Brooks Nielsen (of The Growlers)

Brooks Nielsen, lead singer of surf-psych icons The Growlers, revisits the band’s classic album, Chinese Fountain, to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Nielsen will perform the album from start to finish (and then some) this fall at 26 very special North American shows.

Chinese Fountain is The Growlers’ fourth studio album and sees the band evolve from a psych-circus, while remaining true to the band's “beach goth” essence. It is blessedly direct, with razor sharp songwriting and engaging melodies at the center of every song; "Big Toe," "Going Gets Tough," "Love Test,” “Rare Hearts” and or course, the disco-punk and synth-splashed title track. It was that track that signaled the band’s move from the dive bar to the dance floor--a precursor of sorts to the band’s follow-up, the Julian Casablancas-produced City Club.

Uncompromising, enigmatic, and wildly ambitious, Nielsen isn’t tiptoeing into his solo career. The energetic singer has had a busy couple of years, embarking on headline tours where he regularly performs more than two hours each night, sometimes stretching his show past the three-hour mark.

His latest singles “Tropical Cowboy” and “Chew My Heart Out," function as a duo. A couple. A gemini gesture to herald his upcoming second solo album, A Ride I’m Waiting For. Originally written in 2014 for Chinese Fountain, the songs are a sneaky flashback to a different era when The Growlers released tracks as “couples.” Not singles, but two songs together, intertwined in thought and expression. 

You can hear the new tracks live at the upcoming Chinese Fountain 10th Anniversary Shows as well as songs from Nielsen’s 20-track solo debutOne Match Left and subsequent The Circle and Psycho EPs. Nielsen’s dynamic set lists have been loaded with Growlers’ classics, deep cuts, choice covers, and stripped-down, unplugged mini-sets. 

Aided by a live band that includes Growlers drummer Richard Gowen, bassist Brogan Dutcher, keyboardist Cole Riddle, and guitarists J.D. Carrera and Elyadeen Anbar, Nielsen melds the live spontaneity of the improv-driven rock scene with the energy of his punk peers.