Post 6:

"They say that music with guitars is going out of style" sings British Singer-songwriter-punk Frank Turner in his song "Four Simple Word"

This may not be entirely accurate, rock stations still play new songs by rising bands, and many feature guitars. The point of the phrase, and one that comes up often in his songs, is that music as a craft, as a way of connecting listeners to the music emotionally, and creating a sense of shared experience, is on its way out. Frank Turner calls his brand of music "campfire punk rock" because, in his view, the music scene has become about profiting off art and putting artists on pedestals. He wants to change that, to hold on to the concept of music performance as being about creating a community.

His shows capture this, he talks to the audience the way a person might around a fire, or around a coffee table in someone's living room. It's a hard thing to describe, but for around 4 hours, once a year or so when he makes his way to the Atlanta area, I have 300 friends I've never met before. We line up for hours before his shows waiting for the doors to open, we trade jokes and take pictures and when Frank steps onto the stage, there's something almost spiritual about the sensation.

There are songs about love, of course, but there are more about other things. About the feeling of nostalgia when you're in your hometown, or losing an old friend to sickness, or of being angry with politics, or even just the feeling of listening to a Bruce Springsteen song.

His latest record, "Positive Songs for Negative People" could be his job description.

I don't know when his next show is, but I know one thing for sure,

I'm buying a ticket.