An Interview With The Sardonic Rock Group, PURPLE On Music, Their Texas Roots and More!

Purple is a gritty Texas based rock group. The band consists of Taylor Busby (guitar/vocals)
Hanna Brewer (drums/vocals) and
Joe “Prankster” Cannariato (bass guitar).

They recently premiered the incredible video on NERDIST featuring a cooler full of shellfish and some intense mini-van action: http://nerdist.com/premiere-purples-mini-van-is-the-grungy-grease-revival-we-didnt-realize-we-needed/

Purple, whose sound “hits you like a bolt of lightning shot out of a Jim Beam bottle with a thunderclap punk rock chaser” (Phoenix New Times) are back and hell bent on following-up their critically-acclaimed debut album (409).

 They’re a sardonic pack of outsider school kids who went on to be the coolest kids in their home of Beaumont, Texas. The ambitious trio have rode their unapologetic, grit-spitting party-rock style to win the praise from NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Flavorwire, Bitch and Boxx Magazine. A ruthless mix of femme-punk, indie rock and grunge, Purple vows to leave no stage undestroyed during their frenzied trek towards world domination.

Learn more about Purple in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! So, what else do you have on tap today besides this interview?

Thanks for the interview! We are driving from Kansas City, MO to Des Moines, IA to play at Vaudeville Mews.

How did you all first meet each other and decide to start this band?

I saw Taylor’s reggae band play and asked him to jam because I really liked his voice and never really heard reggae before. I played bass at first and we had a metal drummer. Then we got our first bass player, Smitty and I switched to drums. Smitty hated touring and quit. Our bass player now, Joe, heard we were looking for a new bassist and hit us up and it just worked out.

Where did you come up with your name?

We needed a name really quick for a battle of the bands and just decided to call it Purple because it’s my fave color and it’s simple.

How has being from Texas influenced Purple’s sound?

I think it’s made us want to rebel against the conservative republican country type of thing so we were really just into like punk and reggae and stuff cause it was way different. But also being around all those simple country music songs I think has influenced our simple lyrics and hooks.

Can you talk about your newest video for “Mini Van”? How creatively involved was the band in the making of it?

We always make up our own music video ideas. We have a camera guy, David Morrison who just knows how to do all the technical lighting, camera and editing stuff. He’s really open minded to our ideas and good at keeping it wild but still making sense.

How has your fall tour been going?

It’s been going really good so far. Been selling some albums and whatnot. Our new set consists of half our old songs from our first album and half from our second album that still hasn’t come out yet.

What have been some favorite venues and crowds?

We had a good time playing in Tulsa, OK the other night. The band that played before us… All their gear kept messing up and then they broke up on stage. It was like Brian Jonestown Massacre or something (Laughter).. Anyway, the room cleared out right before we played but once we got on, the room filled up with a bad-ass crowd and we sold a bunch of merch!

Can you describe a typical gig of yours?

Just some good songs and drinking.

What have been some bands that have continued to inspire you all?

No Doubt, Nirvana, Sublime, Devin The Dude, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Who would you love to work with one day?

I want to make a song with Devin The Dude one day.

Where are you all happiest? On stage, in the studio or elsewhere?

I’m happiest when we are making music at the studio. No pressure, just creating.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your music?

The music is just about everyday life and growing up, being an alcoholic, being sexual, doing drugs, being in love, hating yourself, loving yourself. It’s just about being a human. I hope it helps people feel like they aren’t alone going through all that shit.