Nashville garage rocker Daniel Pujol comes to the Hi-Tone this Saturday night, touring in support of his latest album KLUDGE, released earlier this year on Saddle Creek Records. As a frontrunner of the Nashville garage rock scene for the past few years, Pujol has carved out a distinct sound for himself much like his contemporaries in Jeff The Brotherhood and Natural Child. While those bands don’t have much in common musically, the aesthetic they share screams Nashville, which, if nothing else, is a testament to the fertile rock-and-roll community three hours east of Memphis.
As an established garage rocker in a city made for musicians, Pujol could have probably recorded KLUDGE at a number of high-profile studios, but instead he decided to try something a little different. Taking refuge at a suicide prevention center for teens in Mt. Juliet called the Place, Pujol worked on his album with friend and producer Doni Shroader during February of last year. Using donated or borrowed gear and a makeshift studio that had to be deconstructed before the Place opened every morning, Pujol and Shroader crafted 11 songs of skuzzy, blown-out garage rock.
While a new approach brought KLUDGE to life, everything that has made Pujol a stand-out songwriter is still intact. His ability to write a song that sounds like the soundtrack to a giant party is still present on the album, and one need hear only the “I Came To Freak” chant at the end of the “Youniverse” to know that Pujol’s sense of humor is still very much a part of his songwriting. But don’t mistake the “let’s party forever” vibes for amateur ability, because when it comes to good-time garage rock music, Pujol may very well be at the head of the class.
