Surf Music for Time-Traveling Spirits: Inside The Growlers’ Infectious, Primitive Songscape
In a music culture dominated by state-of-the-art digital manipulation, California’s The Growlers is an 8-bit throwback. To listen to its infectious clangor is to imagine a psychedelic ‘60s garage band transplanted into the 21st century, dispatching unkempt missives from beyond the graves of deceased genres. On its two excellent releases, the 18-song epic “Are You In or Out?” and its measured follow-up, “Hot Tropics,” the band channels all things primitive, from the rollicking spirit of early surf rock to the crude reverb of Beat Happening and the minimalist urgency of The Doors. Lead singer Brooks Neilson, who sports the rapscallion coif of a ‘30s movie villain, overlays these spartan thwomps with vocals that always sound like they’re emanating from a low-frequency AM station on a vintage transistor. He sings about the dead and the undead – a world of overflowing graveyards, moaning creeps, acid rain and swamp things, with more than a fair share of doom-laden narratives a la Nick Cave. The band used to dress up in women’s clothing, complete with wigs and make-up, for its live shows; it seems to have abandoned this gimmick, placing the focus solely on the music. The ideal Growlers venue is Merlotte’s Bar and Grill in True Blood, or perhaps your own bedroom, during the witching hour of a full-moon night. Miami’s Bardot will have to do. The band plays at 10:30pm May 11 alongside Jane Jan Pollack and Will Buck. ~ John Thomason
Back Pockets: Bombastic Soundscapes, Prankish Dog Barks & Howls Not so much a band as a small army of pop experimentalists and psychedelic theater kids, Atlanta group the Back Pockets can feel a tad chaotic at times. Their albums show off a penchant for genrehopping, animal noises, and voicemail recordings, and during live performances, they wear facepaint. This isn’t to say they lack organization, or that they’re some theatrical goof on the indie-rock circuit. Nor does it imply they’re your typical avant-freaks whose music lies in some rhythmless fringe where song structure emerges from throwing darts at a music staff. Instead, the Back Pockets’ musical idiosyncrasies could charm the jaded bore right out of the staunchest of wallflowers. With the exception of their very raw first (official) album, which has a silent track called “Shhh,” the Back Pockets never push their antics so far as to take their listeners for granted. Songs don’t get anarchic so much as they get wacky, creating bombastic soundscapes full of harmonies, major keys, shrieks, tribal rhythms, and reverb, while taking cues from bands as disparate as the Moldy Peaches, Coco Rosie, and Animal Collective. (One song, “H8,” is a dead ringer for Sonic Youth.) And that doesn’t include the electronica influences peppering each album. The band’s latest, the five-song EP Magic, signals a maturation as its missing some trademark flights of fancy and bizarreness. Radioready opener “Dynamite” is a powerful, wintry number mixing piano, minor tones, and lead singer Emily Kempf’s soaring vocals. The orange to “Dynamite”’s apple, “Birdie” invokes Weezeresque pop melodies (though via horns) and subtle conga rhythms. But if you want to know the heart of the Back Pockets’ sound look no further than “Lovelike,” a song the