Turkey Vulture to release album “On The List” on 25 October 2024
Connecticut heavy music duo TURKEY VULTURE is back from a quiet couple years with their rawest EP release yet: On The List. The band's ferocious gritty punk sound is a feast of high-impact energy with elements drawn from across the heavy metal subgenres. On The List is set to land on October 25th, 2024.
Frontwoman Jessie May says,
“This EP is a meeting of TURKEY VULTURE’s past and present. ‘Untitled’ and ‘Harvest Moon’ are actually songs I wrote for me and Jim’s previous band (Jimmy Junk Bird and the Stiffs, active 2013-2017), with updated lyrics. Bringing things into the present, the new lyrics to ‘Harvest Moon’ are a result of our toddlers forcing us to watch Scooby Doo on Zombie Island several times a day for months – and of course there is the nod to quintessential American blues song ‘St. James Infirmary’ in the outro. (The song has nothing to do with Neil Young, btw.) ‘Adults Destroy’ is about climate change and its title comes from the illustration of a magazine my brother and I made in elementary school, which I unearthed from some basement box last year.
We called the EP On The List because there is ALWAYS something 'on the list.' Whether it’s running to the grocery for more cheese sticks, folding another load of laundry, or finding a way to schedule band practice, we are never without some task to complete.
It’s been a little longer than usual since we’ve been in the studio, but we finally had the headspace and a window of time to focus on the music and create something really memorable for listeners.”
Drummer Jim Clegg adds,
“I wrote the lyrics to ‘Fiends Like Us’ with a Bonnie and Clyde kind of story in mind, like a ride or die kind of a song, that Jess wrote the music to. And I brought the original arrangement to ‘Dollhouse’ with a Frankenstein-like story as an idea for the lyrics loosely based on or at least inspired by the movie May by Lucky McKee, which Jess completed and added more music to. The writing collaborations are always fun, and evolving. There’s never just one process.
Album art is always tricky. I drew a few ideas before even going into the studio and we waited for the right one to move forward and say ‘Hey, I’m the cover!’ One of the other ideas is on the face of the CD with our kids’ scribbles all over it, which is pretty fitting to our lives now.”
The six-track EP features five gritty anthems that reflect what listeners have come to expect from TURKEY VULTURE: as one reviewer put it, “a stoner metal heart and a punk attitude” marked by aggressive vocals, melodic basslines, and freight-train drums. The final track, “Jill the Ripper,” takes a different turn. This deadly folk song, featuring guitar, banjo, and accordion by guest musician Steve Rodgers (MIGHTY PURPLE), is a departure from TURKEY VULTURE’s traditional sound – but the grimly humorous lyrics certainly align with On The List’s heavier tracks.
Past Praise for TURKEY VULTURE:
"Turkey Vulture is a force of incredible energy that nods to a deceptively diverse set of influences. This is punk; this is doom metal; this is stoner rock. Above all, (the band) emanates a refreshingly raw and gloriously unpolished power." -- Duncan Evans, Ghost Cult Magazine
"This duo consistently brings startlingly fresh ideas... Bands like this are undeniably worth investing in." -- Sleeping Village Reviews
TURKEY VULTURE is:
Jessie May: guitars, bass, and vocals
Jim Clegg: drums and backing vocals
Credits:
Tracks 1-5 recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tom Boudreau at Bonehead Studio in Cheshire, CT.
Track 6 recorded and mixed by Steve Rodgers at Tiny Bunker Studio in Hamden, CT. Mastered by Tom Boudreau.
Steve Rodgers: guitar, banjo, accordion, and additional percussion on track 6.
Artwork/layout by Jim Clegg.
Band photos by Jeff Apuzzo.
