The Growlers

    Who are these smelly looking guys?
I am so excited to be talking about this band! The Growlers have been a personal favorite of mine for over 2 years now and I have been privileged enough to see them live 3 times and meet them in person. It is kind of hard to explain what type of music they are so I'll let you decide with this music video.

They like to define their sound as being beach goth, but I think it's best described as surf rock with a little bit of acid on the side. The Growlers are based in Orange County, California and have been constantly touring all over the world for the past few years. The main hombre of the group is the old man sounding sexual deviant Brooks Nielsen who has a peculiar but appealing voice. On bass is Anthony Perry nicknamed "Anstonio69" for his excessive amounts of marijuana smoking. Matt Taylor has his smooth riffs on guitar and Scott Montoya leads the beats on drums. Lastly on rhythm guitar and keyboards is Kyle Straka. The band has released three albums, my personal favorite being Are You in or Out?, which is the first album they made. The Growlers are a very unique band that will most definitely get you dancing or moshing like crazy with all the fellow fans at their shows!

    Personal experiences with The Growlers

Above is a photo of when my friends and I met Brooks(the lead singer) at their show in Bakersfield. The bassist Anthony took the picture for us and they were all so friendly and chill. My friends and I spontaneously took the four hour drive to see The Growlers one day when we really didn't have much else to do. I already had seen The Growlers at Coachella and it was nice to see them play a more intimate smaller gig. On another note, if you ever have the opportunity to go to the Coachella music festival by all means you must go, it will be the greatest three days of your life. Anyways getting back to the story, as we made it to the small bar they were playing at we were trying to find parking and I noticed two dudes chilling by an old station wagon and quickly we all recognized them as The Growlers. We were all nervous to approach them but after a bit we said what's up and chilled with them for a little while. Their show was really interesting for a multitude of reasons, from their crazy antics on stage and a fight that broke out in the crowd that resulted in my friend getting punched in the face it was a great night. To elaborate more, a short man was dancing a little too rowdy and started fighting with some guy next to him. The short man started singing wildly all around and hit my friend in the face right in front of us which was pretty funny but still unchill at the same time. Police eventually came and arrested him and we all gave him a piece of our mind while he was in the squad car! After the show we talked to the group and then had a 6 hour ride home because of road construction, still completely worth it.

    Album reviews
The Growlers album Are You in or Out? is a personal favorite of mine and I can easily listen to it all day without getting bored of it. At 18 tracks long the album will keep you busy. Their first album is extremely funky and is perfect dancing music. For all the people who read my blog posts, never be afraid to dance! Whenever I play music I love to dance around and sing, I'm not good at either but it really puts you in the best mood. The best part about dancing and singing is that they are best done with other people as well! Don't ever be too shy! Back to the album, my three favorite songs are "Old Cold River", "Acid Rain" and lastly "Something Someone Jr.". Old Cold River was the first Growlers song I listened to and gets you swaying around and singing along quite easily. Acid Rain is actually a song my friends and I cover whenever we jam, it's pretty easy to play and sounds sexy! Something Someone Jr. will have you jumping around and has a perfect beat behind it. It would take too long to talk about all of their albums so I will post my all time favorite Growlers song from their latest album "Hung at Heart". The music video alone is pretty weird(in the best kind of way) but the song simply puts me in the best mood and makes me extremely happy.

    How much do I really like this band?
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE GROWLERS! They are such a unique and feel good band that I can listen to at anytime to put me in the best mood. Besides the fact that their music is amazing, they are also extremely friendly and will happily greet their fans. One of the many goals in my life is to party with the band and my friends and I tried really hard to do that when they played at SFSU but sadly it didn't happen. I will easily give them a 10/10 and will always recommend them to anyone trying to find some new music! Hopefully you will love them as much as me! Listen to the videos I posted and let me know what you think of them!

Radiohead

Who the monkey are these old British guys?
You probably don't recognize any of the people in the picture above but you most definitely have heard of their music! Radiohead is an extremely famous band who gained worldwide recognition from their lead single Creep off their 1993 album Pablo Honey. Does that ring a bell? I'm sure if I played it right now you would be singing along and experiencing a vast amount of emotions from its angsty and somewhat depressing lyrics. Although the song propelled them into becoming a well recognized band, it also became their worst nightmare. People at their shows would be constantly heckling them to play Creep and wouldn't care for the other songs they had to play. As the years passed they released numerous albums, like my personal favorite, The Bends in 1995. The Bends shows a new-found maturity of the band, writing on a more personal level and playing music that seems more comfortable to them. I could spend all day talking about their albums and music but I'll do that later on; first you need to understand the people behind Radiohead. Thom Yorke is the frontman for the band who sings and plays guitar. He is ranked in the top singers of the world by Rolling Stone and even plays in another band with the Red Hot Chili Pepper's bassist, Flea. Jonny Greenwood, the lead guitarist, achieves almost alien like sounds with his unique playing style. Jonny's brother, Colin, is also in the band playing bass. On the drums is Philip Selway, and on rhythm guitar, Ed O'Brien. 

