Warning: contains some graphic language
Frank Turner is many things to many people. But right now, he’s sick.
He explains it is the standard tour cold. The drives, flights, time change and late nights.
The English, folk-punk, political singer-songwriter and author is embarking on a cross-Canadian tour where he’s seeing lots of places for the first time. He’s playing in cities he’s never even heard of, which is, “Part of the fun,” according to Turner.
Former vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, he has since pursued a primarily acoustic-based solo career for the last eleven years. In the studio, and during live performances, Turner is accompanied by his backing band,
The Sleeping Souls. His social media popularity is rising daily, sitting at 71,800 followers on Instagram (up from earlier in the week at 71,400) and fans are clearly also digging his clever tweets, with a slick 151,000 Twitter followers.
The polite and soft spoken artist is at times hard to decipher with his thick accent and our phones cutting out. This was a chat better fit for the pub with some whiskey at hand. But alas, this interview was pleasant and Turner’s tone seemed quite appreciative.
The tour has been a trek. From Europe to Ireland and now bringing his sixth studio album, Positive Songs for Negative People to Canada, he’s in pure tour mode.
“You enter this tour hibernation, it’s fantastic to travel and play music and I’m very grateful. You see lots of hotels and airports but you also get to meet people. I have to convince my mom that I’m not on holiday, I’m working while I’m out there.”
While on the East Coast of the country, Turner had the chance to catch up with an old touring buddy, Joel Plaskett.
Turner shares that the two were jamming on some tunes and fell into it quite easily. I wonder if there will be any collaborations in the near future.
One can hope. Turner has never been to Thunder Bay, but rest assured it’ll be one for the books.
“I have vague memories of driving through but that’s about it. I’m surprised at how vast the province is. It’s all new to me. I’m looking forward to coming through. And looking forward to snow.”
Local promoter Frank Loffredo is over the moon about this “massive” show at Crocks, calling it, “Show of the year, maybe decade,” on the Facebook event page.
He describes the 34-year-old tattooed troubadour as a modern day combination of, Henry Rollins, Joe Strummer, Mike Ness, Hank III, and Billy Brag, always a good sign with the promoter is tickled pink about an act coming to town.
The cause for Turner’s visit to the Lakehead is the new album.
The title in itself is somewhat up-lifting. Turner goes on to explain, “I’m very wary on imparting the music that I make. I just want to play the songs. The last album was a break-up album, it was an unpleasant and dark time in my life. The process was catharsis. There are reasons to dust yourself off and get back up. The art of survival is possible.”
Master mind songwriter, producer (and former Marvelous 3 front man) Butch Walker was the last piece of the puzzle on Positive Songs for Negative People.
“The songs were already written, arranged and rehearsed, I just needed somebody to get it out of my head and into the real world,” Turner said.
“Personally and musically he knew what I was talking about right away. We discussed it for five minutes and then went and got drunk.”
If it weren’t for rock and roll, there would be no Frank Turner. At the age of 10 he picked up a guitar and rock and roll crashed into his life dramatically.
“I remember playing guitar and singing along to ACDC over a long self-taught and quite torturous period. It went from awful to passable, not proficient. They’ve become more effective tools for my own expression.”
Frank Turner is an artist from head to toe and a lovely conversationalist. But whatever you do, don’t ask to hear a Green Day cover, or any cover for that matter. I ask him about a recent Tweet he made addressing people’s requests to hear cover songs.
“I’ll take the heat for that, it’s slightly weird. I get people emailing me to cover acts I’ve never heard of, or to cover a Green Day song. Maybe go to a fucking Green Day show. It’s my first time in town maybe I’ll play my own songs.”
Frank Turner with openers Northcote play Crocks on Thursday, February 25.
