Press Kit — Wrong Turns & Whiskey

Bio

"AI is the instrument, not the artist. Electric guitars, synthesizers, MIDI — every generation gets a new tool and the same argument about whether it counts. This is mine." — Steven “Frankie” Frank

Short bio (for listings & intros): Wrong Turns & Whiskey is an AI-powered Gothic Americana / Blues Rock project from songwriter Steven “Frankie” Frank — one real musician, three fictional bandmates, and songs forty years in the making.

Long bio: Gothic Americana at the root, with the weight of whiskey-drenched Texas Blues rising out of the Mississippi Delta and the patience to let a song take its time. Frankie writes every lyric and produces every track himself; Grady, Dex, and Crank — the rest of “the band” — are fictional personas, voiced and pictured with AI, built to carry these songs the way they were always meant to sound. (See About This Project below for how that works.)

The name comes from a two-sentence line born out of the songs themselves: "Wrong turns and whiskey, man. That's the whole story." It stuck before anyone had a chance to vote on it. Both debut EPs are out now: The Long Way Around, Part One: The Man I Wore (September 18, 2026) and The Long Way Around, Part Two: Weathered Not Wasted (October 2, 2026). The first EP includes the singles The Man I Wore and Watchman’s Wage; a standalone single, Twenty-Two Paces (Ernest’s Song), followed on August 7, 2026.

About This Project

Steven “Frankie” Frank is real. The bass, the songs, the studio, the forty-year-long way around it took to get here — that's him. Grady, Dex, and Crank are not. They're fictional personas — voices and photos included — built with AI to give these songs the full-band sound they were always written for.

The songs aren't generated on a whim. Frankie writes every lyric, directs every arrangement, and produces every track, using AI (vocal and instrumental modeling, among other digital audio tools) the way a solo artist has always used session musicians: to put in the room what one person alone can’t play. Every part is written, directed, revised, and mixed like any other recording.

Can Wrong Turns & Whiskey be booked for a live show? Not currently. This is a studio project, not a touring act — there's no live lineup to hire for a wedding, brewery, or festival stage.

Are Grady, Dex, and Crank real people? No. They're fictional characters, and their photos are AI-generated. Steven is a real person, and his photos are of him.

The Band

Grady Beaumont Cole

Lead Vocals · Rhythm Guitar

Fictional persona · AI-generated

York, SC. Came up on country radio and a burned CD that rewired him overnight. Picked up a second-hand Epiphone at a Rock Hill pawn shop and never looked back.

Dexter “Dex” Pruitt

Lead Guitar

Fictional persona · AI-generated

Tega Cay, SC. SRV disciple and tone purist. His battered Strat is named Margaret. He won’t say why.

Steven “Frankie” Frank

Bass

Real · that’s actually him

Quiet at load-in, enormous in the room. Writes the songs. The band carries them.

Corey “Crank” Fink

Drums

Fictional persona · AI-generated

Gaffney, SC. Auto tech by day, controlled aggression behind the kit. Never missed a soundcheck.

Music

The Long Way Around, Pt. 2: Weathered Not Wasted Out Now

Full EP, 6 tracks · Released October 2, 2026

Listen Now

The Long Way Around, Pt. 1: The Man I Wore Out Now

Full EP, 6 tracks · Released September 18, 2026 — includes “The Man I Wore” and “Watchman’s Wage”

Listen Now

Twenty-Two Paces (Ernest’s Song) Out Now

Standalone single · Released August 7, 2026

Listen Now

Watchman’s Wage Out Now

Second single, Part One · Released July 24, 2026

Listen Now

The Man I Wore Out Now

Lead single, Part One · Released July 10, 2026

Listen Now

Full track-by-track streaming and store links: see the Listen section on the main site.

Sonic DNA & Sync

A track-by-track genre and placement guide, built for music supervisors, curators, and press — Frankie’s own read on where each song sits and who it’s for. Reference material, not review quotes.

Track	Genre Lineage	For Fans Of	Sync & Curator Tags
Wind & Fire	Heartland Rock · 80s AOR	Bob Seger, Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Mellencamp	Heartland rock, arena anthem, blue-collar grit, underdog anthem
Land From Where I Come	Neo-Psychedelia · Indie Rock	Tame Impala, The Strokes, Gorillaz, The Stone Roses	Hypnotic groove, liminal space, nostalgic drive, A24-style indie drama
Learn to Be a Man	Blues-Rock · Southern Soul (Texas shuffle)	John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Marcus King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chris Stapleton	Gritty blues rock, father-son narrative, Americana swagger, heritage/workwear ads
The Man I Wore	Dark Americana · Alt-Country	Johnny Cash (American Recordings), Colter Wall, Hozier, Tom Waits	Southern gothic, cinematic folk, outlaw country, prestige TV
Watchman’s Wage	Dark Americana · Swamp Rock	Hozier, Mark Lanegan, Chris Stapleton, The Black Keys	Southern gothic, swamp blues, cinematic, prestige TV
Invisible	Cinematic Neo-Blues	Mark Lanegan, Gary Clark Jr., The Black Keys, Tom Waits	Cinematic blues, anti-hero drama, fuzz rock, late-night drive
Shadow in Darkness	Dark Americana · Gothic Country	Johnny Cash, Mark Lanegan, Nick Cave, Chris Isaak	Gothic blues, neo-western, outlaw country, prestige TV
Overwhelmed	Blues-Rock · Southern Soul	Marcus King, Nathaniel Rateliff, Gary Clark Jr., Otis Redding	Southern soul, working-class anthem, cathartic release
Sundial at Night	Cinematic Heartland Rock · Post-Rock	Springsteen (Nebraska), The War on Drugs, Pink Floyd/Gilmour	Cinematic rock, arena rock, melancholic Americana, epic climax
Static	Heavy Blues-Rock · Outlaw Alt-Country	The Black Keys, Chris Stapleton, Rival Sons, Kings of Leon	Heavy blues, southern rock, resilient, automotive/whiskey ads
Weathered Not Wasted	Heavy Blues-Rock · Stoner/Desert Rock	The Black Keys, Royal Blood, Queens of the Stone Age, Gary Clark Jr.	Fuzz rock, desert rock, anti-hero drama, automotive/heritage ads
Driftwood	Cinematic Americana · Gospel-Folk	Ray LaMontagne, Foy Vance, Hozier, Bon Iver	Cinematic folk, gospel soul, redemption song, season-finale close

Press Photos

High-resolution photos, free to use for press and blog coverage with credit to Wrong Turns & Whiskey. Right-click / long-press an image to save, or use the direct links below.

A note on these photos: Steven “Frankie” Frank is a real person, and his photos are of him. Grady, Dex, and Crank are fictional personas — their photos are AI-generated, not photos of real people.