Chris Turner Interview by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
1-
Lamitschka: Music has many new fans throughout Europe who may be
hearing about you for the first time. How would you describe yourself
and the music you play to someone who has never seen or heard you?
Answer:
Thats a great question.. I would describe myself as a humble good ole
boy who is a strong believer in 3 chords and the truth. My music always
spearheads from where I am emotionally during my life everytime I get
ready to go in the studio and work on a new project. I pride myself with
being an artist/songwriter for the hardworking, God-fearing, middle
class listener. To help them realize they are not alone. When you come
to a Chris Turner show we are always full of energy and crowd engaging..
2- Lamitschka: What is your latest CD and how’s it doing?
Answer:
My latest EP project is titled “American Made” it actually charted at
#16 on the Itunes Pre-sale Chart and when it released, it charted at #32
on iTunes for the Country Genre. I feel like 2019 will be a great year
for the project with the blueprint that my team and I have laid out for
it.
3- Lamitschka: How did you choose the title for the CD? Is there a story behind the name?
Answer:
I chose the title for the EP early one morning while I was getting some
exercise in. I’ve always wanted to do a project that would really
describe who I am and that my listeners would appreciate. Being a former
United States Marine, I am ver passionate about family, country, and
Corps (as all Marines are). I was running on the treadmill one morning
and the American Made concept popped in my head. I do my best
brainstorming when I am running. With that the American Made title was
born..
4- Lamitschka: Do you write the songs yourself? If not, how do you go about finding the songs for your CD?
Answer:
I do write myself. However, I am not opposed to accepting outside
songs for any project I cut. As a matter of fact, on the American Made
project, I only have two songs on it that I co-wrote; “Slow Ride” and
“The Love You Give Away”. Nashville is a town full of some of the
greatest songwriters in the world and it would be foolish of me not to
listen to anything else. When I am looking/writing songs, I will send
out emails to some of my closest friends in the industry and explain to
them what I am looking for in a song/project and more times than none,
they will shoot me some songs from writers they have worked with in the
past.
5- Lamitschka: Please tell us about the songs on your album (influences, etc).
Answer:
The first track on the American Made EP is a song titled “You’re One of
Us” written by Philip Douglas, Richie McDonald, and Ron Harbin. This
song was everything I wanted to say to my listeners about who I am and
how I feel. I wanted the listener to know “Hey you’re one of Us” whether
you believe it or not.
The
second track off the American Made EP is a song titled “It Ain’t Easy
Being Me” written by Chris Knight and Craig Wiseman. This song has been
with me for a long time. I have played this song live at every show
throughout my entire career. I put my own arrangement to it and felt
like this project would be incomplete without it.
The
third track off the American Made EP is a song titled “Slow Ride”
written by myself and Marc (Butter) Fortney. This particular song came
about when Butter and I were talking about how the average person lives
paycheck to paycheck trying to make ends meet. We both agreed that at
the end of the day, there’s always time to take a slow ride on a
backroad with the windows down and blow off some steam. Thus the song
was born.
The
fourth track off the American Made EP is a song titled “The Love You
Give Away” written by myself, Jordan Rainer, and Kevin Brandt. Writing
this song was very therapeutic for me. At the time I was in a very bad
spot in my life. I had lost my best friend and my brother both to cancer
within 18 months of each other and I was close to both of them. Kevin
and Jordan who are amazing writers helped me get through it with this
song. In short it needed to be written so I could begin my healing
process.
The
fifth track off the American Made EP is a song titled “If You Drink”
written by John Cirrillo, Daniel Reifsnider and Sarah Spencer. It also
my first single off the project. This song is so well crafted. The
picture it paints is absolutely amazing. When I first heard it, I
envisioned a veteran in a hotel room having night terrors from the war
and suffering from PTSD. He then goes for a drive to clear his head and
ends up stopping by a VFW to have a drink with his buddies. His buddies
then relay to him that If you Drink, then come drink one with us.
