Frank Turner responds to criticism about his pricey Campfire Punkrock camp

From July 30 – August 3, 2018, UK folk punk Frank Turner will host Campfire Punkrock in the Catskill Forest Preserve in Big Indian, NY. It’s part of the recurring Music Masters Camps series, which “provide a unique opportunity for participants and world-class artists to meet and collaborate in an inspired and creative atmosphere.” Previous artists to host the series have included Richard Thompson, Jorma Kaukonen, Melissa Auf der Maur, Todd Rundgren, Adrian Belew, and Peter Buck. The event description for Frank Turner’s reads:

Arrival Day: Meet and greet, including open bar and served hors d’oeuvres, followed by gourmet dinner, camp orientation and an opening night Solo Performance by Frank Turner

Daily Activities: You and your fellow PUNKROCKERS will help Frank Turner write a new song which will be performed by Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at the Closing Night Concert! Other activities include Master classes, Open rehearsals, Ensemble workshops and Specific Instrument Lessons.

Evening Programming: Performances, Participant Jam sessions attended by band members, Open Mics and social gatherings including acoustic jam sessions around the campfire!

Closing Night: Farewell dinner and
Finale Concert with Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls

The “you and your fellow PUNKROCKERS” bit plus the $999 – $2,900 registration price range rubbed some people the wrong way, as NME pointed out:

https://twitter.com/bnmrsl/status/910780247729213440

Frank turner is so fucking Tory it makes me sick. Fuck off with your fake punk bullshit https://t.co/hfzPRucvzh

— posi ruby (@rubyxkelly) September 20, 2017

Frank gave NME a statement in response to the criticism, saying:

Like Peter Buck, Melissa Auf der Maur, Todd Rungren, Richard Thompson and many others before me, I’m doing a Music Masters camp next summer in upstate New York, in amongst the rest of my regular touring schedule. It’s an all-inclusive package, four nights full bed and board in a resort, so it might not be for everyone, but it’s just one small event among everything else I’ll be doing next year – releasing a new record, with the usual run of tours, festivals and benefit shows that comes with that.

I work hard to make sure that what I do is accessible to everyone. If I don’t see people at the camp, there will be plenty of other shows where we can hang out.

Frank does indeed tour a lot — he’s actually on the road with Jason Isbell as we speak. We caught him at Beacon Theatre this past February. All upcoming dates are listed below.

Frank Turner — 2017/2018 Tour Dates
Sep 22 White Water Amphitheater New Braunfels, TX*
Sep 23 The Bomb Factory Dallas, TX*
Sep 24 The Criterion Oklahoma City, OK*
Sep 26 Baton Rouge River Center Baton Rouge, LA*
Sep 27 Saenger Theatre Mobile, AL*
Sep 29 Ovens Auditorium Charlotte, NC*
Sep 30 Ovens Auditorium Charlotte, NC*
Oct 01 Mr Smalls Millvale, PA
May 11 The Roundhouse London, United Kingdom
May 12 The Roundhouse London, United Kingdom
May 13 The Roundhouse London, United Kingdom
May 14 The Roundhouse London, United Kingdom

* – w/ Jason Isbell