The Grand Rapids singer-songwriter talked about his first album in 11 years – a poignant gem – during Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted songs by Big Dudee Roo, The Soods, Jake Kalmink and more.
Ford Turrell spent years in Nashville as part of what he calls Music City’s song “factory,” writing country tunes and collaborating with other wordsmiths.
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Suffice to say, it was “a real eye-opener” for a songwriter who hadn’t shared ideas and worked with other artists previously.
“It was part of the whole song factory that goes on down there: two writing appointments every day – sometimes three – five or six days a week, just trying to crank out as much as you can,” the Kentwood native said of his six years spent in Nashville before moving back to Grand Rapids with his wife, Kim, to raise their family.
“It was a good bootcamp in songwriting for sure – what’s important, what to keep and what to throw out. … Definitely a learning experience. When you start working with veteran songwriters, you learn how to just cut what’s unnecessary out of a song and get right to the point. In commercial songs, it’s ‘Let’s get to the hook and let’s get right back to the hook if we can.’ I definitely learned a lot from those people.”
That experience, combined with a new perspective on life’s challenges that comes with age and a “disciplined” approach to writing songs, is reflected in Turrell’s new studio album, “Days Gone By,” which was recorded in Nashville and officially released in late August, more than a decade after he released his first solo recording.
The singer-songwriter, who attended Aquinas College before landing a publishing deal that led him to Nashville, celebrates release of the new album at 7 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 29) at Brass Ring Brewing, 2404 Eastern Ave. SE in Grand Rapids, backed by an all-star family band of sorts that includes his wife, Kim, on vocals and Chris Corey on keyboards, among others.
He performed two of his new songs – the title track and “Everything We Used To Be” – in-studio for this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE. Watch the video of his performance of “Days Gone By” here and listen to the entire radio show podcast below.
VIDEO: Ford Turrell, “Days Go By”
Turrell – whose infectious, slightly whispery voice complements his poignant, potent lyrics – conceded he wasn’t even a fan of country music when he first moved to Nashville, but grew to appreciate the economy and power of words crafted by many artists who perform their material acoustically at places like The Bluebird Café.
“They’re so clean. Every word has a purpose. Everything’s lined up perfectly in those songs and it’s so cool to hear them stripped down like that,” he recalled, adding that he also learned how take criticism as part of the collaborative, songwriting process.
“You adjust really quickly to what could be considered criticism,” he said, noting that editors would frequently shoot down what he viewed as a good idea. “You learn to roll with it and not take things so personally.”
After returning to Grand Rapids and taking a hiatus from writing, he got an unexpected call from a friend in Nashville encouraging him to record another album – his first since 2007.
“It was really hard for me,” Turrell said of jumping back into the songwriting fray. “I wasn’t really sure what direction I was going.”
But he forced himself to sit for an hour at his desk every night after putting the kids to bed, sometimes writing a few words or concocting a melody, sometimes writing a full song, sometimes writing nothing. Eventually, he compiled more than 30 songs from which he chose 10 for the new record.
In addition to the Grand Rapids album-release show, Turrell plays an Oct. 20 show at Tavern 101 in Bay City and a Nov. 7 show at Buffalo Traders Lounge in Grand Rapids. After that, he said, he’ll keep “stockpiling” songs and take things as they come.
“The plan is to have fun and kind of let things unfold as they’re supposed to unfold, whatever that might be,” he said. “I honestly have no expectations at this point for what to come next. I’m super-excited about getting involved locally in the music scene around here, which is just crushing it right now. There’s so much going on.”
The Sept. 28 edition of Local Spins on WYCE – which spotlights local and regional music at 11 a.m. Fridays at 88.1 FM – also boasted the radio premiere of new songs by Big Dudee Roo, Jack and the Bear, Jake Kalmink & Further Closer, The Soods, The Blue Pines and Daniel Paul Band, as well as music from Lord Huron (this week’s musician’s pick by Turrell), Lazy Genius, Lipstick Jodi and Barbarossa Brothers.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE (9/28/18)
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