The Growlers (2010 -2014)

This California outfit has managed to keep their oddball signature stew in tact while offering enough spice and variety to the recipe to keep it interesting.

Growlers. Hot Tropics. 2010. Everloving Records.  Second set from this California beach-goth band…surf garage hillbilly rhythm and blues…exotica Polynesian waves washing up on campfire meeting of cowboys, the Cramps, Hank Williams, Beefheart, Link Wray, Love and the Doors…more acoustic and less frantic than most California bands in a somewhat similar mode…more for driving through the desert or sitting around the bonfire than dancing the boogaloo at the dancehall…noteworthy 21st century garage.


Gilded Pleasures. 2013. Everloving Records.  This catches the beach-goth band in transition between the more raw sound of previous releases and the more polished sound of Chinese Fountain, the waves of surf, Asian and Polynesian washing over their cowboy hillbilly campfire.  This is a good place to start.

Chinese Fountain. 2014. Everloving Records. This California pull their signature sound into a tighter ball of yarn for a more clear-eyed pop version of their beach-goth garage rock, here an 80s influence showing, likely keeping most of their fans, losing a few and likely picking up some new ones who found the early work a bit too raw.

— winch (author of

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GREEN NOISE RECORDS

Bleached (2013) Ride Your Heart (LP) Dead Oceans Records (DOC082)

Bleached

Ride Your Heart 

Dead Oceans Records (DOC082)

Produced by Rob Barbato

**** recommended

Debut long player from this LA outfit, the band described at this point as sisters Jennifer and Jessica Calvin, all songs and most of the playing credited to the pair.

The sound clearly has a California feel, mixing many styles from the past: the garage, surf, and dreamy girl group of the sixties, the power pop and lots of Blondie of the 70s, the sonic of punk and the 90s mixed with a bit of the girl-group revival and pop rock of the 80s, even a bit of exotica (and maybe the hillbilly) of the 50s–for example Jessica adding lap steel to the Bo Diddley beat on “Guy Like You.”

For fans of sonic pop music, this debut set is worth a listen.

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— winch (author of

Waterfront Blues Fest 2013

waterfront blues fest 2013
far away from the main south stage, to the north of the lawn-chair people, no offense to them, relaxing on their day off, but this year the powers that be went too far and took away the dance floors at two stages, but at the back porch stage you can still get down, and reach up and shake a hand, thank a man or a lady for coming to town, where no jive-ass turkey is pushing you back so they can kiss the media’s ass, where the media passes can’t be found because they’re off taking photos somewhere else, where the real deal is coming down, where the good-time people meet to have a good time and dance their asses off, where they still remember what it’s all about.

from louisiana
    Chubby carrier & the bayou swamp


                              
   

           


Karl denson’s tiny universe

from louisiana
   lil’ wayne & the same ol’ 2-step

     

      from north carolina 
        nikki hill

— winch