group’s remade three times. The version on album Hello Dandelion is the most accessible. Starting with a trance-inducing sluggishness, “Lovelike” layers a banjo with a sliding guitar, a creeky violin, hypnotic vocal harmonies, and occasional barks to puncture the glaze. Then comes the purge, a crescendoing so primal, emotional, romantic, and empowering, the only way to bring the listener back down from the clouds is – what else? – prankish dog barks and howls. Back Pockets performs 10pm Thursday, May 3 at Flaunt / Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., in West Palm Beach. Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt will also play. Call 561-8329999 or visit Respectablestreet.com. ~ Erica Landau from Salty Eggs. Read the full interview at SaltyEggs.com
Friday, April 27
OLEANDER & MINT, ADAM PERRY, JOHN RALSTON, LITTLE ELEPHANT @ Harold’s Coffee
PROGNOSIS, FINITE, AUTOMATE, FORCE IS THE MACHINE @ Respectable Street MIKE MINEO BAND @ O’Shea’s DICK DALE, THE RIOT ACT @ Culture Room BLACK SEAL, CHRONIC FREQUENCY @ Speakeasy THE DRIP, THE VULTURES, RAGGY MONSTER @ Swampgrass Willys FUEGO @ Berries in the Grove MARK SULTAN @ Vagabond THE SWEET CHARIOTS @ Longboard’s BREAK BLOSSOM, PALEO ESKIMO, NOVA JOVEN @ The Snooze
Saturday, April 28
3rd ANNUAL “THE TROUBLE WITH GIRLS ALL-FEMALE ART REVUE @ The Bubble
THE STATE OF @ Dada RISE AGAINST, A DAY TO REMEMBER, TITLE FIGHT @ Sunset Cove Amp MAGRUDERGRIND, CELLGRAFT, GORILLA PUSSY, SLASHPINE, SUPER MUTANT @ Churchills ERIC BIDDINES @ Propaganda CATCH DA VAPORS @ Speakeasy THE MOVEMENT, MIXED CULTURE, SPRED THE DUB, ROOTS SHAKEDOWN, HOR!ZEN @ Culture Room THE HATE ASH BURIED, THE WRONG @ Swampgrass Willys ASTARI NITE @ Green Room IKE & VAL @ Berries in the Grove
THE WEEKND @ Revolution Live OPEN MIC: HEIDI & THE EL CATS @ South Shores
Wednesday, May 2
BLUES @ Dada GEORGE MANOSIS @ South Shores
May 2-6
SUNFEST: SNOOP DOGG, WIZ KHALIFA, PASSION PIT, SOJA, GIRL TALK, JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS & MORE @ Downtown WPB
Thursday, May 3
PUREHONEY No. NINE RELEASE w. THE BACK POCKETS, TERROR PIGEON DANCE REVOLT @ Flaunt (Respectable Street) FREE!
KAIYLIN GARRITY @ Dada MOOMBAHTON OVER MIAMI VII @ Vagabond KILLBILLIES @ O’Shea’s THE FLYERS @ South Shores
Friday, May 4
MINEO BAND @ Dada THE BRIGHT LIGHT SOCIAL HOUR @ Funky Buddha MAKING FACES @ Longboards THE STATE OF @ Vagabond OPERATIVE ME, 84 SHEEP DOG, R.O.M.E @ Swampgrass Willys BOBBY NATHAN BAND @ South Shores GIRLFRIEND MATERIAL@ O”Shea’s UNSTOPPABLE DEATH MACHINES @ The Snooze
Saturday, May 5
SLEEPING GIANT, FIRST BLOOD, IN THE MIDST OF LIONS, GIDEON, BETRAYAL, IATF @ Speakeasy OPEN MIC @ Propaganda EURO ASIA, GREEN SKY, KALIKA @ Churchills Pub BLOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR @ Revolution Live THOMAS WYNN & THE BELIEVERS @ Hurricane Bar LOCAL CONTRABAND, REAL MONSTER @ The Snooze
HARD RICHARDS @ Dada SOULFLY, INCITE, LODY KONG, WYKKED WYTCH @ Culture Room BACK DOOR BAMBY: SHAMELESS BURLESQUE @ Vagabond MIKE MINEO BAND, DJ BOOGIE WATERS @ South Shores THE MIGHTY QUINN @ Swampgrass Willys FISH HEAD SOUP @ O’Shea’s SNOOZIE MOVIE NITE: DEATHPRINT @ The Snooze
Monday, April 30
Sunday, May 6
Sunday, April 29
THE RECKLESS DAMES @ Speakeasy JASON CARDINAL @ Dada ESCAPE THE FATE, ATTACK ATTACK! @ Revolution Live BORING PORTALS, LOVE HANDLES @ The Snooze
