Turbo Lovers hits its stride on ‘Vice’

By John Benson

Hard-rock act Turbo Lovers has been around for more than five years; however, it wasn’t until recently that band founder B.J. Lisko (guitar, vocals) felt the outfit met its potential with its current lineup of Joe Shelby (bass) and Jeremy Koerber (drums). In October, the act released its latest effort, “Roll Your Vice” on Cracked Piston Recordings.

“It’s just a much better overall sound, a more cohesive sound,” said Lisko, a Youngstown resident who graduated from Columbiana High School in 1999.

“In the studio, all of the tracks were cut live, which I never really had that kind of benefit before to have everybody in the same room doing everything. So this is, by far, I think the best record that Turbo Lovers has ever done.

“It just slams. It’s just a no-frills meat and potatoes rock ’n’ roll record, and it’s definitely what I’ve been kind of going to for a long time with this band. To me, it’s very AC/DC, very Danko Jones, very Supersuckers. There’s Motorhead there, too. It’s just very straightforward. So I’m excited about the new record, and hopefully this lineup stays together for a little bit.”

With a theme based around an exploration of vices ranging from drugs to alcohol and gambling, the album kicks off what Lisko feels are the two tracks that best encapsulate the band’s sound. The upbeat tunes are “Creep In” and “Yellow Gold,” which are cornerstone songs from the band’s live set. Turbo Lovers is scheduled to open for The Sweet Ones on Saturday at Cedars.

In fact, the Columbiana native said the upcoming show will be one of the band’s last for a while.

“Next year we all have a lot on our plates,” Lisko said. “We’re going to play now and then, but it’ll be sort of marquee or bigger shows we do throughout next year. We kind of slammed pretty hard this year. So next year we’re going to kind of pull back a little bit. I wouldn’t call it a hiatus. We’re just kind of backing off.”

While Lisko admits he’d love to push Turbo Lovers beyond the Northeast Ohio market, even take the trio across the pond for a European tour, odds are this is only a dream. House mortgages and personal responsibilities will more than likely keep the band in the area, which the singer said over the past few years has warmed up to the Turbo Lovers sound.