by Sarah A. Peterson-Camacho

A trio of best friends have had the summer of their lives as Fresno’s Skate Punk band Boozer Boys (guitarist/vocalist Gabriel Ureno, bassist/vocalist Harrison Silva-Costa, and drummer Bryce Lowenthal) went on tour for the first time. Now back in town, Ureno sat down with Kings River Life to talk about the tour, the music, and what comes next.

KRL: What music genre do you play?

Gabriel: We are a Skate Punk band, but we draw pretty heavily from Garage Rock as well.

KRL: What was the inspiration for your band’s name?

Gabriel: It’s an older term I have heard tossed around by older folk to describe a person who gets drunk; I thought it had a nice ring to it.

Boozer Boys

KRL: How long have you been making music as a band, and how did you get your start?

Gabriel: I’ve been playing with Bryce in a few bands since my junior year of high school; I’m going on a year graduated, and we are still at it. Harry joined us when this band started up in March of this year.

KRL: Did you always want to be musicians?

Gabriel: Yes, all of us did.

KRL: What kinds of music did you listen to growing up? Which artists?

Gabriel: Classic Rock mostly: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, all the essentials.

Boozer Boys in concert

KRL: Who are your biggest musical influences?

Gabriel: We each draw a lot from different styles of music. As a band, punk rock is a huge influence, especially our contemporaries: bands like FIDLAR and Together Pangea. Bryce is a jazzhead and also a huge Doors fan. Harry likes a lot of Burger Records bands, and I’m big into oldies and lo-fi hip hop.

KRL: What is your songwriting process?

Gabriel: I write the melodies and lyrics, and normally I’ll bring the skeleton of a song to the table, and the guys help me put the meat on the bones.

KRL: Where have you played locally, and abroad?

Gabriel: We just got off our first tour in July; we did a six-day run up in Northern California, and wrapped it up opening for Surf Curse at Strummer’s in Fresno, when they came through town.

KRL: What is the best part about making and performing music?

Gabriel: Being able to do it together; we’re all great friends, and we spend a lot of time together when we aren’t playing shows.

KRL: Are there any upcoming events/performances you’d like our readers to know about?

Gabriel: We have some studio time booked in early October to record our first 4-Track EP. No name for it yet, but we’ll get there! We’re thinking of throwing a show in Fresno again, too, maybe at a skate park or something.

Keep up with the Boozer Boys by liking their Facebook page.

Sarah A. Peterson-Camachois a library assistant with Fresno County Library, with a Bachelor’s in English and a Bachelor’s in Journalism from California State University, Fresno. In her free time, she makes soap and jewelry that she sells at Fresno-area craft fairs. She has written for The Clovis Roundup and the Central California Paranormal Investigators (CCPI) Newsletter.