had been spray-painted. To top it off was the charming vocalist Brooks Nielsen, dancing and swerving without shyness as one might do when they’re alone in front of a mirror. The group’s lo-fi sound, a blend of surf and garage with psychedelic nods, clash rewardingly with their lyrics, which reference displacement, morbidity, and the strangeness of the self.
After the show, the group braved a swarm of eager fans who anticipated getting something signed. Many brought albums, but others requested that various limbs, scrap paper, and even parking stubs be personalized. The most endearing aspect to the signing came from the group’s alacrity over the entire process. Like a dear friend from school, they signed each article with random comments, jokes, and even childlike doodles.
Ultimately, The Growlers' in-store experience as a whole seemed to further enhance the feeling you get from their music, which is a delight to say the least.
Check out the photos from the in-store HERE!
-- Edythe Smith
