The ThunderChickens

Dec. 19, 2007

This weekend is loaded with a lot of talented bands from the region heating up the local club scene. Be sure to check out the Hot Dates and Nightlife pages for a complete line up. This past fall I was in Petoskey to checkout the club scene and caught the ThunderChickens at Papa Lou’s and they rocked the roof off. The Saginaw based quartet will return to Papa Lou’s this weekend with their brand of down on the farm rooster-rock and barnyard bop.
There is this gray area for rock bands that play the club circuit. Most bands have ambitions of reaching the next level of larger venues and a major label deal and all the trappings that Chad Kroeger sings about in his “Rockstar” song. In order to accomplish that, bands have to write and perform original material. Here is where the challenge comes in after a long week of work. people hitting the club scene for live music want to hear music that is familiar, tunes they can dance and sing to. So bar bands are caught in this vortex of playing cover tunes and sliding in the occasional original and hoping that the crowd doesn’t vacate the dance floor.
The ThunderChickens are one of those rare bands that have mastered this gray area. They have a hard chargin’ approach to the cover songs. Too often bands try to sound like the original when performing covers, not the ThunderChickens. They like to spice up the tunes by adding a little dark meat to every song.
“We love playing these songs by adding our brand to them,” said guitarist Josh Jekel. “Also we play a lot of obscure covers that bands typically don’t play. Songs that when you hear them you say yeah I remember that one and I haven’t heard it in awhile. We really like getting up there and having fun with these tunes.”
Jekel is quick to point out and proud of the fact that their originals are connecting with the audience as well.
“We have a dozen originals that we slip in through the night,” said Jekel. “The cool thing is, because of the obscure covers we do, when people hear our originals they think they are covers. A lot of our tunes have this feel to them like they are songs people have heard before. It is weird. We will play a club for the first time and play one of our songs and people will be trying to sing along like they know the tune.”
The band picked up their name out of cultural ignorance from some who attended their shows.
“Our lead signer has a tattoo of the Polish Eagle and she was getting tired of explaining to people what was,” said Jekel. “So she finally started
telling everyone that it was a ThunderChicken and people would walk away and say ‘cool’ and go tell their buddies that it was a ThunderChicken. So we thought it sounded like a perfect name for a band.”
Now having a hot and provocative looking female lead singer fronting your band works for and against you. Many bands (not all) with female lead singers put forward their scantily dressed singer to cover up a lack of talent on the member’s part; they are all about the novelty. Not the ThunderChickens. Their lead singer Melissa May has the vocals and rocks out on the violin as well.
“We get that at first, ‘oh you got this hot chick you guys must not be able to play.’ We hear that from time to time. But Mel shuts them up quickly,” said Jekel. “We played the Machine Shop recently in Flint and they told us ‘we get a lot of female fronted bands that are just novelty acts but not you guys.’ Mel is a real professional and is a great vocalist. We are real fortunate and it certainly doesn’t hurt that she is good looking.”
So it must be a distraction for you guys to have this hot chick up on stage dancing around and playing the violin and belting out tunes?
“Well, no, not really. We see her in a professional way. But our current line up came together a few months ago and before that we would have some fill in guys and they were having a hard time keeping their eyes off of Mel,” said Jekel. “We have solidified our line up and we are all about the music.”
That line up includes Melissa (Mel) May on vocals, violin, harmonica and guitar, Josh “No Pick” Jekel, with his lightning fast fingerpickin’ vintage sound on lead guitars. Matt “Thunder” Kramer on the drum kit and his rhythm section, partner Justin McKinnon, with his dreadlocks and all on, bass.
Despite being together in the current line up for just three months the band is fully booked for the next several months.
“We have been working hard at getting the word out and we appreciate Johnnie Walker and the good people at Papa Lous for taking a chance on us the first time and then inviting us back,” said Jekel.
“Working hard” might be an understatement. The ThunderChickens work overtime to bring a high-energy rock concert to the stage that draws the crowd to the dance floor. They mix tunes from Tool to Ani DiFranco with plenty of classic rock stuff and a good mix of originals. If you are looking to get your Christmas weekend off on the right track get out to Papa Lou’s in Petoskey this Friday and Saturday night.
The ThunderChickens will perform December 21 & 22 starting around 9:30 at Papa Lou’s 317 East Lake Street in downtown Petoskey. Give them a call at 231.348.3663. To view a sampling of the happenings at Papa Lou’s go to myspace.com and type in Papa Lou’s for videos of previous parties. To view videos or to listen to the ThunderChickens go to myspace.com/thethunderchickens.