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The Fabulous THUNDERCHICKENS
By Robert E. Martin
Great
Rock 'n Roll is like pornography in one sense - you know it when
you see it (to paraphrase the definition of Supreme Court
Justice Stevens). In the case of The Thunderchickens,
it's more a case of knowing it when you hear it,
especially when the experience goes way beyond mere titillation
of the senses, digging more into the passions, thoughts, and
emotions embedded within the layers of a song that lift it more
to the level of Great Art.
As subjective and pretentious as
the topics of Great Art and Great Rock 'n Roll may be, there are
always fundamental similarities (never standards) that link them
together: a willingness to fly in the face of convention; an
ideal of stating that which has not been created, and a belief
that life is about much more than mere entertainment.
Since their inception a few short
months ago, The Thunderchickens have quickly combined a
potent cocktail of youth, musicianship, and understanding that
have rapidly propelled them into new venues, more divergent
audiences, and greater critical attention, with material such as
the freshly recorded Belladonna being aired on
WKQZ-93, and headlining shows at such venerable venues as
Paychecks and The Machine Shop. In short, this is a
band that 'gets it' when it comes to creative discipline,
working hard, and living large - the way rock stars should.
Propelled into prominence with
the bubble-gum burlesque of The Banana Convention,
guitarist/songwriter Joshua Jekel and visually vivacious
vocalist and co-writer Melissa May started feeling a
creative itch beneath the skin back in May of this year, both
yearning to explore more divergent and stylistic material. "For
me it hit a plateau," summarizes Josh. "I could see it going on
but not going higher. As far as I was concerned, I wanted more
diversity in my music."
Taking on shows as an acoustic
duo, eventually Matt Kramer came into the picture. "I've
known Mel & Jekel for quite awhile," adds Matt, "and always
wanted to work with them. When I caught them performing
together acoustically, I found the opportunity to boldly ask to
sit in with them and they accepted the offer."
Formerly with the award winning
Rock 'n Country, Josh & Matt swapped stories about how each
harbored a desire to something different musically. "A few weeks
later he left Rock 'n Country and we quit The Banana
Convention and started working together," notes Josh,
summarizing how The Thunderchickens originally hatched.
With bassist Justin McKinnon
the latest addition to the fold, The Thunderchickens had
all the group elements put into place. Preferring to resonate in
the 'here & now', Justin demurs on past musical exploits and
simply states, "I've been in a few rock bands, but nothing
really happened with any of them. I like jazz a lot, so when
Josh asked me to try out, it worked. This is cool music and I'm
having a blast."
"I always wanted to play violin, but
gave myself a good year before buying one because I have a tendency
to pick up different instruments that collect dust," she laughs. "I
wanted to make sure I'd actually play it, so I immediately started
taking lessons from Bill Fiebig, who's been amazing to learn
from."
Watching Mel's fingers move over the
fret board of her newfound instrument is akin to watching a robin
methodically & intently thread bits of nature into a nest, each
striation forming something new and more substantial than the last.
"I don't know what it is, but the
sound of the violin is haunting," continues Mel. "There's something
about it that allows me to express myself in a profound way, apart
from my singing."
"I'm glad we came together at the
right time," reflects Matt upon this topic of musical chemistry.
"It's all serendipity." And indeed, a significance all fellow
members express is a nod to Matt on the impact he's carried into
the mix of the band.
"I always wanted to play with
Kramer," states Josh. "Whenever we had a drummer issue with The
Banana Convention he's the first person I'd call. Matt is a
tasteful drummer and has such strong meter. You don't find a lot of
that out there."
Armed with mutual focus & respect,
what about this latest incarnation makes the music sound so fresh?
"For me it's the personality of the
band," states Josh. "It's a little more real, Previously with my
songwriting I could get away with silly things and be witty about
it, but one line would crop up that took away the credibility of the
song. It can be solid up to a point, but after that it becomes
comical. I feel the songs are more real now and the subject matter
isn't contrived to fit any one genre or form any one style."
"In my case, it's the energy &
unbridled passion of Josh & Mel," responds Matt. "They brought me
out of my shell and helped me to become a drummer again. I'd been
playing like an automaton for so long, but these two taught me to
let go and improvise. Even with the covers, they taught me to not
perform it note-for-note but restate the material and approach it as
an artist, for lack of a better phrase."
"I think the problem before is not so
much that we're 'picky', but more a matter of the fact we're not
going to compromise our standards," notes Mel.
Not to denigrate their prior musical
alliances, but when one sees and hears The Thunderchickens
the energy and focus of their drive to dig deeper into the many
roots & variations of a chord is infectious. Call it the 'art of
the unexpected', but brave rock music is a combination of many
factors - ability, talent, presence, passion, and delivery, all
which must gel in a manner that does not appear contrived.
