Turkey Vulture what is in a name
Interview conducted on July 3, 2019
by Dan Locke
Americana-inspired metal with a punk edge might not be the first thing you affiliate with southern Connecticut, but such is the daily bread of Turkey Vulture. A band named for a majestic if reviled scavenger, this hard hitting duo is out for blood. They fuse the sounds of Motorhead with Social Distortion by way of The White Stripes and even Dolly Parton. Belting out anthems that protest the suffering of our modern age, Turkey Vulture is New England’s latest punk rock hope.
Jessie May — Gtr/Vox
Jim Clegg — Drums
Did you know there is a Turkey Vulture Records out of Rockford IL?
JM: Yes. Who knows, maybe they will sign us one day. 😉
What were your musical influences growing up?
JM: Like most folks, I started with my parents’ music — Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, CCR, Jim Croce, Simon and Garfunkel, and the like from my dad. Indigo Girls, Bob Marley, and Eric Clapton from my mom. I was also lucky to start taking music lessons and participating in music ensembles at school from a young age, which definitely broadened my horizons.
JC: My mom always listened to Peter, Paul and Mary and took my sister and I to see them live so that’s my connection to folk music. My dad likes the Rolling Stones but you’d never hear him play it. He would always blast Celtic band music with the raging bagpipes and snares. I didn’t really know that there were “bands” until the older kids from the church I grew up in introduced me to Guns N’ Roses and Metallica which obviously changed things (lol)
How did you two meet?
JM: I started playing bass for Jim’s band Pink Missile, a local band in Stamford, CT. That was back in 2008 and we’ve been making music together ever since.
Why a two-piece band?
JM: The older our group of friends and acquaintances gets, the harder it is to coordinate people’s schedules. Since the two of us are more or less a unit, it cuts out the endless text message thread about when to practice. I can record the bass, so…… At this point in our lives, it was an easy decision.
How do you combine metal/punk/folk?
JM: Good question! A couple of our songs which are yet to be recorded in the studio follow a standard blues format in terms of the verse guitar and vocal structure, and the lyrical content. Then it’s played on distorted guitar with “not clean” vocals, and interspersed with bridges and choruses that are more reminiscent of stoner or doom metal and drumming that incorporates punk and metal styles. So that’s one way. We also cover the folk song “In The Pines” and do a sped-up punk version of Dolly Parton’s Jolene. If Jim and I made a Venn diagram of our major influences, punk would be on his side, folk would be on my side, and metal would be in the middle.
A lot of it is an outlook too. In the words of Louis Armstrong, “All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song.”
Are there any other bands like yourself?
JM: There are other bands that incorporate American folk/historical music into metal, like Zeal & Ardor, Panopticon, and Twilight Fauna. Personally, the folk duo Two Gallants (not metal at all) was a big influence for me in conceptualizing Turkey Vulture — very raw, with storytelling lyrics that are often gender-bending as well. However, I wouldn’t we “sound like” any of the bands I just mentioned.
How did you get your name?
JM: I love turkey vultures. They are freakin’ metal.
I am going to name a few guitarists from Connecticut (since you are from there). I would like you to say something about each if you can.
(JM)
John Mayer — Meh.
Chet Powers — No idea.
Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional — He’s from Connecticut?
Eric Von Schmidt — No idea.
Willy Devine of Kill Hannah — No idea.
Vinnie Vincent of Kiss — Might be dead. Get off his lawn. https://www.rollingstone.com/ music/music-features/the-long- kiss-goodbye-the-search-for- vinnie-vincent-187427/
Alex Grossi of Quiet Riot — Quiet Riot rules!
You got recently engaged. How do you work together?
JM: Like in life outside of music, we seem to have complementary roles. Like, I do the grocery shopping and cooking, he washes the endless stream of dishes I create. I existed without curtains until he moved in and hung some up. In the band, I handle the booking and PR stuff and he does our artwork, photography, and video endeavors. As for the actual writing of the music, I compose a lot of it (but not all!) and we arrange it together. Sometimes he writes the lyrics, sometimes I do. We’re a good team!
Jessie, I read that you recently got a Dean Acoustic guitar. What model?
JM: Lol my mom got it for me as a birthday gift a couple years ago. The gift that keeps on giving! AXS Parlor Mahogany.
Why did you pick Charles from COG to set it up for you? Do you know what he did? And does he set up your other gear?
JM: Charles is an old friend from the local band scene and I went to him because he’s a very precise and knowledgeable person. He adjusted the truss rod and restrung it with some lightweight strings for me. Unfortunately, he just moved to Boston, so I’m going to have to find another person to help me out in the future!
Who is your favorite female metal band?
JM: I think the politically correct term is “bands with chicks in them.” One of my recent favorites is Year of the Cobra. Another cool one from my region is Benthic Realm, which gets bonus double stars for having TWO chicks. 😉
JC: You can’t forget The Bangles!! White Lung is also very cool. I also like Band of Skulls but the dude in that band also sings.
Jessie, I see you also play the cello. How long have you played it?
Any other instruments do you play?
JM: I played seriously from middle school through college, but then got very out of practice. I recently played a season with a local community orchestra to get back in shape, and I’m happy to say that my cello-playing doesn’t sound as terrible anymore. My main instrument is electric bass and I also play a bit of upright bass in folk bands.
Why do you play a 5-string bass not a 4 or 6 string bass?
JM: One of my first metal bands played in B standard and tuning my shitty Yamaha down a fourth wasn’t an option. The rest is history. I wouldn’t go back to a 4-string because why? I like having the option not to tune down for a song the guitar plays in drop D, or being able to play a low B when playing in E minor, low C when in A minor, etc. As far as a 6-string, I’ve never played one. I’m content with what I’m doing now.
What do you think of Tom Petersson the bass player from Cheap Trick (a 12-string bass with four courses of three strings each)?
JM: Lotta strings, brah. I was not previously aware of that but I just looked him up on YouTube, and he has a really unique tone!
How do you see your band in 5 years?
JM: Haha, if Jim and I manage to reproduce it will probably be nonexistent. Or maybe we’ll give the kid a tambourine and start playing nursery rhyme songs.
Anything in closing for your fans?
JM: You should subscribe to us on Bandcamp because you will get SECRET, EXCLUSIVE, and STRANGE songs for you and only you. Subscribe here: https://turkeyvulture. bandcamp.com/subscribe And thanks for reading!i
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