The buzz is growing about Buzzed Lightbeer. The San Francisco band hit last year hard by having an admirable poll position at Psyched Radio’s Tenderloin Music Festival and opening for a sold-out Shannon and the Clams show on Halloween. This year Gabbi Araujo (bassist, vocalist), Ronnie Hillix (guitarist, vocalist) and Michael Negrete (drummer) are buzzing with some headlining shows—most recently they sold out the Rickshaw Stop with little more than “word of mouth” promotion.
Meanwhile, Buzzed Lightbeer is no stranger to our planet across the bridge having played shows at Berkeley’s Starry Plough and 924 Gilman, Oakland’s Thee Stork Club and The Golden Bull (RIP), with high hopes to play Eli’s Mile High Club after the band heard that they have blood-wrestling matches.
“The East Bay knows how to create art and community from a very human place as San Francisco is becoming oversaturated by tech and AI,” says Araujo. “We played Ivy Room multiple times, which we love—we had a lot of sweaty lesbian fun at our show with Thelma & the Sleaze a couple of years ago.”
On Thursday, Feb.19, Buzzed Lightbeer will be making a well-orchestrated return crash landing at the women-owned and operated Ivy Room in Albany.
While the band was formed in 2018, Araujo says, “Things really kicked off when Ronnie joined the band about a year later.” All Toy Story dad jokes aside, this band is tighter than the airlock on Star Command. Trust that it takes a lot of discipline to seem so disheveled.
Buzzed Lightbeer’s sound often draws parallels to bands like Hole or Bikini Kill but is also shaped by early Cramps and Stooges. They cite The Runaways and Amyl & the Sniffers as inspiration.
“As much as Hole has influenced our sound, I still think it’s weird when people point that out,” says Hillix. “One time a drunk Irish dude at one of our shows said we sounded like the Beatles mixed with the Ramones. That was an insane thing to say, but strangely true.”
Araujo describes their music as “Hard rock psychobilly meets pop-punk.”
As for the band’s recent surge—and their move onto bigger stages—Araujo chalks it up to a mix of timing and evolution. “We’ve been getting the right gigs,” she says. “Maybe we’re more dialed in or our performances have gotten raunchier.” She laughs, then adds the obvious factor: “We’ve also been around a while.”
Hillix agrees, noting that the growth feels earned. “It definitely feels right to be playing bigger shows, given how long we’ve been in the game now.”
Buzzed Lightbeer is also charging forward with new blood. Recent addition Negrete says his heavier musical background brings “a lot of power and energy” to the live show. He’s clearly all in. “I love being part of Buzzed Lightbeer,” he says. “Ronnie and Gabby are the most fun and creative people I’ve ever played music with.”
The band is currently mixing a new LP to be released on Psyched! Records. A tour and a slot at Oakland’s Doll Fest follows next month.
Buzzed Lightbeer, with Marble and Moon Wave: Thu, Feb. 19 at 8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany; ivyroom.com.
View Buzzed Lightbeer – Cash Grab (Official Video).
