FRANK TURNER
At the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Frank Turner took to a stage resembling an idyllic pastoral scene of the English countryside. In a plaid shirt and blue jeans, he sang out to the packed London stadium, “Now who’d have thought that after all, Something as simple as rock ‘n’ roll would save us all?”
Whether seeing him live or watching a playlist of his videos on YouTube, whether you’re a fan or not, his belief in and passion for music immediately hit you within a few bars. Deeply personal lyrics above rolling, rollicking folk punk rock rhythms drive through like a strong wind and pull you up into them–somehow hopeful even when touching on the darkest moments.
Listening to Frank Turner feels like those moments when you were a kid listening to your parents fight or when you are sitting alone in your apartment after you just got fired only to come home to a note from your lover explaining why they and all their things are gone–but after the initial blow, you close your eyes and imagine running through an open meadow or walking along an empty stretch of beach with the soothing rhythm of lapping waves that provide some semblance of freedom from that uncontrollable shitty situation.
Music is just one way that Turner connects with his audience. He regularly blogs at www.frank-turner.com and posts on social media. In March 2015, he released a lyric video for “Get Better” along with a music memoir, The Road Beneath My Feet. He announced that he was working on the book and asked fans to send in pictures and stories. The book starts on the night of his last show with his band Million Dead in 2005 and carries through his solo songwriting, tours backed by The Sleeping Souls, and more. It went to the top of the hardback non-fiction bestsellers list in England. Whether he is writing or playing with The Sleeping Souls, you get the sense that he is just a man with a guitar trying to save the world (and maybe himself) with something as simple as Rock and Roll.
Frank Turner takes on Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on June 10 with gypsy punk rockers Gogol Bordello. Doors open at 7:30pm. Advance tickets are $30.50 / $33 day of the show. Tickets available at the box office or at Ticketmaster.com.
~ Jessica Chesler
