Strawberry Girls

Strawberry Girls is an American experimental rock musical trio composed of members Zachary Garren (guitars), Benjamin Rosett (drums, percussion), and Ian Edwards Jennings (bass guitar) based in Salinas, California.

History

Formation, Italian Ghosts, and debut album (2010–2013)

Strawberry Girls formed shortly after guitarist Zachary Garren departed from post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance in February 2010.^[4] Garren then became acquainted with bass guitarist Ian Edward Jennings and percussionist Benjamin Rosett (formerly of The Trees) and subsequently began writing and recording music as Strawberry Girls. Garren spoke about the meaning behind the name Strawberry Girls in an interview with their label Tragic Hero Records. The name originally derives from a verse in the 1980 song "Christine" by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees.^[5] The band released their debut EP (extended play) album Italian Ghosts on October 28, 2011 and their second EP Do Peace on November 8, 2011, independently. The group recorded their acoustic album, Acoustic Ghosts, throughout early 2012 and was released on May 12, 2012.^[6] On June 25, 2012, the group released a cover of Carly Rae Jepsen's single "Call Me Maybe" which was reviewed as "dark and sexy" by The Air Space.^[7][8] The group also released a cover of Kendrick Lamar's single "Swimming Pools (Drank)" on December 2, 2012.^[9] The band recorded their debut studio album, French Ghetto, at Spirit Vision Studios in Carmel, California and was later released on April 20, 2013 to Bandcamp.^[10] The album was later re-released through Tragic Hero Records on September 20, 2013.^[11] French Ghetto features guest appearances from Kurt Travis of A Lot Like Birds (formerly of Dance Gavin Dance), Shane Smit of Overtone, Nic Newsham of Gatsby's American Dream, Gavin Mulkey, and Kathleen Delano.^[1] Garren spoke about the guest vocalists and musicians on French Ghetto, stating:

"We decided to have different guest vocalists for a few different reasons. Originally, we had written a couple songs for the album that were shorter, a bit chill compared to our normal stuff, and had more pop based structures. Since we didn't really plan on playing those two songs live, we thought it'd be cool to get Kurt Travis, who I used to play with in Dance Gavin Dance, to collaborate on a full song for old time’s sake."

Signing to Tragic Hero Records and American Graffiti (2013–2015)

In June 2013, the band signed a recording contract with record label Tragic Hero Records.^[12][13] On February 24, 2014, Strawberry Girls released a demo EP, titled Ultra Rare, which features recordings taken from an iPhone.^[14] The band toured as a supporting act on the Into Orbit Tour with headliner Stolas from August 14 to September 17, 2014.^[3] Garren went into the studio with Kurt Travis and recorded guitar for his debut full-length studio album, Everything Is Beautiful, which was released on May 14, 2014.^[15] In support of the album, Garren toured with Travis from May 14 to June 7, 2014 with supporting acts Hotel Books and So Much Light in North America.^[16]

The band released their sophomore studio album, American Graffiti, on November 27, 2015 through Tragic Hero Records.^[17]

Track 5 from American Graffiti, "Simon Vandetta", is named after the artist who did the cover art for Stolas release "Catalyst"

Strawberry Girls toured as an opening act on Dance Gavin Dance's 10 Year Anniversary Tour with A Lot Like Birds, Slaves, and Dayshell from November 14 to December 18, 2015.^[18]

Italian Ghosts reimagine and third album (2016–present)

The group toured as support on the Super Chon Bros Tour with CHON and Polyphia from March 11 to April 15, 2016.^[19] On April 18, 2016, the band released their live studio EP, Strawberry Girls on Audiotree Live.^[20]

In June 2016, the band revealed that they will be releasing a reimagine album of their debut EP, Italian Ghosts.^[21]

Musical style

Strawberry Girls' music style has been described as progressive rock,^[22] experimental rock,^[23][24] and post-hardcore.^[25][26]

Achievements

The band's second studio album American Graffiti (2015) was ranked at No. 13 on Fecking Bahamas' list of the Top 50 Math Albums of 2015.^[27]

Members

Current members

• Zachary Garren - lead guitar, bass guitar (2010–present) keyboards, programming (2011–present), glockenspiel (2013–present)
• Benjamin Rosett - drums, percussion, additional bass and guitar (2010–present)
• Ian Edward Jennings - bass guitar, keyboards (2010–present)

Session members

• Robert Rosett - saxophone, flute, clarinet^[28] (2011–present)

Discography

Studio albums

• French Ghetto (Tragic Hero, 2013)
• American Graffiti (Tragic Hero, 2015)
• Italian Ghosts (Tragic Hero, 2017)

Extended plays

• Demos 2011 (2011)^[29]
• Italian Ghosts (2011)
• Do Peace (2011)
• Acoustic Ghosts (2012)
• Ultra Rare (2014)
• Strawberry Girls on Audiotree Live - EP (2016)

Other albums

• American Graffiti Drum Samples (2015)^[30]

References