Tuesday, May 1
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA @ The Fillmore POETRY @ Dada LUCANA COIL, CANDLELIGHT RED @ Culture Room STINKY POCKETS @ Boca Muse
CLOSER TO THE OCEAN @ Dada KOTTONMOUTH KINGS @ Revolution Live FEAR FACTORY, SHADOWS FALL @ Culture Room SOUND PROOF @ South Shores BIG DADDY LOVE @ Hurricane Bar
Monday, May 7
HEIDI RAY @ Dada SNOOZE MAGICAL MIX EXCHANGE: THE DEWARS, MINI PROPHETS @ The Snooze
Tuesday, May 8
OPEN MIC @ Dada BEACH HOUSE @ The Fillmore OPEN MIC: HEIDI & THE EL CATS @ South Shores STINKY POCKETS @ Boca Muse
Wednesday, May 9
BLUES @ Dada OVERKILL, GOD FORBID, SUIDAKRA, DIAMOND PLATE @ Culture Room ZIGGY MARLEY @ The Fillmore GRACE BELLURY, ROSSALLINI, LUMA JUNGER @ The Snooze THE KILLBILLIES @ South Shores
Thursday, May 10
THE CARNIVORES, LILLE, THE DEWARS @ Flaunt (Respectable Street) FREE! BRIT POP: DJ MORRISSEY @ O’Shea’s REGGAE NIGHT @ Propaganda SOUNDPROOF @ South Shores
Friday, May 11
THE GROWLERS, JANE JANE POLLACK @ Bardot HES MY BROTHER SHES MY SISTER @ Vagabond STOP THE PRESSES @ Dada BLACK TAXI @ Funky Buddha BARONS OF TANG, THE WHOLETONES @ Propaganda THE HEAVY PETS, THE LONDON SOULS @ The Stage SPRED THE DUB, SOUTH SIDE DUB @ Swampgrass Willys COLLECTIVE SOUL @ Revolution Live KILLBILLIES @ O’Shea’s KING MUDDFISH @ South Shores RAGGY MONSTER @ Longboard’s
Saturday, May 12 BUIKA @ The Fillmore
ART ROCK: CASH & CARRY ART SHOW + INDIE MARKETPLACE @ The Armory Art Center
CARLOS MENA’S BEMBE @ Vagabond TONY BRASSO @ Swampgrass Willys FISH HEAD SOUP @ O’Shea’s BIG BRASS BED, DJ BOOGIE WATERS @ South Shores THE HOWLING WINDS, ROUTINE SCHEME, SAFE TO SAY @ Propaganda
Sunday, May 13
KAIYLIN GARRITY @ Dada SOUND PROOF@ South Shores OPEN MIC @ Propaganda
Monday, May 14
OPEN MIC @ Dada WASHED OUT @ Culture Room
Tuesday, May 15
OPEN MIC @ Dada THRICE @ Revolution Live WILCO @ The Fillmore DnB, DUBSTEP @ Propaganda OPEN MIC: HEIDI & THE EL CATS @ South Shores BROWNBIRD RUDY RELIC, LADIES NIGHT @ Five Points Lounge
Wednesday, May 16
BLUES @ Dada CHRIS CORNELL @ The Fillmore COPE @ Guanabanas GEORGE MANOSIS @ South Shores
Thursday, May 17
STONECUTTERS @ Dada GET LOW XXXVI feat HIZZLEGUY @ Vagabond KILLBILLIES @ O’Shea’s REGGAE NIGHT @ Propaganda THE DILLENGERS @ South Shores
Friday, May 18
MONTAGE @ Dada JANES ADDICTION @ The Fillmore STOP THE PRESSES @ Longboards BENEFIT SHOW-CUPCAKE BURLESQUE, BROWNBIRD RUDY RELIC, LOS BASTARDOS MAGNIFICOS @ Five Points Lounge THE LIVVERS, NEW N USED, ELEPHANTGUN @ Swampgrass Willys FISH HEAD SOUP @ O’Shea’s SAX ATTACK @ South Shores
Saturday, May 19
PARALLELS @ Respectable Street MERRY FRANKSTERZ @ Dada RUSKO @ The Fillmore BUNGLED & BOTCHED @ Funky Buddha SALO, MY AMMENDS, KEZIA, FALSETA, STATE OF SOLITUDE @ Propaganda HILLBILLY HELLCATS, COON DOGGIN OUTLAWS, CUPCAKE BURLESQUE @ Five Points Lounge ADRENALINE MOB @ Revolution Live THROUGH THE ROOTS @ Culture Room EARLY SHOW: NO ONE’S HERO, TICKET TO A BLIMP, THE LOST KEYS, SCAR OF THE TROPICS @ Swampgrass Willys THE MIDNIGHT HOUR, FRICTION, BLACK HAWK & THE NIGHT DRIVERS @ Swampgrass Willys THE JAMIE RUSSO BAND @ O’Shea’s SQUIRREL LOGIC, DJ BOOGIE WATERS @ South Shores
Sunday, May 20
ALYSON SICHENZIA @ Dada CLAY GOLDSTEIN,JULIUS SANNA @ South Shores OPEN MIC @ Propaganda
Monday, May 21
JASON CARDINAL @ Dada
Tuesday, May 22
