Last year’s Beach Goth festival did not go as planned. The Growlers, who have headlined the festival for years, caught much of the blame because of a disagreement with the venue’s parent company over who owns rights to the term, “beach goth.” The Growlers’ Brooks Nielsen maintained that it was their term.

“It was an obvious thing; we were making beach songs about death or dark things,” Nielsen says. “To me, it just feels natural. I can’t deny that beach goth really is something that defines the Growlers.”

However, Noise Group did not agree. The company sued the Growlers claiming that the festival belongs to them as well as the term. They claimed rights to merchandising and named most of the band as defendants in the lawsuit. This year, the festival previously known as Beach Goth now goes by a new name, The Growlers Six.

The Growlers didn’t win the rights to their term. However, people often said that Growlers were the main draw to the festival anyway, something that the name now reflects. The Growlers Six, though changed in name, will be the same old festival. Fans should not worry about too much change.

The festival released its lineup today. Most notably, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Butthole Surfers will make appearances, two bands that do not often come out to play. The Butthole Surfers have also made it clear that this will be the only live performance they will undertake in 2017. Tickets go on sale on August 11th at 10:00 A.M. Pacific Standard Time. Tickets can be purchased from the official website here.

Photography Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz