Lake Charles indie rock band Research Turtles will be performing their swan song at this year’s Chuck Fest.

The band, which consists of Jud Norman (singer/songwriter/bassist), Joe Norman (Singer/Guitarist), Paul Gonsoulin (singer/guitarist) and Chad Townsend (drummer), experienced industry success from 2008 to 2013. During their prime, they toured the Gulf coast with various bands, including Candlebox, Sister Hazel and Toad the Wet Sprocket.

With the support of a manager and an agent, Jud and his bandmates released two full length albums and one EP. Their self-titled album received international acclaim in 2009, with their song, “Let’s Get Carried Away,” becoming an award winning hit. This song was recognized as the BBC RadioSix International’s “Record of the Year.”

The history of Research Turtles is intrinsically linked to popular Louisiana cover band The Flamethrowers, said Jud. “It’s hard to start the story without talking about The Flamethrowers,” he explained. He, with his college friends, created The Flamethrowers in 2003 during their time at LSU.

During that time, they found that The Flamethrowers, who specializes in cover music, left something to be desired: original music. Jud, as well as other members of The Flamethrowers, officially founded Research Turtles in 2008 with the intention of generating a creative outlet.

Jud expressed that it was always their intention to release original music. However, The Flamethrowers’ growing reputation as a cover band made it difficult for them to incorporate their original songs into performances.“We were trying to mix original music with the Flamethrower sets, but it just wasn’t working,” he said. “You’re playing something like ‘Panama’ by Van Halen and everybody’s all pumped, and then you stop the energy to do an original that no one’s ever heard… So we decided to, with the same band members, to start a band under a different name so that we could play venues that cater to original music.”

The two bands ran concurrently from 2008 to 2013. Research Turtles became a passion project that was funded by the success of The Flamethrowers.

After a 4 year hiatus from 2013 to 2016, the band reunited to perform 5 reunion shows. The casual attitude that Research Turtles adopted has resulted in a more joyful, musical experience, said Jud. “It’s just fun again, you know? It was very serious for a long time, but now that the pressure is off, it’s kind of a celebration every time we do a show now,” he said. “You’re not fighting at rehearsals anymore. You’re actually just enjoying hanging out with your friends.”

For Jud, the reunion of Research Turtles has brought him back to his youth. “It feels like you’re 15 years old again in your garage just hacking out songs because you love doing it.”

Their reunion shows are often themed, like their “Tacky Sweater Show” in 2017 or their recent neon-themed show they played at Panorama Music House earlier this month. Jud confirmed that their show at Chuck Fest will be themed, but that theme is top-secret.

Showgoers can anticipate an energetic and passionate performance. “We really give it our all when we play now,” said Jud. “We talk about it before the show to make sure we really give it to them and put on the best show we can… you’re doing it for the crowd really. It’s fun for us as well, but we’re mindful of the crowd.”

Jud stated that their set at Chuck Fest will feature fan favorites, as well as a possible Lizzo cover.

The band will be sure to make their show at Chuck Fest unforgettable, as it is probably their last performance under that name Research Turtles.

“Chuck Fest will likely be the last Research Turtles show,” said Jud.

Fans of the band don’t have much to fear, however, as Jud and his bandmates are merely retiring their current band name. In an effort to start fresh, the same lineup will begin to release music under a new band name that has already been chosen, but yet to be revealed.

For the past year, Jud has dedicated his free time to writing an immense catalog of new music.After reading that the famous producer Rick Rubin required his clients to write 30 songs before creating a record, he decided to emulate that process. His 2022 goal is to write 50 songs. Currently, he has 35 new songs under his belt.  “At the beginning of next year, the band will get together and pick the best ten songs,” stated Jud. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to cut a new album by the end of 2023.”

Research Turtles’ earliest music is heavily inspired by classic rock bands like Nirvana and the Beatles, with elements taken from Weezer’s earlier albums. Jud revealed that the new music will be sonically darker and heavier, with personal, confessional lyrics. While inspiration from Nirvana has remained consistent, he has begun to emulate bands like Tool, the Strokes and Alvvays as well.

Research Turtles will be performing at 6 p.m. at the Volkswagen of Lake Charles Stage on October 22.