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Consisting of Jessie May (guitar, bass, vocals) and Jim Clegg (drums, artwork/design/photography), Turkey Vulture is a Connecticut-based two-piece that perfectly meshes punk with stoner rock to deliver some big-ass riffs. Jessie took some time out to talk to us about Turkey Vulture for an “Introducing” feature, and we think that you’ll like this one. Strap yourself in and get acquainted with Jessie, and Turkey Vulture…
What are the origins of the band, how long have you been playing together?
Turkey Vulture officially began in December 2018, but drummer Jim Clegg and I have been playing together since 2008 in various local bands. As people get older and situations change, it became easier to have a band that was just the two of us. We perform as a two-piece, but I play bass and additional guitars on our recordings.
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Turkey Vulture?
Lately, expect a pregnant lady to call you a motherfucker. It’s all in good fun though!
Our setup is bare-bones — no backing tracks or looping pedals, etc. Just a Line 6 head set to “metal” and Jim blasting back there on the drums. What we forego in bells and whistles, we make up for in attitude. We’ve been playing for a lot of people who are unfamiliar with our music, and I think they are surprised by how aggressive it is.
As a frontperson, I also think it’s very important to keep the show rolling. You can’t get bogged down by little screw-ups or technical difficulties. Like, I had my tuning pedal die at our last show! The one thing I needed… But fuck it, I just unplugged it and tuned the old-fashioned way, and kept the banter going.
How did you feel performing your first gig as a band, and how was it?!
It was a little nerve-wracking because this is my first band as a vocalist. I don’t think I sang loud enough but other than that it was fine. Jim’s always been 100% solid, whereas I’ve had to make some progress with how to sing/growl and feel comfortable on the mic while playing.
The new music scene is bursting at the seams at the minute with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out to build a name for themselves?
I think aside from having good music, a band’s social media presence and engagement make a big difference. I interviewed Rob Blasko, though, who is Ozzy’s bassist and does AR for Ripple Music among many other things, and he was basically said the following/fans trump the music. Music is subjective, and what one person loves is what another person thinks is terrible. (Ask my mother what she thinks of Turkey Vulture…)
Speaking of social media presence, I think Turkey Vulture is getting a B- in Interwebs right now. We are parents to a one-year-old with another baby on the way this spring. With real-life taking the front seat, we are not as on top of social sharing as we perhaps should be. And our new EP Twist the Knife isn’t even on Spotify yet, long story…
But our kid is doing great and we have managed to stay sane, so that’s the most important thing!
One concept that comes up a lot in our music is the false reality of our digital environments. What’s on the screen isn’t real… Or is it? As my friend and PR guy Curtis Dewar tells me, “It makes you real money!” And the digital world allows our music to be enjoyed by real people in Spain, the UK, Australia… Which is so cool! I guess the screens aren’t all bad, but I definitely should spend less time on them.
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
Twist the Knife was just released January 14! Folks can listen and purchase on Bandcamp.
I also recommend checking out our YouTube channel. We recently shared a really fun music video for the song “She’s Married (But Not To Me)” as well as a short making-of documentary for the EP. Jim filmed and edited these videos and he knows what he’s doing, so they are actually pretty legit for a band of our unknown stature.
Excluding yourself! which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
Bone Church is a talented band from our state, Connecticut, that signed to Ripple Music somewhat recently. I see pictures on IG of them setting up their tour van and I hope 2022 brings them to all sorts of new places! Gorge and Pinto Graham are two other great bands from Connecticut — both independent as far as I know, and wowing audiences at every performance.
What are your own first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
I have lots of fond memories of listening to cassette tapes in my dad’s red Ford pickup truck. Some of his favorite selections were the Allman Brothers and Vanilla Ice!
One lightbulb moment was seeing Red Hot Chili Peppers as a teenager, and whatever band they had opening for them was (IMO) really terrible. I thought to myself “If this band can open for the Chili Peppers, maybe I can be in a band one day.” Another teen lightbulb moment was seeing Unearth in a very small club in like 2000 or 2001. It was my first time ever hearing music that was heavier than radio metal and I was like, “Oh! I like this!”
I didn’t listen to too much punk as a teen — just some Ramones but that was it. Jim and some friends introduced me to bands like Misfits, Social Distortion, and Rancid in my 20s and early 30s, and I feel like it would have changed my musical trajectory if I’d heard them earlier.
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
Deadlocked Productions PunkFest this fall, a local punk show! I also went to see the Indigo Girls with my mom recently — they were another “cassette memory” band, so that was very cool getting to see them together.
What current social issue are you particularly passionate about?
Living wages, paid maternity/family leave, affordable childcare… The United States is supposed to be the “greatest nation,” but many people are struggling just to get by. Meanwhile, lots of other countries have solved such “insurmountable” problems like “How do we pay a lady to take a couple months off with her newborn baby?” But the United States is run by billionaires and corporations, so… Here we are.
This is another concept that comes up in our songs, like “Boxer,” “Age of Resistance,” and most recently “Livestock on Our Way to Slaughter.”
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
Maybe not so surprising, but the playlist called Lullabies for Sleep is in heavy rotation on my Spotify right now. I put it on in the car and drive the kid around until he falls asleep!
Although 2021 was another year to forget, there were some amazing new albums released, what would be your album of last year?
Deceiver from Khemmis was very cool and I feel like a new direction for them. I’ve been a fan since Absolution and it’s awesome to hear them still evolving.
What does 2022 hold for you?
A new baby! And not a lot of shows lol.
Jim has been writing new music and lyrics that will hopefully turn into finished songs somehow??? We’ll see. I also want to record a couple solo acoustic songs with Dave Kaminsky, the engineer who recorded Twist the Knife, but again we’ll see. Two babies means double the logistics!
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
I think our most fun account is Instagram, @turkeyvultureband. You can find a complete list of our music and social links here. Hope to talk with you soon
