In Conversation With.. Turbyne
The music industry thrives on people coming together in many different ways. A pandemic, however, and the advent of lockdown, has made it a great challenge to return to some place of normality. Pushing the bigger part of the industry aside, huge admiration must be paid to the unsigned underground artist community, who have shown great signs of resilience and creativity in the face of adversity. For some artists, for instance, their new music campaigns were to be cut short by the pandemic, whilst others’ had to be pushed back, in order to get the best exposure for their work. Those artists who have taken it upon themselves to remain on track with their creative process, during lockdown, include the Dumfries-based heavy metal band, Turbyne.
Starting off as a metal cover band in high school and finding their feet playing at D.I.Y. local band nights, Turbyne’s beginnings happened at a time when there was a recognised and respectable scene for metal music in Dumfries. Since the formation of their current line-up: Keith Fleming, Gary Gillespie, Kyle Mitchell, Ryan Todd, Calum Walker and Jamie Hoyle, the band has established a wide array of musical styles. All of which create a hugely intense and ambitious sound. Since their debut record ‘Origins and Endings’, released in 2015, the band has continued to write, record and perform original material. For the unsigned artist community, this unprecedented time has proven to be both the best and worst for their art. Whilst it offers an opportune time to write, reflect and roll map a strategic plan of attack, it also places creativity deep into the doldrums - lowering momentum and energy levels. For the likes of Turbyne, however, it has allowed their creative juices to flow and granted them time to bring their second record to light.
Since “time was on our side”, Turbyne set some achievable goals and focused on yet another record. Their album ‘Arc’, which is scheduled for release on the 05/03/21, reveals eight brand new tracks. Kyle explains “Each track has its own narrative, inspired by art, literature, and even video games”. With a specific focus on song writing, Calum claims that “All the written lyrics tell their own stories that reference each other or different art”. With regards to their recent single release ‘Cursebreaker’ - looking to be a main hitter on the album - Turbyne has clearly established a seminal piece of work, fed purely by their creative work efforts during lockdown.
For a lot of other artists, production within their work has been brought to a complete standstill – as the pandemic’s subsequent closure of recording studios and rehearsal rooms has blocked access to that all important music-making environment. Interestingly, Calum expressed: “Strangely enough, it didn’t impact us as much as you might think, because we were already working semi-remotely [prior to the pandemic]. On the last album I did all the guitars from home and the rest was done in studio spaces. This time round, we were planning to record all of the instrumental parts individually in our respective home studios”. Working out how to record from home normally would be a very daunting task for any band, however, Turbyne was well-prepared: “Because technology has come so far and recording equipment is more domestic, it meant we were able to continue working, albeit at a slower pace than we might have wanted“. However, Calum did admit that it wasn’t all that straight forward: “The big challenge for me was knowing how everyone felt about the work. When you’re face to face, it can be easier to address problems specifically. When it’s comments in a chat box it’s harder to really articulate your point”.
Regardless, their home production sounds like it came straight out of a professional recording studio and will no doubt allow this record to hit new heights. Rightfully, Turbyne boasts: “We go to further extremes. There’s a wider scope of sound which includes our heaviest and lightest moments. It’s riskier, because we’re stretching ourselves, dabbling in genres that, not long ago, were completely beyond us. It’s all in pursuit of putting out the best, most interesting work we can produce. I think it’s music that could only come from us.”
Turbyne’s album ‘Arc’ is released on 05/03/21 - click here to pre-order.
The use of technology and the internet is by no means a new innovative way for artists to remain creative. Calum remembered: “Once the recording was finished, everything was sent to the sound engineer, John Dinning from Sound Travels. He was able to send us updated mixes as the work went along and we could provide our feedback through email”. Living in a digital age where there is no excuse to not stay in close contact, Gary advises: “I think the main thing about trying to remain creative remotely, is finding the right communication style. Some like video conferencing, some ‘Discord’ in a group voice call and some prefer a good old-fashioned Facebook group chat”.
There is no doubt that Turbyne is a band who is serious about their art. They have planned to look forward and to not put their art in jeopardy. Gary feels that creative adaption during these unprecedented times is so important: “I’ve taken to artwork again which I’ve not done for years. Recently I participated in ‘inktober’, which I’d seriously recommend as a hell of a challenge for any artist!”. Gary clearly communicated that it’s important to “keep the creative streak going!”. This can be easier said than done, especially when mental health takes its toll. Thus, Gary offers some further sound advice: “Even if you’re struggling to focus, find something that motivates you to get back to where you were creative. I personally looked back at some of the older shows we put on and started to work on certain aspects of my performance that could have been improved, not to mention, simply watching these old shows gave me the motivation to get creative, and to be sure I could get back on the road as soon as the restrictions are lifted”.
