Shannon and The Clams, who last year
were one of Lenny Kaye’s Garage Rock’s
Next Generation: 10 Bands to Watch, originally started out as a solo
project by Shannon. A chance invite to play a party got her thinking about
adding members to make a band and The Clams were born. Shannon and The Clams
sound like they could have been right at home on any Nuggets and/or Pebbles
compilations, but add in surf guitar and guy/girl vocals to a make dreamy pop
cocktail soaked in reverb and analog.
Interview by Ed Stuart
Who’s answering the questions?
Shannon
Where is the band from?
Oakland, CA
Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?
Shannon plays bass, Cody plays
guitar, Nate plays drums.
How did the band start?
The band started out as a solo thing,
just me and my bass. I usually only played at open mic nights and eventually
was invited to play a party but was too shy to play solo so I recruited a band
for the night. I enjoyed it so much more with people in the band that I kept it
that way. There have been minor lineup changes, but it's been mostly Cody and I
for the beef of the band now. We have a new wonderful drummer named Nate!
Lenny Kaye wrote an article for eMusic titled Garage Rock’s Next Generation: 10 Bands to
Watch. What was the band’s reaction to being on the list and being the
photo choice for the article? Did Kaye or eMusic let the band know about
the article or did you find out another way?
We were on tour in Europe at the time
and no one thought to tell us! We saw people writing about it on the Internet,
some people scoffing, some people rejoicing. We finally saw a really nice post
about it from our first record label and tried looking the article up on our
crappy cell phones using poor Wi-Fi in the mountains and couldn't get it. I
didn't get to see till we returned 5 or so weeks later. I was insanely
flattered of course. It was a total honor; I mean, Nuggets was my personal
soundtrack for many years and opened my eyes to a lot more music. This is true
for so many amazing musicians I know. I don't think we sound at all like Goldie
and the Gingerbreads but I loved the Chocolate Watchband reference.
Why the decision to release the new LP Dreams in the Rat House on Hardly Art
Records instead of 1-2-3-4 Go! Records, which were the bands, label home
for the previous two LP’s and a slew of singles?
I have worked with Hardly Art with my
other band Hunx and his Punx and love them as well. We just wanted to try
something new for The Clams. It's been going well with both labels.
Which compilation does the band feel is more essential to
a record collection, Nuggets or Pebbles?
Nuggets, of course.
Cody, songs such as “Warlock in the Woods” and “The
Woodsman” have such in-depth background stories, do you do any other kind
of writing besides songwriting?
Yes, he is the most amazing
short story writer. I would love to someday collaborate on a book of new fairy
tales with his stories and my illustrations. It would be really cool.
Most bands that I hear from my
hometown of Phoenix, Arizona either make me recoil or their music goes totally
without notice.I don’t know which
is worse.However, every now and
again I hear one that makes me want to root for.One that gives me hope that all is not lost in an ocean of
second rate metal dinosaurs and uninspired blues copyists.One of those bands is The Rebel
Set.They glide at their audience
on a wave of reverberation that is wrapped up in classic noir and surf guitar
mystique in the midst of a garage punk assault.The band takes the better parts of Rock N Roll from times
ago and mixes it up with a dose of their own allure.Sounds easy enough, however you have to know which parts to
excavate and which parts to lend your soul to.That’s been the recipe for rock n roll since its conception
and the Rebel Set have become master chefs at this delicacy.
Interview by Jay
Castro
Who’s
answering the questions?
Joe is.
Who’s
all in the band and what instruments do you play?
Joe - guitar,vocals
Katey - organ
Jeff- drums
Brandon - bass
Are
you all originally from Arizona?
All but Jeff, he is from Arkansas.
What or who originally made you decide
to pick up an instrument and start/join a band?
I hung out with these teenage metalheads when I was 12 and
they were constantly trying to start bands. My dad had a guitar so I decided to
give it a shot even though I hated metal.
What influenced The Rebel Set’s look and
sound?
Probably growing up listening to my dads 60’s records along
with the 90’s garage rock I was into in my youth. As far as the way we look, we
all just dress the way we dress anyway so I guess we are influenced by our own
good taste in that regard.
You
guys just did a “mini” tour all around Southern California, how do you feel
that went?
It went great. We tend to go over a
lot better outside our hometown much to our dismay.
As populated as the Phoenix metropolitan
area has gotten, culturally, it has a long way to go compared to other cities
this size. How does the Phoenix/Tempe music audience take to the
band as opposed to other parts of the country?