Why do I love them so much?
The band simply captures so much emotion and feeling into their songs that it begins to rub off on you. In today's modern music, it is fairly common to hear songs about smoking weed or performing some other ludicrous act, so it is nice to hear something that actually has meaning behind it. Most bands like to stick to the same old sound and continue writing the same type of music that got them popular. Radiohead, on the other hand, does the exact opposite. When their 1997 album Ok Computer was so greatly received and everyone awaited their next album with the same kind of sound, the band decided to completely change their style. They ditched most of their guitars and focused on more ambient sounding computer noises that still lead to a number one album. Radiohead was one of the first alternative rock bands that I had gotten into, but it wasn't so easy getting into them. To be truthfully honest, the main reason I started listening to Radiohead was to impress my now girlfriend. She was an extreme fan and I only knew a few of their songs. I skimmed through their music and thought it was some of the weirdest music I had ever heard. As time progressed they slowly but surely made their way into becoming my favorite band. From their garage rock sound in their earlier albums to their synthy electronic loops in their latest album The King of Limbs, Radiohead can get you thrashing your head to dancing along to their funky grooves. Below is an example of one of their newer tracks, "Lotus Flower," that can get anyone up and dancing.

Their live shows and a brief review of their albums!
Almost two years ago I went to my first music festival, Coachella, with 3 of my good friends and had the time of my life seeing some of the greatest bands in only one weekend. Of course the band that stole the show was Radiohead. They had a great setup of screens which displayed very trippy and stunning visuals that went with the song they were playing. The greatest part of all was the energy the whole band brought as Thom Yorke danced around the stage and even talked to some members of the audience!

Radiohead has a total of 8 studio albums that were released from 1993-2011. I'm only going to cover The Bends, Ok Computer and In Rainbows to keep this short! The Bends is a departure from Radiohead's first album and finally showed that they were a band to be reckoned with. This album has what I personally believe to be the most beautiful song ever written, "Fake Plastic Trees." From its minimal chord progression into a swift guitar solo it truly encompasses singer Thom Yorke's melodic falsetto voice. Ok Computer is considered a landmark record of the 90's and was extremely well reviewed by critics. It contains such songs as "Paranoid Android," which ultimately is the "Bohemian Rhapsody" of the 90's and "Karma Police," a more piano driven song. Ok Computer is one of the first Radiohead albums I got into and will always remain as one of my favorites! Lastly, the 2007 album In Rainbows was actually released to the public on a pay-what-you want basis, meaning fans could buy the album from a penny to hundreds of dollars. It features a more diverse selection of songs, from ambient and creepy sounding songs like "All I Need" and "Nude" to more rock based ones like "Bodysnatchers," the album does not disappoint!

How much do I really like this band?
Radiohead in my opinion is easily one of the best bands in existence. They have continuously put out music that never seems to disappoint and always leave me wanting more. They are a must-see band live and I would recommend everyone to listen to their discography. I easily give them a 10/10! Try giving them a listen and let me know what you think of them. I'll leave some videos you should all check out down below!

Live performance at Glastonbury:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYDgY3bbmTs

Paranoid Android:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVxzFwM_fb0

Sources:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/thom-yorke-20101202

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/oct/14/radiohead-o2-arena-london-review

Mac Demarco

     

   Who the monkey is Mac DeMarco?

Hello there! Step into this time machine with me and let's experience the psychedelic funk that is Mac DeMarco. Coming from the far away foreign land that is Canada, Mac DeMarco brings a very unique vibe to the indie scene of music that is sweeping all of the garage shows across the U.S. Starting from humble beginnings, Mac started producing music straight out of high school, calling himself "Makeout Videotape." He was joined by a few musicians and toured with Japandroids. After not finding much work in music, he did random work to get by, but eventually recorded an EP called "Rock and Roll Night Club." His record label liked the album enough to have him record an LP simply called II. The album was extremely well received by critics and Mac won a few awards from it. Mac DeMarco writes all of the songs himself and has musicians with him when he tours to play the others parts to the song. He is an extremely quirky man who has several comical videos on YouTube. His band has gotten a little more popular as his band toured with indie-rock super band Phoenix. 

       

      Why should I see him live?

Why shouldn't you?! His live shows are very bizarre and can range anywhere from him stripping to being somewhat of a stand up comedian to his crowd. Unlike most bands that just play the same setlist every night and don't ever change anything up, Mac Demarco knows how to have a good time and interact with his fans. He actually played at SF State on campus for free, but I was sick when he played so I wasn't able to see him. If you like chill music and slowly dancing with a partner awkwardly then this band is for you! A lot of his music is dedicated to his girlfriend Kira, making it perfect to listen to while enjoying a candlelit dinner for two. 

     Specific songs I like and my review on his albums as a whole

My favorite songs are "Ode to Viceroy," "Cooking Up Something Good," and "The Stars Keep Calling My Name." "Ode to Viceroy" is a psychedelic ballad to the brand of cigarettes he smokes everyday. I'm not entirely sure about the meaning to cooking up something, but who cares, it's a really good funky song. The Stars Keep Calling My Name is a sensual song presented to his Mac's girlfriend Kira. Its smooth guitar riffs that match the vocals and the high pitched solo at the end perfectly wrap up this song. In regards to his EP and LP that are out, I have mixed reviews. His EP "Rock and Roll Night Club" is a very mellow and slow paced mash up of songs that are just lacking something. Don't get me wrong, the album is still good, but it was blown away by his LP II. The album features a more psychedelic surfer rock vibe that perfectly gets one to get up and start dancing. Starting off strong with the poppy song, "Cooking Up Something Good" and ending with the slow, sensual and mainly acoustic song "Still Together."

     How much do I really like this band?

I give Mac DeMarco a big two thumbs up or as a better way to explain a 9/10. Definitely a must-listen band that should intrigue everyone who listens to them. Below are some videos that I believe sum up Mac DeMarco perfectly! Let me know what you think of this band after listening! 

Live-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wizAwUwdWsY

Interviewing Sky Ferreira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGfbDIL3GQM

Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/29/mac-demarco-review