OPEN MIC @ Dada OPEN MIC: HEIDI & THE EL CATS @ South Shores
Wednesday, May 23
BLUES @ Dada THE KILLBILLIES @ South Shores
Thursday, May 24 DAVID MCGIVERN BENEFIT @ Grease Burger TODD TERJE @ Electric Pickle GIRLFRIEND MATERIAL @ O’Shea’s THE MC’S @ South Shores
Friday, May 25
POPPA E CD RELEASE @ Dada FEED ME @ Revolution Live DHARMATA @ Swampgrass Willys AQUAPHONICS @ South Shores VAMPIRATES, BENEDICT ARNOLD @ Propaganda
WRONG @ Swampgrass Willys GIRLFRIEND MATERIAL @ O’Shea’s THE FABULOUS FLEETWOODS, DJ BOOGIE WATERS @ South Shores
REGGAE NIGHT @ Propaganda
Sunday, May 27
GOD MODULE @ Respectable Street
TOY BOMBS @ Hurricane Bar & Lounge STEVE KIMOCK with BERNIE WORRELL, WALLY INGRAM, and ANDY HESS @ Culture Room CLAY GOLDSTEIN, JULIUS SANNA @ South Shores OPEN MIC @ Propaganda
Tuesday, May 29 OPEN MIC @ Dada
‘MAYDAY’: A FREE NAUTICAL ART SHOW @ Howley’s Diner
NEIL DIAMOND @ BankAtlantic Center
Saturday, June 2 Monday, June 4
CITY AND COLOUR, DAVID BAZAN @ Culture Room
Tuesday, June 5
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB @ Revolution Live CITY AND COLOUR, DAVID BAZAN @ Culture Room
Wednesday, June 6 BON IVER @ The Fillmore
Thursday, June 7
GET LOW 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY @ Vagabond
Friday, June 8
THE SWEET CHARIOTS @ Longboard’s
Saturday, June 9
CUPCAKE BURLESQUE @ Respectable Street
Wednesday, June 13
CURREN$Y @ Revolution Live CHILDISH GAMBINO @ The Fillmore Miami
HELMETS SAVE LIVES!
DAVID MCGIVERN FUNDRAISING EVENT
Our friend David McGivern was biking on Donald Ross bridge when he was hit and dragged by a hit and run driver of a black jeep. David was hit from behind and had no idea what happened to him. He spent nine days in the hospital for brain swelling, horrible road rash, and a fractured fibula. David will be going through intense therapy with physical therapists, speech therapists, mds, massage therapists, and nutritionists. Help us to make this fundraising event a success. WHERE: THE GREASE BURGER BAR 213 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 (561) 651-1075 WHEN: 7-10pm on Thursday, May 24th HOW MUCH: $20 donation Please invite as many friends and family possible. David will be out of work for a while. For questions please contact: Mary Bart Houston marybart2006@yahoo.com 561-254-6344
Saturday, May 26
Read his wife’s touching account here: http://foodshelterart.blogspot.com/2012/04/ survivors-story-gratitude-beyond-it.html
THE STATE OF @ Dada DANCE RITUAL w. LOUIE VEGA @ Vagabond NAKED IN 8 DAYS, LOCAL CONTRABAND, THE
Wednesday, May 30
INVISIBLE MUSIC CD RELEASE, LEGENDS OF RODEO, BLACK FINGER @ Bamboo Room
Friday, June 1
BLUES @ Dada VOLBEAT @ Revolution Live THE KILLBILLIES @ South Shores
Thursday, May 31
JPSOARS & THE REDHOTS @ South Shores
Friday, June 15
ROGER WATERS, THE WALL @ BankAtlantic LINGO @ Guanabanas
Saturday, June 16
LINGO @ Funky Buddha BOUNCING SOULS @ Revolution Live
Friday, June 29
COLDPLAY @ AmericanAirlines Arena
Tuesday, July 17
311, SLIGHTLY STOOPID, THE AGGROLITES @ Cruzan Amphitheatre LINGO @ Hurricane Bar
Saturday, July 28
WARPED TOUR @ Cruzan Amp
Friday, July 4
REEL BIG FISH @ Revolution Live
Tuesday, August 7
DIRTY PROJECTORS, POP ETC @ Culture Room
Tuesday, September 18
JETHRO TULL’S IAN ANDERSON PLAYS THICK AS A BRICK 1 & 2 @ The Fillmore
Saturday, September 22 AMON TOBIN @ The Fillmore
Carnivores: Triumphant Uncategorizeableness Carnivores has been described as “tropical punk,” “psyche-surf,” and several other bizarre combinations that only arise in instances in which music journalists, desperate to pigeonhole bands as we are, must invent new subgenres in order to properly categorize something that doesn’t quite fit anywhere else. And maybe that’s the best descriptor of Carnivores’ music: It doesn’t quite fit anywhere else. The style certainly takes a great deal from the 1960s, with The Doors’ trademark carnival-of-thedamned keyboards and guitars that wouldn’t sound out of place on any of a few dozen surf- or acid-rock bands of the era. But the Atlanta-based band isn’t merely a throwback outfit content to blend disparate sounds of ’60s nostalgia. Indeed, in its uncategorizeableness (Uncategorizability? Uncategorization? Whatever.) the group fits in nicely with a handful of weirdo-rock outfits such as Animal Collective. But there I go pigeonholing like the rest of my ilk. Best to just see the band for yourself. Every show is different. You never know what you’re going to get, from a rapid set list of lo-fi garage rock to the Atlas Sounds-led cover of “My Sharona” the two bands played for better than half an hour in Minneapolis this past tour. You may not think a marathon Knack cover is your thing, but just check out the videos that are all over YouTube. It is triumphant. Carnivores performs 10pm Thursday, May 10 at Flaunt / Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., in West Palm Beach. Lille and the Dewars will also play. Call 561832-9999 or visit Respectablestreet.com. ~ Dan Sweeney from Salty Eggs. Read the full interview at SaltyEggs.com
Art Rock: Ready To
Are You Rumble?
Perhaps you’ve heard the rumblings and rumors regarding Art Rock but haven’t yet checked it out? Well... great news! You can break that pattern! Art Rock was created in 2010 when local artist, Amanda Linton, teamed up with the Armory Art Center to help foster and provide encouragement for the local DIY movement. Much like her crafty show Stitch Rock, Art Rock gives shoppers an upbeat marketplace to buy affordable handmade pieces directly from the artist themselves. This element adds a unique freshness to the traditional art gallery experience and also allows artists to see a perspective buyers reaction to their work first hand. “Art Rock is a cash and carry art show + indie marketplace featuring popsurrealist, outsider, lowbrow, and street art alongside D.I.Y fashion, funky jewelry, and home deco items. Art you’ll want to buy made by accomplished and up and coming South Florida artists. Over 60 artist booths packed full of affordable art you can hang on your walls, wear, eat, admire or even sip your coffee from. Showcasing art in all mediums including painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, photography, fabric, edible art and more!” Sounds awesome, right? Just what you’ve been searching far and wide for! Transform yourself into a patron of local arts, an art connoisseur and mogul with one fell swoop! For a chance to see some of South Florida’s most talented artists check out Art Rock, Saturday May 12, 2012 from 12pm-6pm at the Armory Art Center, 1700 Parker Avenue, West Palm Beach, Fl. 33401. $5 admission. www.ArtRockRock.com ~ Gabe Laszlo