Frank Turner

Frank Turner has done it all. The English punk singer-songwriter has played thousands of shows over the course of his 25-year musical career. During that quarter-century span, he's released eight excellent albums under his own name, published books, founded a festival, shared the stage with some legendary acts and earned acclaim from fans all over the globe. Long before he was a world-renowned musician though, Turner was just a kid in a small U.K. village who was obsessed with Iron Maiden and intent on learning to play guitar.

Recently, in accordance with the release of his West Coast vs. Wessex cover split with NOFX and on the cusp of his milestone 2,500th show (which you can livestream on Aug. 9), Turner opened up to My First Band host Tyler Maas and told him all about his early musical experiences, as well as every memorable stop thereafter. Over the course of more than 45 minutes, the troubadour spoke about a recent socially distant show and the unique new Fat Wreck Chords split before looking back at regrettable band names of yore, unforgettable shows at squats throughout Europe, the unconventional way he wound up in Million Dead and the circumstances that led to him striking out on his own. Along the way, Turner also talked about his time in the London hardcore scene, his days in boarding school and playing his first solo show to exactly three people.

My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering and Lakefront Brewery. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. Music used in this show comes courtesy of Devils Teeth ("The Junction Street Eight Tigers") and Frank Turner covering NOFX ("Bob").