March 28, 2024

Local Music Spotlight On: Turbo Pup

March 25, 2016

MEET THE BAND

They started gigging as Turbo Pup in late August 2015, after singer/guitarist Aaron Dye and violinist Brett McDowell had done a few rounds of performance as a guitar/fiddle duo. The two friends found common ground after learning they had both spent time out west (Dye in Bozeman, Mont., and McDowell in Lake Tahoe, Calif.) and returned to northern Michigan with the objective of becoming part of the local music scene.

“Then we connected with Sean Reisig (drums) and Jordan Moeggenberg (bass) and found that we had the same ideas about what a band could be, which is to say, a hardworking band motivated by creativity and exploration,” Dye said.

YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD THEM

Even though they’ve only been a band for about six months, many of the bandmates are well known locally, so there’s been quite a buzz about their collective new project. While Dye said he claims “no local fame to speak of,” McDowell has gigged with E Minor; Reisig played with Funktion and Moeggenberg jams with Medicinal Groove.

Recent gigs have included stops at the 2016 Great Indoor Folk Fest, Cellar 152 in Elk Rapids, and at Brew in Traverse City. One of their most standout shows to date, Dye noted, was at TC’s The Workshop Brewing Company.

“Having the band in full action was a blast,” he said. “We’d really been putting in the work at rehearsals, and it showed. I love it when a plan comes together.”

THEIR INSPIRATION:

As with many bands around northern Michigan that combine influences, Turbo Pup’s sound is tough to pin down.

“There wasn’t really a decision on our direction,” Dye said. “It was more like a train already going somewhere and we all jumped on.”

Residing somewhere between genres, their music hops around within their band arrangements, making stops at rock, funk, jazz, gypsy and folk; the band’s fans say their songs often sound familiar, yet not any one particular style.

“For those who haven’t heard it, I can only hope to say ‘it’s good!’” Dye said. “Music is a way to bridge emotions and connect like-minded people, so it’s a goal of ours to fulfill this at every show, even if only one person gets it.”

ALL ABOUT THAT NAME

The band’s unusual moniker comes from a song of the same name that Dye wrote about his friend Cote Fugere, who passed away in a motorcycle accident in September of 2012. Turbo Pup was a nickname Fugere gave Dye, and he and McDowell felt that naming the band after it would be a good way to honor his friend’s memory.

“He was an exceptional human being,” Dye said. “Full of one-line zingers and a goofy Midwestern accent. It’s hard to capture his essence in only a few words.”

CURRENT PROJECTS

Rehearsing and gigging are the band’s two biggest priorities at the moment and, with 30 original songs on their setlist — that’s right, Turbo Pup rarely plays covers, a welcome anomaly in this area — there’s good reason for them to get to the recording studio. They’re working on an EP with Ben Cohen of Toledo band The Antivillains, which they hope to release early this summer.

FUTURE PUP

Once their EP is in the can, Turbo Pup plans to work on a full-length album — in between all of their upcoming shows, of course. Their calendar is filling up, with several Traverse City dates on deck, including Left Foot Charley Apr. 29, Brew May 1 and a big gig at Union Street Station May 26.

“In the short term, our goal is to continue contributing to the amazing music scene that already exists here and get that album out,” Dye said. “In the long term, our goal is to be the first band that plays in outer space — kinda serious about that,” he grinned.

Find out more at turbopupmusic.com

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