May Day Orchestra’s Tim Rakel Discusses New Record, Looks Back At Catalog
The May Day Orchestra has released their latest and fourth album, “Exile, or Souvenirs of Vanished Worlds”, a folk opera concerning the life and times of Victor Serge, the son of exiles on the run from Tsarist Russia whose parents were in search of freedom and good libraries. The album was released in January, 2025 (recording, engineering and mixing by Kevin Buckley with mastering by Brad Sarno at Blue Jade Audio) includes songs from the previously released ‘Parts 1-4’, with interlude pieces exclusive to this release. “Exile” is built of songs for, about and inspired by Serge. The songs are based in part on his “Memoirs of a Revolutionary”, his novels, including “The Case of Comrade Tulayev” and other translated writings. May Day Orchestra’s lyrics are filled with history and gravity. Take lyrics from “Exile” by front man and singer, Tim Rakel, such as “breathing the oppressive air of the prelude to war”.
The current line-up has drummer Mary DeLeonardis, bassist Jake DeLeonardis and guitarist Charlie Tabing joining Rakel in some righteous, dare I say? Guitar rock? Yes, Tabing’s riffs make it so at times. All of it accented, of course, by the Deleonardis duo laying down the beats and holding down the rhythm. Finally, Rakel’s distinctive vocals round out the band’s sound.
Rakel has been making his mark on the St. Louis music scene since recording “33 Degrees and Raining” with Tim Rakel and His Puppet Wranglers (2001). He moved deeper into the scene with the group Bad Folk (formed in 2002), who earned the Riverfront Times’ award for Best Country Band (Alternative) in 2006 and Best Band to Die on the last 12 Months in 2009. The group included such local luminaries as the late, great Anne Tkach, Joey Gavin, Adam Hesed, Bruk Longbottom and Lindy Woracheck. Bad Folk recorded two albums. There is an additional collection of demos on bandcamp.
Rakel went on to front The Union Electric a band that has released five 7” records, a covers EP, and an album. . In UE, Rakel was joined by veteran St. Louis musicians Glenn Burleigh, Melinda Cooper, and Mic Boshans with occasional appearances by Beth Bombara, Jake DeLeonardis, Mary DeLeonardis and Middle Class Fashion’s Brad Vaughn.
“Early on, I wrote some political folk songs and some humorous country songs at various times. I took an interest in using historical material somewhere during the Bad Folk era,” Rakel commented. “The May Day albums have used that as a particular focus,” he continued.
On top of it all, Rakel hosted two radio shows on the former hub of St. Louis music, KDHX. “Graveyard Shift” had him burning the midnight oil, while his “Mystery Train” saw him moved to daytime hours.
Below is an interview with May Day Orchestra’s Tim Rakel, lightly edited for clarity.
MCM: Where did you begin lyrically with the new album?
Rakel: “The interest in Victor Serge began with The Bonnot Gang, a group of French anarchists who developed the getaway car for their bank robberies. Serge was in their social-political circle. That bit of history inspired “Debt” back in the Bad Folk days. Joey Gavin and Adam Hesed wrote a great riff as the basis of that version. I re-did the lyrics and music to fit it into the Serge story. Same thing with “The Street” which began as a Union Electric song.
“The Prisoner and The Daily Ration of Troubles” was written by me early on and stayed the same musically. “Fog of Petrograd and Starving Horses” was also in the first group but the band’s practices altered the arrangements of those considerably. Charlie wrote the music for “The Docks of Marseille” and “From the Top of the Lungs” which I wrote lyrics to. “Betrayal is the Standard” was a challenge for us to put together but it’s a band favorite to play now. It includes an instrumental section called “Stood By” that Jake wrote and I developed as part of the song.
Serge’s navigation through anarchism, communism, fascism, world wars, revolutions, civil wars provides an eventful backdrop. The story’s implications can certainly be transferred to the present day, what with lies, deception and betrayal haunting all aspects of life whether it’s wrought by American politicians or community radio directors…”
MCM: How have things changed from band-to-band over the years?
Rakel: “May Day’s 2017 record “Wake” features the same core quartet.
Mary DeLeonardis has played drums on three of the four May Day records. She also plays drums in the punk band Stay Sane. Her husband Jake Deleonardis played in Tenement Ruth with Mary, along with Melissa and Dave Anderson. Jake also plays in Jackhead (Carbondale, IL band) with Charlie Tabing. Charlie is also lead guitarist for Stace England and The Salt Kings (and other Stace England projects).”
The accomplices (on “Exile):
- Brien Seyle, founding member of May Day, plays strings on three of the four May Day records. Rats and People (Motion Picture Orchestra, Peck of Dirt
- Kevin Buckley, recording engineer for all May Day projects, Grace Basement, etc.
- Chad Ross, accordion, plays with Rusty Nail and Chainsaw Gentlemen
- Todd Smith, accordion, plays with Echo Shampo, etc.
- Melissa Anderson, May Day member from Ota Benga-era, Tenement Ruth
- Eamon Toney, front man for Bridgeton Air Defense, has a new project in the works called “Workers of the World Untied”
MCM: How have you progressed musically from the Puppet Wranglers to Bad Folk to Union Electric and now?
Rakel: I know how to play music better than I used to. Collaboration has been the key to that. Joey Gavin tried to teach me things, sometimes I picked up on what he was getting at. Songwriting with Joey and Troy (Howard) in the early days of Bad Folk, Glenn and Melinda in The Union Electric. Working with Matt Pace and Brien Seyle at the beginning of The May Day Orchestra influenced some of my musical composing for that group. I worked with Dave and Melissa Anderson on the second May Day record and they brought along Mary, who has been the solid drummer for three May Day records. Jake and Charlie contribute musically as we develop new stuff, some of the music on “Exile…” has been brought by them to the group.
MCM: How have “things” changed since the Bad Folk days? The Union Electric days. KDHX all-but-gone. Other musical influences in other bands?
Rakel: I’ve moved away from Saint Louis to a more rural existence, no longer working as a librarian or bartender. I spent some years doing factory work and then delivery jobs, and am now at the Postal Service. KDHX was my second-to-last connection to the city. Now an occasional band gig is what usually brings me around. Side note, The Union Electric isn’t dead, we just haven’t practiced in a while. COVID squashed a planned revival.
MCM: Are you playing more guitar than before?
Rakel: I picked up my old electric guitar right before the COVID break. I made demos with the electric one and we decided it filled out the full band sound in a nice way and stuck with that for this new record (though there is some acoustic guitar on a few songs still).
The late poet, Lyn Hejinian, wrote in the Preface to her book, The Unfollowing (Omnidawn Publishing, 2016) “Whatever checks on capitalism’s rapacity existed (or perhaps only seemed to exist) even a decade ago are all but non-existent now. More and more brazenly, capitalism commits crimes against humanity. And, indeed, it isn’t only, and not even primarily, humanity is suffering. These are truly sad times, even for sparrows and ragweed.”
Indeed, yet another reason we need bands like The May Day Orchestra and the guttural urgency of Rakel’s lyrical delivery.
Brett Lars Underwood is a St. Louis poet and promoter. His third book, GATEWAY TO MUSH will be published on Spartan Press soon.
Want to hear conversations with St. Louis Poets? Seek out Underwood’s podcast, “HIGH ABOVE GRAND” on Spotify. Purchase his books locally at Dunaway Books, Subterranean Books, and Spine Indie Bookstore & Café (@spinebookstorecafe) • Instagram photos and videos
Contact Underwood: brettlarsunderwood@gmail.com
All photos provided by Tim Rakel
