This past weekend my partner-in-crime, Mike Higgins, and I had the privilege to be able to interview one of the most influential bands in the Indie-Beach sound. Their sound is indisputable and will leave you with a salty taste in your mouth. The band has fittingly trademarked the name “Beach-Goth” as their genre, and I could not agree more. Their melancholy and prudent lyrics rush over you like, well like, a tidal wave, as cliché as it sounds. Yet, the harsh lyrics are often times masked by their “saltwater-taffy”-esque riffs. They tend to remind us more about the sunburns that come along with long exposures to the sun, rather than the golden-colored skin that so many “Beachy” artists did before them. I find no more pleasure than in listening to their “Beach-Goth” brand, not at the beach, rather on a gloomy day: just any ol’ windy, chilly day. They recently released their fifth-studio album, Chinese Fountain, which gained them much popularity as a follow-up to their hit single of their previous album, “Someday”. The “Chinese Fountain” Tour began in Honolulu back in December and ended last week in Brooklyn, but before their four-night stint in New York, they managed to make it to the Bishop Bar right here in Bloomington. The show was on March 1st and was quite the spectacle; it was everything you could expect and even more. The Growlers are made up of five of the most talented yet raw, extraverted yet introverted, zealous yet indifferent individuals I have ever met. The group consists of Brooks Nielsen as the lead singer, Matt Taylor as the lead guitar, Scott Montoya as the Drums, Kyle Straka as the rhythm guitar, and Anthony Braun Perry as the Bass. We were honored and left speechless to be able to interview THE Brooks Nielsen before the show, and we hope this interview will inspire you like it certainly did for us.
