In this second installment of our Coachella Primer series, we turn the spotlight to So Cal locals, The Growlers. Originally from Costa Mesa, California, The Growlers now call Long Beach their home. Brooks Nielsen, Matt Taylor, Scott Montoya, Brian Stewart, and Kyle Straka moved to Long Beach to pursue their musical ambitions after spontaneously deciding to start a band while at a party.
With two full lengths and an impressive history of self-recorded single releases, the group has gained local and national traction with their special brand of psychedelic beach goth. Not ones to place restrictive labels on their sound and creative process, The Growlers mature musically almost as often as they release new music.
The Growlers often invoke comparisons to a more spacey, psych version of The Doors. But simply dismissing the bad as a modern, drug-induced, beach-bum version of The Doors would be a huge disservice to yourself and the group. Yes, The Growlers have a garage sound, but they are by no means a “garage” band. Instead, each member takes a highly-individualized approach to their creative process. Listening to their music, you can tell that many of the structures are probably created through a long jam session rather than through a structured composition process. And the formula works.
With appearances at South by Southwest and Rock in Rio, The Growlers have some impressive festival experience under their belts. This spring, they’ll add Coachella’s first ever double weekend to their repertoire. Don’t miss your chance to check out The Growlers, who play on Sunday.
And if this write up didn’t convince you, then listen to Bill Murray, who was spotted rocking out to The Growlers at SXSW.
The Growlers’ website is temporarily down, but check out their management’s Facebook page for more information on the band.
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