Guitarist Kingsley Brock of Turbo Fruits talks about life and staying healthy on the road, the bands tie to motorcycle culture and shares his favorite five albums.

CB: Butter came out on September 11th, Were you guys ever a little nervous releasing it on such a significant date?

KB: It definitely crossed our minds, we talked about it with our manager and record label. They seemed to think it was fine. It was actually pushed back a couple of weeks from the release date. I guess we thought maybe nobody would buy records on September 11th. It was really all kind of a coincidence, so we kind of just went with it. Fortunately everything turned out ok in the end and people were cool with it.

CB: You guys are one of the hardest working bands out there, does it play with your head sometimes being on the road so often? Where’s the best town to eat?

KB: Sure, I mean at this point it’s almost stranger being at home than on the road. Being on the road for such long periods of time, it’s kind of something that we’ve gotten use to, despite the fact that accommodations are always different. These days were more concerned about getting something healthy to eat and more than five hours of sleep. In the beginning I think it used to fuck with me being out for so long. I mean your always moving around and never really have time to relax. It’s funny. I’m sure we all have different answers answers for that. We usually like to try new stuff in different cities. I would have to say New York City. Were all really familiar with that town and you can get any type of food at any time, you just hop on the subway. In many cities we play, we usually have to eat close to the venue. Chicago is also a great food town.

CB: Are you guys all motorcycle fans, you have the song Harley Dollar Bill which features, well motorcycles. There’s also a publicity shot with you guys posing with bikes.

KB: Jonas and Dave both have their licences. I know how to ride a bit. But those guys ride all the time. Dave really got back into it recently, it seems like Jonas has been riding since he’s like three years old. He actually taught me how to ride. I’m definitely a big fan of the motorcycle culture, I’m sure I will get my license soon. The video and the publicity shot are pretty cool, because most of us are really into bikes, so it’s not really a made up thing.

CB: Tell me a bit about the ‘Bruise Cruise’ this year, what was your experience like? Is the whole boat rented out for all the bands and Bruisers?

KB: The festival was actually created by Jonas. He and our booking agent Michelle put it together. It’s been going on for a couple of years, this year it won’t be happening unfortunately. The boat holds about twenty-five hundred people, about five hundred people their for the music and the rest are regular cruise folks. It might have gotten a little crazy if the whole boat was full of people just for the Bruise Cruise. It’s a really cool vibe, you would think their might be reasons for altercations, but everyone really gets along. I think the ‘normal’ cruisers are kind of intrigued wit what were doing. It’s
really a three day party with great music, many different people from different bands jamming together and some pretty cool people djing. It’s really great because you can follow the schedule of bands or kind of do your own thing and just chill. It definitely took a good few days of sleep to recover afterwards.

CB: You did some shows with Guided By Voices, did you have a chance to grab a couple of beers with Mr Pollard? How were their sets?

KB: We actually only played one show with Guided By Voices. It’s kind of funny because our manager, manages GBV as well. We played a gig together in Nashville. I didn’t really get a chance to hang with Bob, I don’t think he was really drinking. I don’t think he quit drinking, I just don’t think he was drinking at that show. Those guys put on a really amazing show, I definitely would have grabbed a couple of beers with them though, if the oppurtunity had arisen.

CB: You worked with Jim Eno on ‘Butter’ he’s worked with many great bands and plays in a pretty good one himself. What was it like for you and the guys to record with him?

KB: Working with Jim awesome, we really wanted a good producer on board. We really had no idea if anyone wanted to produce it or not. When he showed interest, we were really quite happy. When he offered to produce, we jumped on it. He came to Nashville two or three times to our practice space for production stuff. It was great, we never really worked with a producer in the past. We weren’t sure what to expect. Jim came in and was totally down to earth and easy going. He suggested some ideas and changes, I mean it’s a pretty live album. It’s produced to a certain extent, but not over produced. We’re really happy with the sound of the record. We’ve become friends with Jim, whenever were in Austin he comes out to shows and has a couple of beers with us as well. Aside from being our producer, he’s an awesome guy.

CB: Five albums in the van right now?

KB: Tame Impala: Lonerism
Deer Tick – The Black Dirt Sessions
Diamond Rugs – Diamond Rugs
Deep Purple – Machine Head
The Beatles – Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band