No Brakes Pedal Flat – an all-out, high-octane track by Markus Turk
By Alan Shipston for Country Music News International Magazine
The heart of No Brakes Pedal Flat is the driving train beat combined with the in your face, full throttle electric guitars. Markus Turk lays out the song with breakneck lyrics while guitarist/ producer David Holmes thrashes his way through the arrangement. Bassist Jeff Camilleri and drummer Mitch Farmer pound out the rhythm designed to get you moving and up on the dance floor.
Built from a riff that Markus had for a number of years, he slowly shaped the song giving a nod to Slim Dusty’s, Lights On The Hill, complete with subtle references to the iconic classic. While it could be categorized as a truck driving anthem, its universal message for anyone powering through life at full speed, gives it a much broader appeal. With raw energy and blistering momentum, No Brakes Full Pedal stands out as the hard-hitting, adrenaline-charged track from his new album, Roof Truth and Wine. “I’m really looking forward to getting these tracks out in the world,” offers Turk, “I want to make waves that point country fans worldwide towards what Australian writers and artists are doing.”
Electric guitar kicks the song off with a great traditional riff soaked in a rock amp mixture of distortion and reverb. By the time the rhythm section arrives, the listener knows they’re in store for a country rocker that never lets up. Turk slams into the vocal lines with the speed of a runaway freight train, letting up only to let the arrangement play out its tricks and turns. David Holmes adds gymnastic guitars in the fills and turnarounds and then blazes his way through the solo before entering a breakdown section of the tune before reigniting and taking the song home.
Born and raised in Sydney, his strong ties to the Upper Hunter area of New South Wales influenced his early exposure to country music. It was during high school that his love for rock music found him forming a band. By the early 2010’s Marcus discovered that the country genre, with its penchant for combining 70’s guitar rock flavor with modern country, was evolving to align more closely with his own songwriting style. Inspired by Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and Chris Stapleton, Turk began writing and pitching songs to artists in the US and Australia. After compiling a songwriting catalogue over the last number of years, Marcus decided to record and release an album featuring his best work.
True country fans will have no problem embracing No Brakes Pedal Flat and along the journey, Turk might just invite curious ears from the rock world.