Taking their name from the Nickelodeon teen show Aaahhh!!! Real Monsters, the Gromble have reached a local-favorite status with their infectious brand of quirky indie-pop. Their meld of Pixies, Pavement and Weezer influences garnered the Laguna Niguel natives an OC Music Awards nomination last year—as well as a deal with the 37 Records label. With the release date of the band's debut LP right around the corner, guitarist/front man Spencer Askin sounds excited when he talks about what's in store for his up-and-coming five-piece.
OC Weekly: Urban Dictionary lists “gromble” as a super-lewd sex act. Were you aware of that?
Spencer Askin: Yes, if it's in reference to our live show. . . .
The band get compared to Weezer, the Pixies and Pavement—is that something you like to hear?
Those are three of my all-time favorite bands on a very short list of favorite bands, and if their influence is coming through, then we're doing something right. I suppose the comparisons could turn negative if people feel we're a direct clone of any of those bands. I'd like to think we aren't, but our new material should definitely help. The goal here is to have someone to think “that sounds like the Gromble.”
You're getting ready to release your full-length debut. What does that mean for you guys?
It means a great deal to us. We've finally solidified our lineup and have been working a lot more collaboratively on the new tunes. Our EP was released earlier this year on 37 Records, but the tracking was done more than a year ago. We've grown a lot as a band, and this is really our chance to carve out an identity for ourselves and define our sound. The last EP was our valiant attempt at a nice underground pop/rock/indie/alt record, but stylistically, we could have done more to show who exactly we are. This is our opportunity.
With your Detroit Bar residency and buzz on various blogs, it feels like there's a big “up-and-coming” energy about the band right now. What would you like to see happen next?
A goal for the next year would be to get on a big tour—playing bigger shows, promoting the album as much as possible. All we can really hope for is to be moving forward. If they do it again next year, I'd love to play on the Weezer cruise. Any connections?
Sure, let me talk to Rivers. Have you spent a lot of time on the road?
We toured up the coast to Olympia, Washington, in spring of this year, and we had an excellent time. It was hard, lots of gigs got canceled, but lots of other gigs got booked last-minute, and we made a ton of friends we would've never met otherwise. Although I'd go back in a heartbeat, I doubt I could talk the rest of the band into leaving work for weeks to go on a self-funded tour playing for free pizza and 15 people a night.
This column appeared in print as “Lewd and Loud.”