You don’t need to be by yourself. I shared that idea with a couple
friends of mine and we actually shot a video depicting that storyline.
We partnered with Jim Beam Black and their #DrinkSmart campaign and it
came great on camera. Video will be released in the next couple months.
The
sixth and final track on the American Made EP is a song titled “Texas”
written by Dan Demay and Casey Beathard. I’ve always heard people talk
about how if the world were to go to “Hell in a Handbasket” they would
move to Texas to avoid it. Simply because Texas has always had the
history of being what one would call the “Outlaw” of the United States.
When I listened to this song about 2 years ago, I reached out to Dan and
his publisher Meyer Music Group and asked for permission to cut it.
They were more than happy to oblige and thought it would fit my project
perfectly.
6- Lamitschka: What is the difference between your last CD and your current one?
Answer:
I think the biggest difference between my last project and my latest
one is authenticity. My last project was titled, “What I’m Talkin Bout”
and at the time I was still trying to find myself as an artist and a
writer. I think the authenticity in the delivery is stronger on
“American Made” vs. “What I’m Talkin Bout”.
7- Lamitschka: What kind of songs do you like to record the most?
Answer:
I like to cut songs that my listeners/audience can relate to. I want to
be the voice that can relay that everything is going to be ok. An
artist can let them know, you’re not the only one going through what
you’re going through. Whether it be a death, lost job, ptsd, or a since
of belonging. In short, I wanna be a voice for the people and my
brothers and sisters in uniform.
8- Lamitschka: Who inspires you musically and how deep do your musical roots run?
Answer:
I’m not sure that there is any one artist that inspires me musically.
As cliche as it may sound, Country Music has always been a mother, a
therapist, and an outlet for me. Its the music and lyrics that have
always impacted my life and there has always been a song that I could
relate to in some shape, form, or fashion. In regards to my musical
roots, my only claim to fame is the that Samuel Clemmons better know as
Mark Twain is in my family tree. That would explain where I get my
imagination and love for writing from.
9- Lamitschka: Is there any place you haven’t played that you would like to?
Answer:
Absolutely!!! The Ryman Auditorium!! That’s on every Country Music
Artist Bucket List. It’s the Mother Church of Country Music. I have
toured the Ryman as a tourist and the energy that you feel from the
hardwood in that auditorium is absolutely breath-taking. To be part of
history as an artist that performed at the Ryman… Now thats a Legacy I
would love to leave.
10- Lamitschka: What can your fans expect to see when they see you in concert?
Answer:
Full Throttle!! My guys and I are highly energetic, very engaging, and
leave absolutely everything on the stage. I want to make sure that when
you come to a Chris Turner show that you can escape reality and have
good time for the little bit of time we get to spend together that
evening.
11-Lamitschka: When you get time off, how do you like to relax?
Answer:
I like to relax by completely unplugging and going off the grid. I love
spending time with my family camping, fishing, and hunting. There’s
nothing like hanging out with Mother Nature and appreciating everything
the Good Lord has blessed us with..
Lamitschka:
Many music fans today get their information about artists online. Do
you have your own website and what will fans find there?
Answer:
I do have my own website as well as social media platforms. Fans will
be able to find tour dates, new music before it is made available for
purchase, behind the scenes content along with post about my life. You
can find me at the links below. www.christurnermusic.com, Instagram – christurnermusic, Twitter handle – @christurner96, Facebook – is facebook.com/cturner96
12- Lamitschka: Who is your biggest critic, yourself or others?
Answer:
Without a doubt I am my own worse critic. I beat myself up all the
time. Wandering if I could have wrote a different line or delivered a
song a completely different way, or gave a little more on stage. I truly
believe when you get comfortable with anything, that’s when the floor
starts to fall from beneath you. I always strive to one up myself in
everything I do. I have mad tenacity and don’t take no for an answer..