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| Turnerjoy began during the winter of 1998 in a small suburban town just out-side of Chicago where all of the members grew up and attended the same high school. |
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TURNERJOY BRINGS 'HOPE' TO THE QUAD CITIES
Award-Winning Chicago Band To Play RIBCO
by Shane Brown
It's not too often that you stumble across an area band that cites influences as wide-reaching as the Beach Boys, the Cure, and the Smiths. But then again, there aren't too many bands around like Turnerjoy.
Named for the ship that fired the final rounds in the Vietnam War (the USS Turnerjoy,) this eclectic Chicago group brings their message of 'Hope' to the Rock Island Brewing Company this Friday night in an opening engagement for area stalwarts
Tripmaster Monkey.
Turnerjoy are a tough band to write about, because this is a group that skirts most traditional rock cliches. Tough to categorize or pigeonhole, Turnerjoy have spent the last two years carving their own brand of 'beautiful music' into the Midwest
independent music scene.
"I've always been into beautiful music," explains Turnerjoy frontman Dean Perrine, "as opposed to dance music or rock music. Growing up, some of my favorite albums were beautiful music -- The Cure's "Disintegration," The Beach Boys' "Pet
Sounds," The Sundays' "Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic," and so on."
The result of Turnerjoy's mish-mash of influences can be found on "Hope," the band's self-released debut disc. Helmed by veteran producer Paul Mahern (responsible for production on records by artists as diverse as John Mellencamp, Iggy Pop, The Why Store, and others,) "Hope" makes its home somewhere between the classic melodies of early REM or Guadalcanal
Diary and the modern, wall-of-sound production of the Smashing Pumpkins or the Flaming Lips.
However, as opposed to all of the bands name-checked above, Turnerjoy has yet to land a record deal, and have thus far been releasing all of their material, including "Hope," on the band's own Mohofusu label. "We've always had a do-it-yourself approach," explains Perrine. "I wish I could say it's because we think we can do it better, but that's really not the case. It
wasn't as if we said, 'Screw the labels and their money and their influence.' We're just being picky about it. We don't want to get on just any label, we want to find a label that's right for what we're doing. For now, doing it ourselves means we don't have to sacrifice our musical integrity."
Despite the lack of promotion that a major record label could offer, Turnerjoy have been gathering accolades in both the idwest and on the internet, where independent music flourishes on many different web sites. The group has been featured on
famed Chicago radio station WXRT's "Local Anaesthetic" program, 'Hope' has been named one of the Top 25 Albums of the Year by the critics of Excellentonline.com, and the band was recently named Best (Midwest) Regional Band on Icast.com, netting the group a top prize of $2500.
"Being called the 'Best Regional Band' isn't necessarily our goal," says Turnerjoy guitarist Charlie Ransford, "but it's certainly gratifying. It gives us reason to believe that we're accomplishing what we set out to do musically."
Some might see this to be a bad era for an alternative band to come of age. Five years ago, alternative groups ruled the popular charts. But in the new decade, it seems that if you don't have choreographed dance moves or a parents group questioning your lyrics, you're pretty much left out of the popular loop these days. Turnerjoy see it differently.
"We had a time when alternative music was 'in,' says Ransford, "and we assumed it was for the better, because it meant more money and recognition for the music we loved. But not everybody listens to music for the same reasons. Some people want to vent anger, some people want to dance, some people want to take drugs. There thankfully is music for all those people. And there's beautiful music for us, too. I think it's wrong to assume that the state of music is bad right now simply because Middle America is indifferent to a certain type of music. I would say the state of indie music is good right now. It will
always be good. There will always be people making good music. If Middle America isn't listening, well... too bad."
As opposed to some bands who seem to form only for the success, the fame, and the surplus of adoring groupies, Turnerjoy are a group firmly committed to the craft and artistry of their music. When questioned about the importance of success, the band makes it clear that artistic success comes before commercial success on their priority list.
"What is important is simply being able to keep doing this," says Ransford. "To keep writing songs, playing shows, recording albums, and hanging out with these guys. But most important is writing music. Now, I can do that on my couch after work,
but to do it right, you have to make it a career, and that requires selling albums, that requires making money somehow."
"Is success in our cards?" muses Ransford. "Well, if I knew that, it wouldn't be much of an adventure."
You can learn more about Turnerjoy, as well as listen to some cuts off of "Hope," by visiting the band's website, ww.turnerjoy.com. |
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| Date |
Venue/Club |
Location |
| January 27, 2001 |
Big Horse |
Chicago IL, USA |
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Location:
Chicago IL, USA
Turnerjoy Website
charlie@turnerjoy.com
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