Tag: The Blowholes

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Narwhals are Gnarly! An interview with the Blowholes

Photo by Alicia Jobse

By Kent Davies

Attention buoys and gills! Once in a whale an act comes along that is destined to have bad oceanic puns follow them wherever they go. The all-female garage rock foursome known as The Blowholes have been making waves since forming in early 2009. Their ferocious wailing and catchy guitar work are a tidal wave of fun-filled exuberance that few bands can match. Their debut album features a series of wonderfully strange, rockin’, porpoise-ful numbers about all things under the sea.  Recently Stylus managed to reel in guitarists/vocalists Melody Titus and Alana Mercer to explore the depths of their chart-topping debut album.

Stylus: How did The Blowholes come into being?
Alana Mercer: Julia Ryckman and I had originally had been in The Gorgon and The Blowholes formed in an emergency situation where The Gorgon was unable to play a show. It was basically Leanne Grieves, Julia and I playing covers. We played another show when we were asked to play The Ex-Girlfriends CD release party. We asked Erica Jacobson to fill in and the show was so much fun. After No Fun broke up Leanne brought up, why not make The Blowholes a real band? Erica was in because she wasn’t doing anything and Leanne asked Melody if she wanted to join because we knew her from Space Amazon and the Warrior Queens. When Melody showed up right away we all knew it was going to be awesome.
Melody Titus: I told them I think I have a song or five…
AM: Or 18! I think our album was written three years ago.
Stylus: Local label Transistor 66 put it out. How did you join the family? Continue reading “Narwhals are Gnarly! An interview with the Blowholes”

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The Blowholes – The Blowholes


It’s the high school under-the-sea dance come to life. The Blowholes have been blowing people away with their lo-fi twangy strings and shrill screams since forming in 2009. It’s hard not to fall in love with a series of whimsy-laden songs about whales, sharks and octopuses. Unlike some of their local garage-rock counter parts, The Blowholes’ sound is disarmingly casual and almost hypnotic. Fluctuating between mid-tempo slow dance numbers like “Moonlighting” and breezy rockin’ tunes like “the Haunt,” the ferocious foursome have a knack for creating alluring numbers. Trying to pick out standout track in this sea of songs is next to impossible. From the pick-a-licious licks of “Poseidon’s Daughters” to rockingly-shockingly devastating “Huck Fin” to the playful theatrics of “Remember,” each cut is uniquely catchy and perfect for burning one down by the beach. (Transistor 66, http://theblowholes.transistor66.com) Kent Davies