We tend to get a lot more support and go over a lot better
with audiences in other parts of the country. Therefore, we try to get out of
town as much as possible.
What is Silver Hornet Records?
It is a front for a criminal enterprise. They put out our
records so we don’t ask questions.
When
you buy a record, you get cover art, liner notes, even pictures of the band.
You get something tangible. With digital music, you have an album
title and a band name. If you’re lucky, a tiny quarter sized picture of
the album art. Do you think the MP3 has killed the romance for Rock n’
Roll?
In a way, yes. Having
a physical copy the sound quality is better and seeing the artwork that goes
along with the music definitely enhances whatever feeling the artist was
intending to convey.
Reading
some of the press the band has gotten, people have said how dark your music is.
Were you aware of this when you were writing the songs or did this come as a
surprise after everything was laid out?
That was a total surprise. We never intended to be dark and
I really don’t think we are very dark. We have a lot of songs in minor keys
which I guess sounds darker but that was definitely not our intention.
People used to buy music and get their
water free; now people pay for water and get their music free. How do you think
this affects the industry and especially the artist who is just trying to make
a living?
I think this is good news for water artists.
Where can people hear the band?
Well, they could go to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/therebelset to get links to our music online.If they happen to be in Arizona, or California or Nevada
they can check there for announcements on our upcoming tour dates.
What’s next for The Rebel Set?
We will be making
a new album, which should be out in the fall and rereleasing our last 7” this
summer. Keep your ears peeled.
Peach
Kelli Popis
the kind of sugary bubblegum pop that just might give your ears cavities, if
ears could actually get cavities. If she looks familiar, that’s because Hanlon
is also the drummer in the White Wires, but PKP is not a side project by any
means. Hanlon is a one woman band that writes and plays every instrument
herself on Peach Kelli Pop’s two LP’s, the latest being Peach Kelli Pop II, released late last year on Burger. Currently,
Hanlon is busy taking Peach Kelli Pop’s lo-fi basement Shonen Knife,
girl-group, garage surf sugar pop to your town as we speak opening for Kate
Nash.
Interview by Ed
Stuart
Who’s answering the questions?
Allie Hanlon
Where is the band from?
I, Allie Hanlon,
the songwriter and only permanent band member, am from Ottawa, Canada and
relocated to California last year.
Who is in the band and what instrument do
they play?
I write and
record everything and have different friends play with me live. The most recent
tour had Wyatt Blair on bass, Mandy Mullins on guitar, Rachel Hortman on drums
and I also played guitar and sang.
How did the band start?
The songwriting
started before the band. Once I had recorded Peach Kelli Pop songs, I taught
them to whoever was playing with me at the time.
In the about section of your Facebook
Page, there is a review from Rocotober stating Peach Kelli Pop “[m]inimalist
bubblegum/pre-Chysalis Blondie/Japanese cartoon pop/zero-grit sandpaper punk
perfection! This White Wires side project (though this joy bop music is more of
a mutiny than a side project by comparison to WW’s garage purity), PKP is more
thrilling than PCP!” Do you really feel this a mutiny more than a side project?
How does it feel to be more thrilling than PCP?
I don't consider
either White Wires or Peach Kelli Pop a side project, they are both equal in
importance and completely different from one another. It feels fantastic to be
so thrilling, especially in the eyes of Roctober.
How do you meet up with Burger? Had they
heard the first record? Did you send them a demo? Seems like they have a real
community of bands on that label.
We were fans of
each other: Me, of the label itself and of the Sean and Lee's band, Thee
Makeout Party. Burger was familiar with Peach Kelli Pop and the White Wires and
it was a pretty natural decision for us to work together. I think they asked me
if I'd be interested in them putting out my newest album. I obliged for a bunch
of reasons. I would argue that Burger is the most innovative and hardworking
label going right now. They have been a pleasure to work with. They are
supportive and positive and we seem to be very likeminded in our priorities.
What bands did you have in mind when
starting this band?
I didn't have
any bands in mind. I didn't even know that my songs would be played live when I
started recording songs. I know now that I want to create songs I would want to
listen to myself - ones that are catchy, satisfying and fun to see live. If I
had to choose a band that inspires me, I'd say The Lovedolls, a fake band from
Dave Markey films. I am inspired by different aesthetics and outlets that are
associated with music - like cover art, stage shows, fashion, and attitude.
Now all the music is written and
performed by you on the LP’s. So how do you choose which friends become your
touring band for the upcoming tour? Is it friends who are in other bands that
have downtime?
