Brendan Yates’ Montgomery County roots recently came full circle in a small but timely way. Colesville Dentistry shared that the Turnstile frontman stopped by their office ahead of this coming weekend’s Grammy Awards, a local visit that underscored just how connected Yates remains to the area where his story began.
Yates is a Burtonsville native who attended Paint Branch High School in the late 2000s, years before Turnstile would emerge as one of the most influential bands to bridge hardcore, rock, alternative, and metal. Even as his career has taken him to international stages, moments like a routine stop at a Colesville dental office resonate locally as reminders that one of modern rock’s most recognizable voices is still very much a hometown figure.
Turnstile formed in Baltimore in 2010 and quickly distinguished itself with explosive live performances and a sound that challenged the boundaries of hardcore punk. As lead singer, Yates has played a central role in shaping the band’s creative direction, helping to introduce melody, groove, and experimentation into a genre traditionally defined by rigidity and speed.
The band’s wider breakthrough came with the release of Glow On in 2021, an album that earned both critical acclaim and mainstream attention. That success translated into three Grammy nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in 2023, including Best Rock Performance for “Holiday,” Best Metal Performance for “Blackout,” and Best Rock Song for “Blackout.”
Turnstile reached another milestone at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in 2026 (next weekend) receiving five nominations for Never Enough. Those nominations included Best Rock Album, Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for “Never Enough,” Best Alternative Music Performance for “Seein’ Stars,” and Best Metal Performance for “Birds.” The recognition made Turnstile the first band ever nominated across the Rock, Alternative, and Metal fields in a single year, a historic achievement that highlighted the band’s genre-defying identity.