“For me the most interesting part of a live show is when the barrier between the crowd and the stage breaks down, and the most obvious part of that are sing-alongs. I like playing songs that get people involved in the music and turn people from spectators into participants,” Turner says.

While still boasting a strong base in his native Britain, he’s slowly seeping into the awareness of the Americas. His latest record, England Keep My Bones, in 2011 was very well received by almost every musical publication in the Western hemisphere who took it upon themselves to listen to it. Kelly Murray of NME in her review said, “Frank makes a gentlemanly flutter from patriotic medieval a cappella to romantic intricate folk and onto heavier, throbbing gang-vocals, it’s a fearless venture for an artist with something interesting to say.”

The album’s title is from William Shakespeare’s play, The Life and Death of King John, and both deal heavily with the issue of mortality. Songs like “English Curse” and “Wessex Boy,” give the album its identity, described by Turner himself as “Englishness.” “I Still Believe” was the first single on the album, and the album, with the help of the web for promotion, has reached number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. The song “Glory Hallelujah,” marked a desire by the punk artist to create a gospel-like equivalent track that spoke to atheists, and while the song repeatedly proclaims, “there is no god,” a single quote or even the full lyrics without the music do an injustice to the humor, insight, camaraderie, and good-old fashion punk rabble-rousing that involved listening to the track provides.

The Internet has proven to be a huge part in Turner’s current and steady ascension into the upper spheres of the music world. A web-blog is now ubiquitous among the tools a musician utilizes to reach an ever expanding audience. Turner maintains a blog of his own and his music is readily available through downloading and streaming sites across the Web. Videos of his music and performances can be seen online as well.

“The Internet is having a huge impact on many things, not least music. Some aspects are good, some are bad, but it’s here to stay and it’s slightly redundant complaining about it; it’s a better idea to try and work out how to work with it and use it for good ends. Social media is something I use a lot and which has been a great help in my music career,” Turner says.

The music itself is much more of an instinctual and simultaneously enigmatic process for Turner to explain, his songs, revealing and confessional, originate from a core within him that seems available to locate but, at the same time, impossible to pinpoint. He explains there’s not much science or math to it, but it’s more of an organic process to bring what’s within, out.

“I actually feel like I don’t really know how to talk about this subject, like I don’t, in fact, know all that much about the process myself. It’s always been an instinctive thing for me. I guess I work at it by learning songs by other people, looking at them from the inside out. But all the same, it’s something that just kind of happens for me, and I don’t have a good vocabulary for talking about it,” he says.

The fundamental change in musical direction seems as natural as aging to Turner. Dallas Green of City and Colour, formerly of post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, went a similar route to Turner’s, and even the thrash metal bands of the 1980s like Slayer and Metallica had eventually slowed down the tempos of their tunes to evolve their sound and explore a new approach.

“It’s also a function of getting older. When you’re younger, it’s easier to be simple and direct and un-nuanced; age brings shades of gray, in every sense. And as much as it’s fun to be raw and in your face, it’s also pretty limited artistically, and, I think, a lot of people (myself included) are wary of repeating themselves,” Turner says.

Turner is planning to keep a full schedule for 2012 ranging from recording to touring and some other surprises as well. Shaping up to be a smashing year, Turner recently played his first arena show, selling out the famous Wembley Arena and is now confirmed with the Pogues and Badly Drawn Boy to perform at the Strummer of Love Festival in the UK in mid-August to mark the 10-year anniversary of the death of The Clash frontman and punk legend, Joe Strummer.

“I’m making a new record this summer, for release at the start of next year. After that, well, festivals in the summer, then a big US and a big UK tour toward the end of the year. I’m still working on tour diaries in book form, and I also have a heavier, nastier side project on the go at the moment as well (although I’m not sure when that will see the light of day right now). I’m keeping busy,” he says.

Don’t fear of a burnout from Turner though. The “all work and no play make jack a dull boy” rule doesn’t apply here. (When one enjoys what they do, it’s never really work is it?) As Turner drew the interview to a close, discussing his touring Ireland, he spoke of always reserving time for having fun.

“Irish whiskey, on the other hand, is something I have a lot of time for. Ireland is ace generally, friendly people and good craic,” he says.

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