It is actually
very hard to find people that have the time to go on tour, can afford to take
off work, an so on.I try and pick
people who I think are talented but also who are balanced emotionally and
mentally enough to be able to handle going on tour. Touring is great but also
exhausting and difficult, so I try hard to find people who are laid back,
positive, and don't have substance abuse issues (too badly, at least).
Do you think music can still be a vital
force in such a disposable age?
I think music is
vital in the way it affects people and the way it makes people feel. There is a
lot of disposable music in existence currently because creating music has
become so affordable and accessible (something I think is great in a lot of
ways)
While there are
heaploads of musical trash nowadays, there are also brilliant jewels of bands
that exist; two examples being Detroit's The Go! and Conspiracy of Owls; bands
that leave me in awe with their timeless sound, perfect songwriting and
incredible production. Another high-quality band that constantly leaves me
awestricken is Tucson's Lenguas Largas, whose music is haunting and beautiful.
How much time on the road do you spend
each year?Between Peach Kelli
Pop, White Wires and drumming for other bands.
It changes all
the time depending on a few things (like finances, personal life stuff, whether
any new material has been released at the time) The new PKP album just came out
so I am riding that wave right now. I'll do a couple more tours and then
probably hold off until I am releasing something new again. Hopefully White
Wires will tour a little more in the future.
How was it playing both SXSW and
Burgerama this year?Also this
year PKP had a track featured in Spin Magazine as part of Burger’s upcoming
releases with a picture of PKP. What are your thoughts regarding that?
We actually only
played Burgermania (Burger's showcase at SXSW) this year. It was probably my
favorite show of our month-long tour. A lot of my friends and people that I
admire were in attendance, I thought we played well and the crowd was very
enthusiastic.
While nothing
ever seems to come from writes ups like the one in Spin, I appreciate any
publicity that might expose Peach Kelli Pop to someone new.
Does living in both the US and Canada
affect your songwriting at all?
I have lived
full-time in the USA for a year now. Moving to California from Ontario, Canada
has probably affected my songwriting since I am generally happier and more
inspired here.
50 years ago people used to buy music and
get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for
free. How do you think this affects music in any way?
I don't really
think about that kind of thing too much. 50 years ago I wouldn't have been able
to create music the way I have now.
Where can people hear the band?
You can go to
our bandcamp site or see us play live.
What’s next?
We are doing a
West Coast USA tour with UK's Kate Nash this May and playing 1-2-3-4 Go!s fest,
the Go!Go! Fest. Check out my blog for more details: peachkelli.blogspot.com
Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?
This band is kind of a revolving cast of characters.
Right now it’s myself, Kyler Le Fav and Max Gomez. We like to switch it
up and keep it interesting though, should be adding a keyboard player soon.
How did the band start?
This started as a solo project I recorded on a
4 track tape recorder. I passed around the tape to friends and started getting
asked to play shows. So, then I went about putting a band together.
What bands did you have in mind when starting this band?
Wire, Please Please Me by the Beatles, Brian
Eno, Buddy Holly, The Chantays, Lucky Dragons
50 years ago people use buy music and get their water for free, now
people pay for water and get their music for free. How do you think affects
music in anyway?
Ha! That’s a great line! In a perfect
world, everything would be free and everyone would be artists. Robots would do
all the hard work and all time would be "free" time, which people
could use to love each other and surf and make music. This is what I’m
working towards. I would love it if I could make a "living" off
music, but until then I’m getting paid to build the robots. As long as
people dig the music I'll keep making it.
What are the song lyrics about?
Girls, the end of the world, heroin junkies,
girls, lsd, surfing, girls
How did you hook up with Sun Fight Records?
This is a label me and my friend Zeke started.
Basically I do all the work like making the website (www.sunfightrecords.com),
pressing records/CD’s/tapes, sending stuff out for review and Zeke takes all
the credit.
Do you agree with your mom that you’re the perfect person to write
the new surf music?
I love the ocean. I think it definitely
inspires the music along with a host of other things. I think everyone is the
perfect person to make music about things that inspire them.
It would be easy to categorize Light Rays as surf pop, but some of
the keys remind me of Devo or Eno, was this done to avoid being pigeonholed?
All the keyboard sounds I made custom for each
song, the idea was to write catchy songs and on each song have a new sound that
exists only on that song and no place else in the world. It’s kind of like
peanut butter and jelly, both are good by themselves, but put them
together and now you’re really on to something.
