I had the opportunity to chat with two members of Mighty Tortuga. Check out our conversation below!
A chat with TJ:
What got you started in music?
I'm sure the answer is quite different for each member, but here is mine. I grew up listening to my dad's CDs, which consisted of the Eagles, Bad Company, AC/DC, and Queen. It wasn't until high school when my friend showed me Blink-182 that my mind exploded and I suddenly had an urge to create music. Seeing how simple and catchy their songs were, I had to try. I started a band and recorded two records between 2015 and 2017. The person who recorded our LP was Mighty Tortuga's very own Jacob Berberich, who was a friend of a friend at the time. Almost two years after that, the Tortuga was born and the rest is history!
How did Mighty Tortuga form and how did the band name come to be?
Mighty Tortuga originally formed as a three-piece band coming off a breakup of a previous band that some of the members were in. Jacob had the demos that would soon become the first EP "Letting Go," and recruited Jameson and TJ to be the newest members of the band. The first show was in October of 2018. The band name came from a local witch who was casting spells on a few people we knew. One of which was ultimately named, "THE MIGHTY TORTUGA."
A chat with Jacob Berberich:
Who are some of the musicians that inspire you?
Some of my biggest inspirations include Taking Back Sunday, Transit, Turnover, The Academy Is..., The Maine, and many more emo bands from the mid-2000s. Running a studio for a while also led me to meet a lot of great musicians in the area, and I have been lucky enough to learn a lot through recording and mixing a ton of music to find what really works sonically, and being able to pin down why I like the music I do. This carries over into Tortuga, and I couldn't be more proud of the sounds we are creating. What is your favorite part in creating music?
We all agree that the best part of making music are those moments when we get together to play a new song for the first time. A lot of the writing takes place separately, where we each add our own parts at our own homes. When we finally get together and play it as a group, it's always such a rewarding feeling. Usually in these these moments, we also get to build even further on an idea and get to pitch production notes around. It's one of the best parts about being in a band. You get to hang out with your best friends and make something unique together that you are super proud of. Can you tell us anything about your new ep eternal sunshine?
The new record "Eternal Sunshine" was a pain in the buns to actually make. Taking over two years from the first demo sessions to the final product, we picked apart, reworked, changed tempos, and literally everything you could do to a song.. we did. Though it was tough, we produced some of the best work we have ever worked on, and we are so proud of this EP. We created it all ourselves, with a bit of help from our engineering pals Mackenzie Christensen and Dom Nastasi, who helped us set up drums and do some vocals. We got the record mixed by James Paul Wisner who has mixed some of our favorite records growing up, and absolutely love how the final product sounds. We knew going into this record that we wanted to go for that pop/ rock summer sound, similar to bands like Transit and their album "Joyride." Making something that made you feel good when you hear it, and had a broader reach in the sense of music genre and taste. Playing with a lot of pop-punk bands in our area, we wanted to give the people at those shows something to chew on that isn't regular ole pop punk, but still has some those elements that "pop punkers" enjoy. What do the fans mean to you?
We love all of our fans and are so grateful for everything they have given us. We started this band with an idea to create music we were passionate about, and seeing the numbers rise consistently with so many who resonate with what we've made is so incredible. We are thankful to anyone who has picked up merch at a show or online, come to a show in general, and/ or showed our music to a friend. Word of mouth is one of the most important pieces, and we thank you all for spreading the word! Without the support of all of the fans, we wouldn't be able to grow as we have. So we thank you all for getting us to where we are today! Any last words? Where can readers find your music? We are available on all major streaming platforms! We also put out new videos every week on our Youtube channel, in part of our weekly video series "Tortuga Tuesdays." This includes all sorts of content anywhere from a music video premiere, covers, documentaries, Q&A hangouts and more! So check it out. You can find links to your preferred music consumption service, as well as merch, at www.mightytortuga.com.
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