Turning Point was a straight edge

Straight edge

Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...

 hardcore

Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 band from New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 that existed from 1988 to 1991 http://www.last.fm/music/Turning+Pointhttp://www.jadetree.com/bands/artist/turning_point. Their early releases had the sound of straight edge hardcore of the time, with lyrics relating to social issues or being straight edge. The later material was a lot more emo

Emo (music)

Emo is a style of rock music characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics. It originated in the mid-1980s hardcore punk movement of Washington, D.C., where it was known as "emotional hardcore" or "emocore" and pioneered by bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace...

 influenced, integrating more emotional lyrics, softer vocal delivery and octave

Octave

In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...

 chords.

This eventually led the way for other straight edge/hardcore bands to do so, such as Split Lip

Split Lip

Split Lip is responsible for the Midwestern emo-core sound, together with bands like Endpoint, and a group they inspired, The Get Up Kids. After gaining acclaim in the small international hardcore community for their debut album, the band switched gears to more country-leaning pop rock and changed...

, Falling Forward, etc.

Lead singer Skip Candelori http://bloggedquartered.blogspot.com/2009/10/tribute-to-skip-candelori.html and guitarist Jay Laughlin previously formed Moorestown, New Jersey-based Pointless. Ken Flavell, drums, originally played drums with brother Chris Flavell in the early southern New Jersey hardcore band, Failsafe. Nick Greif, bass, previously played bass in the late 80's straight-edge hardcore band, Awareness. Matthew Kerfoot, guitarist in Awareness

Awareness

Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...

, was Greif's original choice to play drums in Turning Point. Kerfoot declined, opting to leave for college.

Candelori died in 2002 of an accidental drug overdose http://www.punknews.org/article/3771.

Members

• Frank "Skip" Candelori (vocals)
• Nick Greif (bass)
• Ken Flavell (drums)
• Jay Laughlin (guitar)
• Steve Crudello (second guitar)

Discography

• Turning Point 1988-1991 discography CD (2000, Jade Tree Records
  Jade Tree Records
  Jade Tree International, Inc. was an independent record label formed by Darren Walters and Tim Owen in August 1991, out of Wilmington, Delaware....
  
  )
• Turning Point/No Escape split 7" (1991, Temperance Records)
• It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn CD/LP/cassette (New Age Records)
• Turning Point 7" (1988, Hi-Impact Records) http://www.btinternet.com/~thisispunkrock/ps/ushc/2/turning.htm
• Turning Point demo cassette (self released)

Compilation Appearances:

• Rebuilding compilation CD (also has Forever comp song) (Temperance Records)
• Rebuilding compilation 7" (Temperance Records)
• Forever compilation 7" (Irate Records) - song "Insecurity"
• Words To Live By, Words To Die For compilation 7" (1990, New Age Records) - song "My Turn to Win"

Related bands (and shared members)

• 1200
• Christ
• Edgewise
  Edgewise
  Edgewise was an hour-long television news magazine program that aired on MSNBC from 1996 to 1997. The show was hosted by John Hockenberry....
  
  
• Godspeed - Frank "Skip" Candelori, Jay Laughlin
• Ignition
• Lenola
  Lenola (band)
  Lenola was an indie rock noise-pop group formed in New Jersey in 1994, originally envisioned as a four-track project by lead man Jay Laughlin, but with the addition of guitarist David Grubb and drummer Sean Byrne, eventually became a standard band...
  
   - Jay Laughlin
• Like A Fox
• Memorial Day
• No Escape - Steve Crudello
• Seven Gone - Steve Crudello
• Shadow Season
• Pointless
• Fail Safe
• Good Conduct
• Awareness
  Awareness
  Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...
  
  
• Plastic Eaters
  Plastic Eaters
  Plastic Eaters are a punk rock group who are originally from Philadelphia, but who are now based in NYC. They were formed in January 1996 as a creative venture between Stan Stammers and vocalist Rob Daly...
  
  - Steve Crudello played guitar for the band in 1997.