Went to see Frank Turner at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton last night. Lots of fun, as usual! My only complaint is the same as when I went to see him at the Pearl Street Club in March. The sound mix royally sucked. What is it with IHEG shows? If a dive bar in Baltimore can get the sound mix right, you’d think the fancy-assed Calvin Theatre and Pearl Street could do as well.
Yeah, you’d be wrong.
Still, it was a super show; Frank gave his all (with two slipped discs in his back!). In honor of last night, here’s my favorite song from Frank’s latest album, “Plain Sailing Weather.” Hope you like it.
Looks like there’s a new Frank Turner video out. Couldn’t let that slip by without appearing on Monday Morning Music, so here it is. Have to admit “Oh Brother” isn’t one of my favorite songs on Tape Deck Heart, but the video’s sweet. And drunk!Frank is kind of adorable. Enjoy!
Frank Turner has a new video out! How could I not share it with you? One of his cheery, mortality-slipping-by tunes called “Losing Days” from the new album. Pondering the lyrics, I wondered if I would live to see 30 myself at one point. And now, I’m 51. While I’m too cynical to call that a gift (from whom?), most days I’m glad of it. No tattoos yet, though.
Okay, I’ll admit right up front, this isn’t one of my favorite songs on the new Frank Turner album, which, in general, is pretty damned good. But the video for it is quite nice, unexpected, and dilutes a bit of the sappiness of the tune. Or maybe it doesn’t. I just like it. What do you think?
So, last Saturday was Night Out in Northampton day. There was the unmet desire to investigate open crypts, buttered tea, Tibetan dumplings, and meeting new, cool people (well, new to me; they’re not, like, new to the planet or anything [I think.]), and then it was time for church.1Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls at the Pearl Street Club! Fabulous show, even though the club’s sound sucked rocks. I mean, really, I can put up with how cold you keep the building and a crowd that just doesn’t get the idea of either personal space or how steps really work, but when I can’t hear the singer when the band is playing? You’re plucking my last nerve.
Still, it was awesome to see Turner again. I’m not sure how much longer he’ll be able to play these small venues, as he’s getting way popular here in the states, and justifiably so. He puts on a great show, and you should all go see him.
See, even I’m sabotaging the small venue option!
Anyway, part of the fun was hearing several songs from the new album that’s due out next month. They were all super, and there’s a video for one of them. I’m quite fond of it. What do you think?
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1. Music is the only religion that delivers the goods. —Frank Zappa
That said, today’s video is my new total favorite. As many of you know, I’m a huge Frank Turner fan. Seeing him at the Ottobar in Baltimore in 2011 was glorious. If you ever get the chance to see him live, I highly recommend making that happen. He and his band the Sleeping Souls are electric. As a Xmas present to their fans, they just released a couple of new tracks from their upcoming album for folks to download for free.
And there’s a video. Turn it up and enjoy! And Happy New Year! I hope there are many opportunities for dancing in 2013 for all of us.
Happy October, everyone! We’re even further into autumn up here in the northern tier of the US (not counting Alaska, of course–it’s winter up there already). The yard is full of red and yellow leaves from the sugar maples out front and the staghorn sumacs in back. And it’s a brisk 39 degrees this morning. Time for hot coffee and a list of the favorite places I visited online in the last 7 days.
A good friend of mine who maintains the blog Visible and Real, is going to start offering writing classes online in a few days. Right now she’s posting a series on what has brought her to this place of wanting to help other people find the storyteller inside of them. It’s worth checking out, and staying tuned for what’s coming next.
The title of this post comes from Frank Turner’s “Try This At Home,” one of my favorite songs about taking up a pen or guitar and speaking with your own voice instead of only ever singing along. It’s really worth doing.
M. Fenn 