Shannon and The Clams
Publication | Gross Magazine
To better understand the scene, let’s jettison back to 2007, the same year the southernCalifornia record label Burger Records was born. Musicians were surfacing throughoutOakland. Among them, were lead were vocalist Shannon Shaw and guitarist CodyBlanchard, who were meeting for the first time at California College of Arts in Oakland.Blanchard, whose main musical focus at the time was country-based, remembered thatShaw would sometimes rehearse in his home with other bands she was involved with.He soon partnered with Shaw, and their blended musical influences evolved into whatwe now know as Shannon and The Clams.
When speaking with Blanchard, I could only attempt to descend, with caution, into the mindof Blanchard’s vast musical athenaeum. Blanchard’s affinity fortunes and attention todetail within the bars of sheet music were very much confirmed when he shared hismost current additions of vinyl in his extensive library.
With fading genres and progressive musicians like the punk band CCTV, old mood musicrecords, a box set of Hawaiian records put out by reader’s digest and The CamarataContemporary Chamber Group, who specialize in classical compositions on Moogsynthesizers, it’s no wonder The Clams lead guitars are quality brass. But what elsewould you find in a thrift store basement in Seattle, Washington?
“The music and fashion up here are wild, people are really creative and daring withcombining different musical styles. I see a lot of really unpredictable combinations,” saidBlanchard about his newly recent home base in Seattle."
The Clams’ eccentricity and style could be scaled from decades past, and have madetheir way into the digital cloud of the present. While the four-piece melodies harkenback on the ’50s and ’60s doo-wop and surfer acid rawness, Blanchard admits that it wasShaw’s combined love for R&B artist like the Bronx, New York-based quadrant “TheChiffons” and Patsy Cline’s Nashville twang that eventually influenced his sound androle in the band.
Shaw’s affection for “sad ’50s teenage ballads,” as she put it, were among the mostinfluential for her sound today, even though the music is from her childhood. Whenasked what single song she was most impacted by, without hesitation she said her alltime favorite song was “Sweet Talking Guy” by the Chiffons.Long before The Clams' journey into the backroad of influences of legends like BuddyHolly, Etta James, and Roy Orbison, Shaw’s fascination and ear for audio selectivity wereapparent even from childhood as she was encouraged by her parents.
“My parents listened to a lot of country and a lot of oldies,” she said.While living in Oakland in the earlier days of Clam optimism, Shaw began writing byherself and performing at open mics. Upon meeting Blanchard, Shaw openly expressedthe oddness which lead to an awakening and the simplicity of their introduction.
“Before I’d officially met Cody, we had a few classes together and he seemed like kind ofan aloof jerk, which is funny because it wasn’t until our next introduction that hebecame more of a person, which humbled me,” she said. “I like being humbled insituations like that. You see someone as one way but end up being wrong. I like beingwrong.”
To understand their timeless debut into rock ’n’ roll, one has to ask the question, Whatwas going on in the Bay music scene in 2007? Besides the arrival of The Clams, otherrock-thrusted transplants from Orange County to the Midwest were making headwaythroughout the Bay and San Francisco.
Labels like Burger Records, at which time was succinctly invading the musical spacehistorically, and in 2007 there was space waiting to be filled. These were essentially theunapologetic bandits of punk revitalized progressiveness. Bands such as the ArizonaBorn Boys No Bunny, Ty Segall, and the newly founded label Burger Records weresystematically paving the way for the starlight punk continuum.
“We all got started around the same time without knowing each other and eventuallyslowly got to know one another,” said Shaw. "I'm sure that I was influenced by my peers.It’s hard not to be, I guess. No Bunny was the first band I heard playing ’60s inspired rock’n’ roll stuff. I’m sure we all grew together in a lot of different ways.”
The Clams continue to leverage their devices using different voices, drawing frominfluences like thriller vocalist Etta James to Blanchard’s taste for punk, to off the wallclassical compositions and country music.It’s certain that when you listen to Shannon and The Clams, you’ll yearn to rememberthe artistic progression that binds all of the ties. Their sound reaches deep into the pastand erupts into the present day musical craftsmanship of the digital era.