Toronto, and the greater Toronto area, is home to some of our favorite rock bands: Billy Talent, PUP, Alexisonfire, Seaway, and Broken Social Scene to name a few. Our latest addition to the ever-growing list is GROWERS. The four-piece alternative rock band was formed only 3 summers ago but they’ve quickly made a name for themselves in the local music scene. In the summer of 2020, GROWERS and their song “The 90’s”, won the fan-favorite award for Corus Entertainment’s 20K Summer Song contest. They took the win and prize money and went to work recording their debut EP, Rock Hard. Perfect for your summer playlist and the current obsessed with ‘90s nostalgia, the four upbeat tracks will make you want to throw on a pair of Vans and transport yourself to the angsty Warped Tour era. A windows-down, scream at the top of your lungs type of band, we guarantee GROWERS will tug on your Green Day and Blink-182 heartstrings.

Hot off the heels of Toronto’s acclaimed NXNE festival, GROWERS are heading to Adelaide Hall on July 9th, and you can get tickets here. We chatted with guitarist Matt ahead of the show to discuss all the burning questions, music-related and beyond.

You just played NXNE, what was that like?
This year we made our NXNE debut. It was our first time performing at the iconic Toronto punk rock venue, the Baby G. We opened the night, and it was great to see our loyal fans make it out early. We played our usual set, consisting mostly of original material, accompanied by a handful of cover songs, including a wicked medley of “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys and “Bulls On Parade” by Rage Against the Machine. That one really got the crowd moving. The rest of the bands also played great sets and made the night a success.

What would be your dream lineup for a festival?
If we were to perform at this dream festival, we would be honored to open up for some of our influences including Canadian rockers: Pup, Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, and the OBGMs.

What’s your favorite post-show snack?
[It] has to either be College Falafel (best Donair in the city), or Papa CEO for the best pizza.

What’s your favorite music video you’ve ever done and why?
[That] has to be “The 90’s”. Even though our singer Charlie was living in Montreal at the time, while the rest of the band remained in Toronto, we still managed to shoot an effective music video between [the] two cities. The concept involved recreating scenes from iconic films and pop culture of the 1990s, while on an extremely low budget. The results were really funny and made for an entertaining video. This music video went on to win us the fan-favorite vote in the 2020 summer song contest presented by Corus Entertainment—a competition that awarded us a $2,000 grant.

What’s your go-to song to sing in the shower?
“Diet, Crime, and Delinquency” by a little band called Personal and the Pizzas. 

What do you think is the most underrated spot in Toronto?
Maybe the Cameron House backroom. That was where we played our first show ever as GROWERS. We’ve never seen a bad show at the Cameron House. Their staff is great and while the backroom offers a great punk rock venue, the front room also features a lot of blues music, which we love.

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