Alex Turner and Arctic Monkeys enter new territory

When Alex Turner arrives in the U.S. for the start of a string of 12 shows in 18 days, someone should hand him and the rest of the Arctic Monkeys a map.

“We’ve never been to Kansas before,” Turner said via cell phone last week from London. “Miami, I’ve never been there. I’m excited about it. Even after this tour, there’ll be places I’ve never been to. We never did a show in Nashville, which is frustrating. One day, hopefully.”

Arctic Monkeys open their mini U.S. tour April 1 in Miami, followed by gigs in Tampa (April 2), Orlando (April 3), Athens, Ga. (April 5), Baltimore (April 7), Covington, Ky. (April 9), St. Louis (April 11), Lawrence, Ks. (April 12), Tulsa, Okla. (April 13), Phoenix (April 15), Las Vegas (April 16), and April 18 at Pioneertown Palace in Pioneertown, Calif., a stone’s throw away from Humbug producer Josh Homme’s studio. Turner talked about what it was like meeting Homme and having him on board to produce the band’s third album.

“I was just excited. The first couple times I spoke to him, it was clear we were on the same page,” Turner said. “There was a sense that it would kind of work out. There was never really any doubt. It was just, ‘get on a plane.’ We knew what we didn’t want to do. In the studio, it got to be fun. It was great.”

Following the tour, Turner said the Sheffield, U.K. band will start to focus more on its fourth studio album.

“We’re not recording (now), but we’re definitely kind of writing, and it’s going to start pretty quickly,” he said. “Any time we get, we’re f****** around with bits and bobs. We’ve got new tunes to play and getting very restless and want to move quite quickly with this one. We’ll do a couple shows with Humbug and some B-sides to finish it off, and then get into new business.”

Will the band work with Homme on the new album? Turner didn’t say yes or no, but it’s obvious the band do not have Homme in their immediate plans.

“I’m sure it’s not the last time we’ll work with him,” Turner said. “I think we’ll ride again.”

In between playing two U.S. tours and a pair of one-off gigs last weekend in London, Turner took time to find a piece of his equipment to donate to OXFAM, which worked to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake. Turner gave OXFAM one of his prized possessions, the Fender strat he played in the band’s first-ever video, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.” The guitar fetched roughly $7,000 in the auction.

“It was the guitar I bought when we got signed. It was the time when you go out and get yourself new gear,” Turner said. “It’s got a few bashes, a few knocks, and it’s the one I use on the first video for “Dancefloor.” I figured that one would probably generate more money. I feel it’s distinctive.”

Turner and the Monkeys make their debut in some of these towns and cities, he said fans can expect to hear a lot of songs from Humbug, and some B-sides. Possibly three new songs – “Joining the Dots,” The Afternoon’s Hat,” and “Don’t Forget Whose Legs You’re On,” which all are on the newly released single for “My Propeller.” The digital version is available, while the 10-inch vinyl version comes out April 13 on Domino Records.

The current tour is now underway, and soon the band will play places that have had some legendary performers on their stage. This includes Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Okla. (April 13). In 1978, it was one of only a small handful of venues the Sex Pistols played on their only U.S. tour. Elvis Costello, The Strokes, Bloc Party, and countless others have played Cain’s. Turner said that no matter where the band plays in the U.S., they never know what to expect from the fans or where they’ll turn up.

“I thought it was strange when you go into towns and people see you,” he said. “When you meet people in the street and seeing how they react well to the tunes in the show. They always say, ‘Why didn’t you play such and such.’ Sometimes they give you a little clap. And the talk shows over there with the applause, it’s quite strange. It’s a different kind of recognition (in England). The fans are slightly different.”

Those fans turned out in droves to see the Monkeys play Shepherd’s Bush Empire and Royal Albert Hall last weekend, and they got to see a very well-dressed Turner, who always seems to wear proper clothing while on stage, unlike another Monkey.

“He’s not the function of fashion,” Turner said of drummer Matt Helders. “I wish I could come out in joggers and a headband. He’s very much freedom on legs. But if he were with jeans, he’d be quite restrictive.”