Turbo Fruits made quite a name for itself as a crazy party band in the mid-oughties when it first came out. Helmed by guitarist/vocalist Jonas Stein, (who was in the celebrated teen brat pack Be Your Own Pet), Turbo Fruits’ debut even came out on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label. “I had a couple of different lineups early on but the current Turbo Fruits [with Kingsley Brock on guitar, Dave McCowen on bass and Matt Hearn on drums] are permanent and have been for six years!” Stein says. Now on a stateside tour promoting their fourth release, No Control, Stein talks about working with Patrick Carney of the Black Keys and Stewart Copeland of the Police, his day job, and recording while sober.

Hometown: Nashville, but I was born in Los Angeles.

Current residence: Nashville

How is No Control different from your past albums?

[It was inspired by] Life experience. It's maybe a little less loosey-goosey than past albums.. more heartfelt content, in general.

I’ve read that you were sober during the making of this album. Did that make a difference?  

I think it made a difference in my work ethic.  It also helped some deeper-seeded subjects rise to the surface and I think that was important to me for this album. I probably won't do that again for a while!

Patrick Carney produced your single, “No Reason To Stay.” What was he like as a producer?  

Very easygoing, simple and smart. He was really easy to work with!

How did you get  Stewart Copeland to direct your video "The Way I Want You"? Did you have to learn wrestling moves?

Kingsley asked him if he would do a video for us.  I did indeed have to learn how to get my ass whooped.  that was the easy part.  Getting thrown onto the ground for 6 hours straight definitely took it's toll.. I was sore for weeks!!!

Do you have a day job?

I spin disco records back home with my buddy, David Bermudez.  We have a DJ night called SPARKLE CITY.  I also landscape and officiate ice hockey games.  All of these help with my musical career as they are not demanding of my schedule.

Pooneh Ghana

What's your earliest memory of liking music?

Listening to the oldies station on the way to school with my dad.

Is that when you knew you wanted to make music for a living?

I guess sitting at a drum set was the most inspiring time for me wanting to play music. I'm not that good at drums though.

I always wanted to know … how did you get your name?

I was gambling on a fruit-themed slot machine in Scotland and I hit the jackpot. It lit up "Turbo Fruit," I added an S and called it a day!

What's your favorite venue to play in?

I love playing house parties. House parties are intimate and it's hard to fuck up the sound. I hate playing outdoor shows. At outdoor shows, the sound gets lost in space.  I like walls to bounce off of.

I guess that makes sense, since you're famous as a hard-partying band. Does getting older get in the way of that?

We party hard but work harder these days.  

What's your favorite party move?   

My favorite party move is talking to a lady and not getting walked away from!!!