INKED MUSICIANS BY WHATANGIESAYS: FRANK TURNER

Musician Frank Turner used to be in a post-hardcore band called Million Dead, but since they broke up in 2005 — he’s embarked on a new solo project and has released an epic number of songs since. His now, mostly acoustic sound is vibrant and rich and is described to be it’s own genre dubbed “folk-punk.” Whatever the genre may be, his new album “Be More Kind” is set to release in May — and by the sounds of his latest singles, “Be More Kind” and “1933,” chances are fans can’t wait for the rest of this album to drop.

As for tattoos, Frank has many — but some of his faves are the ones on the backs of his hands. “I have a pair on the backs of my hands — a fox and a crow, in black ink, woodcut style. The design was drawn (to order!) by my friend Keenan Nichols from Kansas City, MO, and the ink was done by Ian Jones at True Tattoo in Hollywood, CA, USA.”

Just as you’ve seen your fave musicians ask for Tattoo artist recommendations whilst on tour in various cities, Frank says he got these at “True Tattoo, the afternoon before a show at Hotel Cafe. I can tell you now that getting both hands tattooed before playing guitar for two hours is a bad, bad idea.”

His lyrics seemingly carry interesting back stories, so you can bet your ass he’s got all kinds of back stories as to why he got each of the tattoos he has. He says, “In about 2010, I was on tour in the USA, and was feeling pretty stuck in a rut, artistically. I felt like I’d hit a brick wall, in terms of songwriting, and wasn’t sure how much more I could find to say, going forward. Then I heard the album “It’s All Crazy, It’s All False, It’s All A Dream, It’s Alright” by Mewithoutyou, and my mind flipped. It remains one of my favorite albums, and it really saved me from giving up on writing songs. My favorite song on the record is a retelling of an Aesop fable – “The Fox, The Crow & The Cookie” – hence the ink.”

Frank Turner has enough music on Spotify to keep you going for a while, but, we can’t wait for “Be More Kind” to drop in May. For now, check out his current single, “Be More Kind,” here.

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