More Info on BeangrowersSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Beangrowers| image =| caption = Ian Schranz, Alison Galea, and Mark Sansone| background = group_or_band| current_members = Alison Galea, Ian Schranz &Mark Sansone| years_active = 1999–present| origin = St. Julian's , Malta | genre = Indie rock|Indie , Rock music|Rock , Alternative rock|Alternative Rock | label = Minty Fresh , Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade | Similar Artists = The Happy Hollows , the Sounds , Die Mannequin , Noisettes , Yeah Yeah Yeahs , the Maccabees Beangrowers are a Malta|Maltese three-piece indie rock Musical band|band consisting of Alison Galea ( lead vocals|vocals and guitar ), Mark Sansone ( bass guitar ) and Ian Schranz ( drums and Electronic music|noise ). All three were born in 1977 in St. Julian's , Malta. The members of the band are also songwriter s, resulting in their albums reflecting diverse influences, including indie rock , Punk rock|punk , and Gothic rock|goth .
History
Ian Schranz and Mark Sansone met in church and were childhood friends from the age of 8, and later started playing music together. They were joined by mutual friend Alison Galea, who proved to be a capable singer. The band went through a number of fourth members before settling on their current three-musician composition. According to the band's official site, the name "Beangrowers" was given by a fan when a promoter demanded a name for poster s. According to this story, the band had not previously decided on a name.
Alison, also a guitarist and keyboardist , provides a distinctive and vaguely British English#Accent|British-accented voice to Beangrowers songs. Her voice has been described as sweet yet sultry. Drummer Ian Schranz also orchestrates the drum machine s and other Electronic music|electronic noise for the songs, while Mark Sansone is the Beangrower's bassist .
The Beangrowers recorded demo tapes in early 1996 when they were just 18. Early recordings featured sounds from 1950s science fiction film|movie s and computer -generated noise. Within a year they travelled to play in Germany|German Public house|clubs which resulted in a positive response. The Beangrowers record heavily in English language|English but they are possibly best known in the German language|German -speaking world where Ian Schranz's family hails from. In 1999 their first single made the top 20 of the Deutsche Alternative Charts , an alternative rock sales ranking in Germany . They also have become a minor hit in New Zealand where the single "José Clemente" from their album Beangrowers reached #7 on New Zealand charts and achieved steady rotation on Juice TV , the New Zealand equivalent of MTV . Relatively obscure in large English-speaking markets, various critics have voiced their opinion that they would do very well in United Kingdom|Britain and the United States if more popularly known.
Musical style
Musically the group draws influences from other alternative groups like the Violent Femmes , Joy Division , and the Pixies , but with an alternative pop sound. The band itself readily admits to this noting that "all the greats essentially wrote pop songs, like The Cure , Nirvana (band)|Nirvana , Depeche Mode etc." Many of Beangrowers songs, such as "Teen Titans" with repeating lyrics "We never listen to the radio" seem to reference the band's own obscure Indie rock|indie status.
Discography
Albums
48K , June 1999 - http://www.adequacy.net/1999/01/beangrowers-48k/ Review
Beangrowers , April 2001 - http://www.adequacy.net/1999/01/beangrowers-s-t/ Review
Not In A Million Lovers , April 2008 - http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/beangrowers-not-in-a-million-lovers/ Review 1 http://www.musicaldiscoveries.com/digest/digest.php? a=viewr& id=846 2
