Sticking to what they know, Shannon and the Clams from Oakland, Calif., is a three-piece who have been playing together in the Bay Area for just a couple years, but they could easily fool first-gen Shangri-Las’ fans and second-gen Runaways’ fans alike with their re-revival of garage-rock music.
Wearing down the grooves in their vinyl, Shannon and the Clams is walking that line between a worn-out fuzz collection and a colorful psych-rock re-press yet to be opened. New and renewed ideas are constantly revolving on The Clams’ musical plate; it’s what they dig up in the moment that really matters.
Below, Shannon Shaw, Ian Amberson and Cody Blanchard answer questions in three-part harmony concerning everything great about the Bay Area, what they are expecting from Tucson and what you can expect from them in the future.
AZNB: What do you do in the band and what is your favorite nickname for Oakland?
Shannon Shaw: Bass and vocals—Orcland.
Ian Amberson: Drums and vocals—Crystal Alley.
Cody Blanchard: Guitar and vocals—Tokeland, Oaksterdam.
There must be a lot of exciting music going on in Oakland? What are some bands that you really enjoy that are from the bay area?
SS: Glitter Wizard, Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, the Rantouls, Hobocop, Wild Thing, the Fresh and Onlys, Teutonics, Rock and Roll Adventure Kids, The Mantles, Personal and the Pizzas, the Sarees and Magnanimous.
CB: Magnanimous, Glitter Wizard, Nobunny, the Rantouls, Hobocop, Hunx and his Punx and Thee Oh Sees.
LA: The Fresh and Onlys, Rock and Roll Adventure kids and Mystery Lights.
Is it true that you recently toured with Hunx? Do you share any other members with bands in the bay area?
SS: Yes, ‘tis true. I recently joined Hunx and now I’m a Punx! We just returned from the Shattered Records tour with Jay Reatard, Nobunny, Box Elders and Useless Eaters. It was mega-bites of fun and endless amounts of sweet debauchery.
CB: I am in Hobocop. It’s a wild group. Hobocop emerged from the scum of the streets of Oakland. We answered the call for vigilante justice in the underworld, to police those whom the police will not deal with. And the music is a platform for our gospel. Umm, it kinda sounds like The Monks’ evil disgusting neglected twin or something.
Tell us about your fascination with late-‘50s, early-‘60s rock ‘n’ roll and how you started Shannon and the Clams.
IA: I had a sweet little boombox when I was a kid, and it was eternally tuned into the top 40 oldies station—Rich Steve’s ‘weekly top 40,’ that kind of junk. Shannon and Cody are really in love with a lot of that era’s music. I just follow along.
SS: I was brought up on it…it’s in my blood! I was brought up poor and Mormon on a farm and my parents seemed to be pretty anti anything contemporary, (which I am pretty grateful for now) but when I was a kid and wanted to fit in with the New Kids on the Block tape, it seemed like a bummer because there was no way in hell they would let me get my greasy paws on one. Although my first tape was Pork Soda by Primus (snuck to me by a rebellious older brother) my second tape was Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits, which I still have and is still my favorite hunk of music of all time. Seriously.
CB: I started lovin’ it when I was like 12 and my aunt and uncle in Montana used to play me stuff off of their crazy jukebox in their diner kitchen; I had never really heard that stuff, it was so scratchy and sad and melodic and mysterious sounding. I love that stuff. I saw them again a few years ago in Montana and my uncle started mailing me mix CDs of even weirder crazier oldies stuff and it renewed my interest. I think I love that ’50s stuff because it’s the beginning of weirdo goofy pop music, like somewhere between funny old folk music and pop music, but still kinda rough and silly like folk music, but it was new and weird and innovative at the time, AND it was popular! I also love how over-dramatic and over-the-top romantic that stuff is, while still being rough and unpolished and scratchy and weird and mysterious. I guess it was also the beginning of recording, so weird effects started being used, like, how do they make that lady sound like she’s singing inside of a cave inside of a tiny rattling box? Where does that sound come from?
