On Friday, December 17 Turbo Fruits and Pujol played a show in Austin, TX at Red 7. Pooneh Ghana took pictures at the show and hung out with the bands backstage.
With two new singles recently released (“Where the Stars Don’t Shine” and “Keepin’ On”), a new record label (Turbo Time Records, started by the band themself), and what seems like a nonstop touring schedule, Nashville’s very own Turbo Fruits are deservedly making a name for themselves. The band embarked on a brief winter tour through the south in December, covering states such as Texas and Lousiana with friends and fellow up-and-coming Nashville outfit, PUJOL (led by frontman Daniel Pujol). The tour brought the two bands to Red 7 in Austin, TX, where I got to sit down with the guys (all eight members of both bands) for an interview, as well as snapping some photos backstage and of the show.
Okay, so I'm going to start off with a little “best and worst.” First question, what are you best and worst tour memories?
Jonas: Last night was the worst.
[Laughs]
I thought you said it was the best!
Pujol: Last night was the “worst that I want you to print” show.
How many people were there?
Pujol: One. One person.
I was gonna come to that, just because it's my San Antonio. It's my hometown.
Sean: It would have been nice.
Pujol: Would have been a nice, solid, even number.
Jonas: My worst tour experience was accidentally driving to Canada a few years ago and getting strip-searched by the Canadian border patrol for having marijuana on me.
Wow, how did that end up?
Jonas: Just got really scared for a few hours, was naked a little bit, put some handcuffs on, and they let us back over.
Joey: That sounds like the best experience
[Laughs]
Jonas: I actually got nake…uh, I got totally naked by two dudes holding guns.
Pujol: That's actually our worst tour story too…but there was no police.
[Laughs]
Matt: I would say playing the Market Hotel back in March. It was like the biggest show that was ever at Market Hotel, and it's not open anymore. But it was fucking sweet.
Dave: Bal Harbour, when we wrapped up the Surfer Blood tour in Bal Harbour in Miami. They put us up in an executive suite that was like 5 room, a spa downstairs, and like free catered meal.
Jonas: It wasn't the best show but it was the best hospitality.
Sean: I would say one of the weirdest times we had was when we were in Brooklyn and we were playing Don Pedro's. I was in the bathroom having a shit and there was this guy. The door opens one way but he starts pushing it really, really hard [the opposite way]. The doors locked and I'm like “Hey, I'm in here, I'm in here!” And all of the sudden the door just breaks open, this guy just pushes it and it falls off it's hinges. Then he's like, “You're supposed to lock the fucking door! God!” Then he just walks out of the room.
Joey: And he's still taking a shit.
Sean: Yeah, I'm still in there, the door's wide open and there was nothing I could do about it. That sucked.
That sounds very traumatizing. I don't even know what I'd do. Just looking at your face now, I can tell.
Joey: He talks about it like everyday.
Pujol: He can't go to the bathroom anymore.
Alright so, how about the best and worst new music of 2010? Song, band, anything.
Matt: Surfer Blood, Ty Segall…
Sean: Worst was the two dudes last night.
Jonas: Microwave. Sorry guys, but…
Are they a local band?
Matt: A San Antonio “band”.
Yeah, there are a lot of “bands” in San Antonio.
Jonas: The Cutters.
Sean: Oooh, those guys. They told us that we could stay at their house in Houston. We packed up all of our stuff and I was like “Hey man, we're ready to go whenever you are.” And this guy was like “Let me just finish my beer.” When he finishes he gets his buddy, and they leave without telling us.
Matt: Then they shit-talked us onstage the whole time for no reason. We didn't even know them.
Dave: They drank our beer, threw our bread…
Sean: The coolest thing was that the promoter dude gave us each like, a hearty meal of fried chicken, beans and rice. It was incredible.
Pujol: It was just really good and really bad at the same time.
Joey: But Ty Segall is definitely the best band.
Dave: Natural Child also kicks ass.
Pujol: Yeah, Natural Child's good as well.
How long have you all known each other? I know you [Pujol] were in a band called Meemaw.
Jonas: [Pujol and I] have been rock buddies for few years, 2006, 2007, something like that. We've been Nashville rock buddies, it's kind of how we all know each other.
Matt: I remember in 2008, just going up to [Pujol] after a show and kissing his ass.
[Laughs]
Pujol: This man, this man kept me going.
Matt: I meant it for real, from the heart. About how fucking good it was.
But now you guys are good friends.
[Collective yeses]
Sean: I kind of just fell in ass-backwards into all this.
Jonas: Little Sean is finishing up high school this year.
Pujol: He's a baby.
Say someone's never heard of Pujol and there was one song you had to recommend, which one would it be?
Kingsley: Probably “Death Mask.”
Matt: “Too safe.”
Dave: “Black Rabbit.”
How about you guys [Pujol] with Turbo Fruits?
Sean: I like “Bridezilla” the most.
Joey: “Colt 45” is good
Sean: “Colt 45” is sick.
Joey: And the new one, what's the newest one?
Jonas: “Ain’t the Only One Havin’ Fun.”
Sean: Yeah! [Starts singing guitar riff]
Jonas: This is like a very therapeutic interview.