“We go to further extremes. There’s a wider scope of sound which includes our heaviest and lightest moments. It’s riskier, because we’re stretching ourselves, dabbling in genres that, not long ago, were completely beyond us. It’s all in pursuit of putting out the best, most interesting work we can produce. I think it’s music that could only come from us.”
For long enough, the creative has been encouraged to hold dear to a ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) ethos, however, it seems that Turbyne was looking much further ahead and pursued a more ‘Do It Together’ (DIT) approach. Over the course of last year and throughout January, both Calum and Gary have been involved in some form of creative collaboration throughout lockdown. Calum for example, recently participated in DMC’s Talk/Play/Collaborate project with Jenna Macrory, which was a project designed to bring musicians together for discussions and musical collaboration. Although a challenging opportunity, he is glad that he has taken it on: “I would just say that it's always worth trying. I was worried that others wouldn’t want to work on projects, they might be too overwhelmed or distracted by everything that was happening, but I was wrong”. Prior to the pandemic, there were so many great uncertainties that existed within music and the industry. Calum agrees that “travelling, late nights, busy schedules, long sessions, creative differences, finances [and] hours upon hours of individual and collective practice” can all lead to burnout. So, it is vital to have a break in order to reflect on what is important.
When addressing the ‘elephant in the room’ - the ‘unpopular’ genre of heavy metal - Turbyne experiences the local metal scene in Dumfries as a short term priority that’s worth campaigning for. Gary stated: “I would agree metal isn’t as popular as it once was, but I think that’s a false way to look at it, as metal has evolved so much now, it’s opened up an ocean of new talents and genres that have allowed “metal” bands to expand on their talents and create new sounds”. In agreement, Keith hopes that a local metal scene could survive through the turmoil of the pandemic: “I think the metal scene in the major cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen will always produce good, exciting bands. However, the local scene isn't as good as it once was and it's much the same for smaller towns across the country. When we started playing gigs there were so many bands around Dumfries and Galloway and crowds were big. I don't seem to hear of many youngsters starting bands or looking for gigs. I don't know if the lack of facilities in the region has anything to with it, but it's something that really needs looked into”. Admitting that the downfall in the regions facilities has possibly led to the scene’s demise, Keith further explained: “Kids need places to practice and play, without it you simply don't have the foundation to try and be successful. We were lucky enough to be a part of a healthy Dumfries metal scene and I would love to see it back to its glory”.
Another reason why metal has lost its appeal, is the fact that it’s no longer considered mainstream. Calum agreed that “It’s not for everyone. It’s an outsider genre. That’s a big part of its lasting appeal”. Considering a genre more suited to the underground, Calum further added “The reason it used to be in the mainstream, is because important industry types decided it could make them money at that time. Popular music is dictated by trends, and the audiences don’t always control the trends”. Regardless, Turbyne appreciates the vast and expanding genre and it would be fair to say that they sit right at the vanguard of the scene, locally.
As already mentioned, struggles and strives of the unsigned community has not led to surrender of their art. Calum feels that: “Everyone needs an outlet. I think creative people would struggle to be happy without some way to express their ideas. I certainly would. I barely think about anything else some days”. To Gary, Turbyne “6 members, 6 different ideas, 6 directions but ultimately all with the same goal, to express our art in the form that we created”. However difficult, there are so many support networks out there and many innovative ways to cope and stay focused. Calum praised fellow artists for adapting this situation: “bands were diversifying how they generated income with things like vinyl sales and sheet music/tab books”. He noted that these are all great types of merchandise to offer to your fans. Now sat with a more unusual release campaign, Turbyne certainly is not too disgruntled about a full year of cancelled shows; in fact, “I think it played in our favour!” - claimed Kyle. With more video releases still to come, Turbyne teases that at least two more tracks are on their way before the album drops in its entirety. And when the time allows it, an album launch show is most definitely on the cards.
It is important not to dress this up, for the unsigned creative community have been hit hard. However, there is no doubt that there are, and surely will be, many more inspirational creative initiatives to come out of lockdown in the next few months. It is the likes of Turbyne who lead as a classic example, who show what can be done in these unprecedented times, and their achievements and contributions deserve to be celebrated.