The Banana Convention were and
are a great band because they popped like a big bubble of chewing
gum into the face of tired posturing, predictable power-riffing, and
plaintive 'mope rock' permeating the scene. As with any form of
Pop art, however, acceptance does not always equal critical acclaim,
which will always result in highbrows and 'serious' musicians often
raising an eyebrow.
By stepping away and starting from
scratch, The Thunderchickens have taken a risk and realized
that experimentation is perhaps the most important stepping stone to
success.
"We're able to play so many different
venues now, it's amazing," reflects Josh. "Just getting our songs
played on the radio is amazing. But mainly, we're able to perform
with everyone - rockabilly bands, punk, metal, this group has opened
us to broader acceptance, I think."
With nearly 20 new original
compositions under their belt, the group has been clocking 390 hits
per day on
myspace.com with each new
recording they release online, most recently Killing Fields
and Road to Nowhere.
"Josh just wrote this song called
Woodbridge Avenue," explains Matt, "that's all about driving
from the Speedway station to his home here, and it's an amazingly
powerful piece. As someone from the outside looking in, it's
incredible how they come up with their material."
While Josh & Mel don't usually write
songs together, they do trade off ideas constantly. "Usually our
minds wander," laughs Josh, "and I like to work a lot of 'false
bridges' into songs that leave a lot of open space within the song.
I try to open it so I have three different styles in there somewhat,
so I'm not playing the same thing all the time on stage."
Part of what forms such a seamless
bridge between the foundational bedrock of the band and the modern
sensibility they bring to their material - whether original or cover
- is strong exposure to seminal '70s bands like the MC5 and
Jefferson Airplane - mingling guerilla politics with revolution
for the hell of it.
"I grew up on my Dad's 8-tracks',"
laughs Mel. "He was always listening to older music from the sixties
and seventies and that reflects a lot for me. The '80s and '90s
music didn't really do it for me. I don't really know why, but I'd
prefer Grace Slick over Madonna back in the '80s,"
continues Mel.
"I agree with Mel," interjects Josh,
"after the '70s digital recording came into play and there's
something dirtier about that earlier sound. Huge arena rock left me
cold, not that I don't like that kind of music, but it didn't appeal
to me personally in terms of what I like to play."
From Polish Eagle to Thunderchickens The group hatched their name through a modicum of ethnic confusion. "I have a Polish eagle tattooed on my shoulder," explains Mel, "and people that aren't Polish don't know what it looks like. All these people would ask me what it was and I got tired of explaining that it was a Polish Eagle, so I'd just say 'It's a Thunderchicken'. And they'd go, 'Oh, that's cool!" "The BumbleBees was a close second," laughs Josh.
Regardless of the name or handle used
to label it, the music of this group is real and palpable. "It's a
real message when you play in Hemlock and people are standing up and
cheering for our originals songs as loudly as they are the covers,"
exclaims Matt. "The difference is in the delivery, really. - the
delivery and passion behind it. People feed off that and we in turn
feed off the audience response."
Passion is no ordinary word, as
Graham Parker once noted, and it's a hard thing to manufacture
or contrive. "We're just us and its a different concept that works
better for us and seems more palatable to people. It's not a
pre-conceived game plan. I'd rather let this band do what we do and
see what happens. It's working so far. I'm having a lot of fun and
everything's better. Even the money is getting better."
"For me its just the tip of the
iceberg,' notes Justin. "I've played just a few shows and all the
material is music I enjoy listening to and performing, so it's a
comfortable fit. I'm also learning the upright bass right now, so
that should add a different twist to the sound."
"Another thing I enjoy about this
band is the wide variety of musical tastes from each member,"
concludes Matt. "Jekel showed me some CD's he procured from Elderly
Music and he was playing this Romanian Gypsy Music that was simply
amazing. Jazz, Latin, Bluegrass, its an amalgam of all this music
that shows up in the way we play."
"We're reaching a whole new fan base
with our original music, which is great. But doing covers gets you
into the door," concludes Josh. "When I was 20 I hated cover songs
with a passion, but I also lived in my Mom's basement and didn't
have any bills to pay."
And so we end this tale with a
balance between the commercial and the artistic, the yin & the yang,
and conclusions that may also serve as introductions. When you ask
fans what they like about this group, 'refreshing' is perhaps the
most constant comment.
The beauty is the fact they're just
getting started.
Check out more about The Thunderchickens on their website at www.TheThunderchickens.net Catch them live at any of the following dates: Oct. 18th * Indian Barry's in Bay City Oct. 26 * The 'Monkey Ball' for the Drunken Monkey 10 Year Anniversary Party at the Hamilton St. Pub Oct. 31 * Halloween at the 702 in Midland Nov. 2 * Paycheck's Lounge w/ Big Lazy and the Detroit Pony Express, Hamtramck Nov. 8 * The Machine Shop
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