Nashville quartet Turbo Fruits landed in Brooklyn this past Thursday for the album release party of their forthcoming album No Control, which comes out next week (April 20th). This will be the band’s fourth album, and much anticipated follow up to 2012’s Butter. On Thursday at Baby’s All Right the band merged the huge sound of arena rock with their roots in garage rock. It was a head-banging friendly performance.
One of the first observations made by singer Jonas Stein as he got on stage was that “Weed [was] tight.” He then raised a glass of beer and put on his guitar. It was at that point I noticed the words “Weed is Tyte” written in sharpie on his guitar strap, which was strapped to his American flag guitar. With lead guitarist Kingsley Brock wearing ripped jeans and a ripped shirt, Turbo Fruits struck an interesting picture, borrowing equally from Tom Petty and The Clash.
Their songs paid similar homage to 70s rock, with soft-loud dynamics, sing along hooks, and huge guitar solos that are effective, but verge on being generic. “The Way I Want You” injects U2 with a gritty garage-y element, and was a highlight of the show. Album opener “Show Me Something Real” has a nice laid back attitude, and it translated into an electric live performance.
Like Fat White Family – who I also saw at Baby’s All Right – there was a DIY attitude toward band and crowd interaction. At one point, Stein got hoisted up on top of the crowd, playing the guitar over the audience, and at the grand finale, Stein and Brock both brought their microphones and guitars into a sea of adoring fans.
And their fans were full of adoration. One of the most inspiring and heartwarming scenes was the girl who was there with her mother at what seemed to be her first rock concert. She stood in front Stein fixated for the entire hour, singing along with every word, and going absolutely nuts when Brock stepped up for a guitar solo.
It’s kind of corny, but witnessing this girl’s adoration, I found it heartwarming. Like, wow, maybe rock music can touch the hearts of teenagers. Maybe my bleak, cynical, and journalistic heart could be soothed to feel something again when I go to a rock concert. Maybe I just needed another drink.
Article by: Steven Klett