You maintain a packed show schedule playing in and around the bay area when you are not touring. What’s good about playing a lot of shows and where are some of your favorite places to play?
SS: Uf! If anything, we have played maybe a little too much lately! I can’t say what the advantage is of playing often, but it sure is fun. It can be hard to turn down shows with good bands or at rad places. But we have learned that we are excellent at spreading ourselves too thin and we need to write more music and maybe play a little less in Oakland. My fave spots to play are The Knockout SF, Ghost Town and the good ole Stork Club!
IA: It’s fantastic for tightening up on any given set, but we definitely can arrive at a very stifled place creatively.
CB: Mostly it’s not good, because you never want to practice, and then you never have any new songs, but, it’s kinda good, because it challenges you to see how popular you are, and how many nights in a row people will still come and see you. It’s kind of amazing actually, how people will come see us like several times in a week. I don’t understand it. I would probably never want to see any band that often.
I saw a really great video of you covering ‘Runaway’ by Del Shannon and it seems like you play that out a lot. Are you going to be covering any songs on this tour?
IA: We might bust out a couple of new covers. We just played a Halloween show that featured an all Alice Cooper set at Oakland’s Stork Club. A few golden hits from his ’70s catalog might pop out at our upcoming dates. The Misfit’s ‘Hybrid Moments’ is another back pocket ditty that we play.
Tell us about your follow-up to 2008’s Scuffle with the Clams. Is it going to be available when you come through Tucson on this tour? Since it officially came out on Halloween does it have a monster mash theme to it?
SS: It’s available! We totally have it! Come buy the record because we have it before stores do!
IA: Nah, no monster mash theme.
CB: The album art is beautiful. You will want it so bad.
One of first stops on your tour across the U.S. this fall is in Tucson? What are some of the things you’re most excited about this tour and what are some bands you’re looking forward to playing with?
IA: I am basically waiting to play with Vampire Hands from Minneapolis, Minn. They are so great!
SS: Austin, TX we play with Harlem and Woven Bones, Baton Rouge and Memphis we play with King Khan and BBQ Show, and we tour a week with The Boy Toys and another week with The Half Rats, both from Lafayette, Ind.—best bands in the United States.
Apparently you (Shannon) are an SF artist and have been known to do the occasional ‘art’ around town. Tell us a little bit about what you do and where people might be able to find your stuff.
SS: I am a portrait artist and budding illustrator working mostly with watercolors and gold leaf. My Web site is Shannonshaw.net and will be up and running in December when we get back from tour. I actually just finished the Nobunny LP cover for their up-and-coming album on Goner records coming out soon!
What is on the horizon for Shannon and the Clams?
SS: I don’t really know. We’re just following our hearts.
IA: I feel like we have to define some new territory. Plain just write some new music. I feel like we all have varied tastes that might have a mash-up in 2010.
CB: We gotta write some new weirder songs, I think more weirdo ’50s backup singing, maybe something like a mix between Ennio Morricone, druid chanting, doo-wop and golden age of Hollywood soundtracks?
Is there anything you’d like to say to Tucson?
SS: I’ve never been to Tucson, so I’m hoping and praying and beggin’ for a warm welcome and good time. I know rad bands come out of there (Golden Boots, Nobunny, The Okmoniks, Bradford Trojan, Lenguas Largas, Galagtic Federation of Love), so I’m hoping we will be welcomed!
IA: Come out and see us!
CB: I am excited to meet you Tucson, along with all the other strange cities we’ll be visiting! Ummm, show me something I ain’t never seen before! Ummm, and thanks for lending us Nobunny and The Okmoniks and all the other amazing weirdo bands you’ve birthed.
Shannon and the Clams rock the Red Room at Grill on Wednesday, Nov. 4 with Think Big. The show is all-ages and free.
