A few dozen minutes before the “Persistence Tour'”s kick off in Paris, RockUrLife had the opportunity to chat with Turnstile’s Brendan Yates (vocals) and Freaky Franz (bass). On the menu: their last gem “Nonstop Feeling”, the band’s journey, and Ariana Grande.
First, how are you?
Brendan Yates (vocals): Good, thanks.
Freaky Franz (bass): Good.
Your band was formed in 2010. Since then, you’ve been making your way and the feedback has been very positive. What were your goals when you first formed the band and what are your goals now?
B: When we first started the band, it wasn’t anything that we could do full-time because we were all in other bands and we all had lots of stuff going on. But as we got full-time, we had the chance to play more shows and just do more as a band. I wouldn’t say the goals have changed much, they have just always been to make music and play as much as we can. Franz was always on tour with Trapped Under Ice and recently the band went on a hiatus, so we were able to tour a lot more.
The hardcore scene is a constant flow of new bands. From your point of view, what is it that makes Turnstile unique?
B: I think every band brings something special, not just us. Even on a tour like the “Persistence Tour”, not one band sounds like the other. This is why it is called hardcore, because if you like hardcore music, one style of a band might not be your cup of tea but there’s all kind of others. You can have a broad spectrum of different styles. I don’t know what makes us special but I think every band is special on their own because they all have their unique sound.
Your first album, “Nonstop Feeling”, was released a few days ago. What is your favourite track and why?
Brendan to Franz: What is your favourite track?
F: “Addicted” is my favourite track. And “Love Lasso”.
What was your state of mind when you were composing the album?
B: We wanted to do it song by song. I think we just did what we felt right, we didn’t set any boundaries. Lyrically, each song is about a different situation in life and a different mindset.
How would you describe this album compared to your previous releases?
F: I would say this record is a tasteful mix between the first two, with a little bit of creative razzle-dazzle on top. There are some songs that are half paced more like the second EP “Step 2 Rhythm”, whereas some other songs are fast and a little more agressive like in “Pressure To Succeed”.
The artwork emphasises a visual identity that is faithfull to the energy and passion of your live shows. How did you come up with this artwork?
B: The idea behind it was just to make it very loud and not very stuck to one color way or color skin. We wanted it to have a lot of expression in it and that was the ultimate goal. We had our friend Jill from Baltimore who made this artwork. She’s really good at it.
And how did you come up with the picture?
B: It was a random picture from our friend Anne Carolien Köhler from the Netherlands. We had already been recording the album, but she took this picture at some show and I thought it was a cool shot, so we decided it would be a good one for the cover of Nonstop Feeling. We use a lot of live photos as you can see on every record’s artwork because we think hardcore music is about live shows and live energy.
Your sound gets more and more groovy everytime you release new music. Can you tell me about some bands that inspire you?
F: The Bad Brains hands down. I think every one should listen to them.
B: Inside Out is my favourite band. There’s also Burn or Madball for example. We all listen to all kinds of music, we’re not limited to one certain genre. Pretty much anything that rocks, you know.
Talking about the Bad Brains, are you going to play your cover of “Sailin’ On” tonight?
B: We played it last night. We could, if you want us to.
We’d like you to!
B: You’d like this? Okay then, we’ll play it! (laughs)
Despite your growing success and your atypical personnality, you’re still a small band. Are you satisfied with where you are as a band or do you have bigger things in mind?
B: Yeah, definitely. We’ve been able to do a lot of cool things. This tour right now is very different because we’re used to play to small audiences and now there’s thousands of people every night. It’s nice to play to people that have never heard us. We have a bunch of great tours coming up like the one with New Found Glory in the United States, which is going to be very different for us as well. We like to play with bands that we really love and not be scared to play in front of audiences that aren’t ours. We’re always up for playing in front of new people!
The “Persistence Tour” has started a few days ago. How is it going so far?
B: It has been very cool. Like I said, it’s different from what we are used to because there are so many people, it could be scary but it’s very fun. We’ve been taking care of well, everyone is involved putting this together. People seem to enjoy every band and that’s a good thing. We’re happy to be a part of it.
It must be difficult to tour when you’re far away from your family and friends.
F: Yes, it’s kind of tough, but you get used to it. I live five hours and a half away from everybody else, so they became for real my family because I have to stay at their house. Their parents look after me like I’m their child.
Are you familiar with some others bands from the line up?
F: Yes! We are getting to know them better day by day, it’s a nice feeling to be with so many cool people on tour. Everyone is cool, from the band members to the production.
B: We’ve been knowing Broken Teeth for six years. They’re good mates.
Just like you said, you will soon be touring with New Found Glory, which can be a big step for you. How did it happen?
B: We just got an offer. We’ve been friends with Chad from New Found Glory for a long time. I met him in like 2008, we became friends and he produced the last Trapped Under Ice record. When we were asked to be part of their tour, we obviously agreed. I think this is going to be a fun tour, the line up is great.
Brendan, you are singing in one of the songs from their new album. Can you tell me more about it?
B: I was in California, where we had just finished our tour with Bane. Chad called me because he just knew I was there and they were in the studio at the same time, so he asked me if I wanted to join them and I said “Yeah, sure!”. He then picked me up, we walked down the street and recorded it!
What have you learned from being in a band?
F: I have learned patience. We don’t want to stress, stress is our only enemy.
B: I personnally learned that Sean (ed: guitar) doesn’t shower.
F: And I learned how to play bass.
B: Yeah, Franz didn’t play bass before he was in this band. He was a drummer. When we started Turnstile, I just asked him if he wanted to play. He bought a bass and then learned how to play!
We recently published a top 5 of our favourite albums of 2014. What are yours?
B: “A.D” by Angel Du$t, no doubt.
F: I’d say “Fever” by Criminal Instinct.
B: What else… Oh, “Fatal Destroyer” by Scared To Death came out last year. “Guilty Of Everything” by Nothing as well. We just woke up at 2 o’clock so our brains are just egg-fried. That’s four.
F: Ariana Grande’s record was in 2014.
B: Yeah I like her.
F: Well, here it is. Ariana Grande, number 5!
To conclude, our website is called “RockUrLife”. So, what rocks your life?
B: Friendship.
F: Yeah, friendship rocks our lives.
B: Angel Du$t rocks.
F: Self Destruct! from North California rocks.
B: Freedom rocks. Beach volley rocks. However you have to cut it out at some point otherwise we’ll keep going!
Alright, we’re done! Thank you for your time.
B: Are we cool?
F: Was it bad?
B: Thanks, we’ll see you tonight.
Website: turnstilemusic.net
