SHANNON AND THE CLAMS

By William Lankford

In order to better understand the scene, let’s jettison back to 2007, the same year the southern California record label Burger Records was born. Musicians were surfacing throughout Oakland. Among them, were lead were vocalist Shannon Shaw and guitarist Cody Blanchard, 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 that Shaw 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 what we now know as Shannon and The Clams.

In speaking with Blanchard, I could only attempt to descend, with caution, into the mind of Blanchard’s vast musical athenaeum. Blanchard’s affinity for tunes and attention to detail within the bars of sheet music were very much confirmed when he shared his most current additions of vinyl in his extensive library.

With fading genres and progressive musicians like the punk band CCTV, old mood music records, a box set of Hawaiian records put out by reader’s digest and The Camarata Contemporary Chamber Group, who specialize in classical compositions on Moog synthesizers, it’s no wonder The Clams lead guitars are quality brass. But what else would you find in a thrift store basement in Seattle, Washington?

“The music and fashion up here is wild, people are really creative and daring with combining different musical styles. I see a lot of really unpredictable combinations,” said Blanchard about his newly recent home base in Seattle.

The Clams’ eccentricity and style could be scaled from decades past, and have made their way into the digital cloud of the present. While the four-piece melodies harken back on ’50s and ’60s doo-wop and surfer acid rawness, Blanchard admits that it was Shaw’s combined love for R&B artist like the Bronx, New York based quadrant “The Chiffons” and Patsy Cline’s Nashville twang that eventually influenced his sound and role in the band.

Shaw’s affection for “sad ’50s teenage ballads,” as she put it, were among the most influential for her sound today, even though the music is from her childhood. When asked what single song she was most impacted by, without hesitation she said her all-time favorite song was “Sweet Talking Guy” by the Chiffons.

Long before The Clams journey into the backroad of influences of legends like Buddy Holly, Etta James and Roy Orbison, Shaw’s fascination and ear for audio selectivity were apparent 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 by herself and performing at open mics. Upon meeting Blanchard, Shaw openly expressed the 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 of an aloof jerk, which is funny because it wasn’t until our next introduction that he became more of a person, which humbled me,” she said. “I like being humbled in situations like that. You see someone as one way but end up being wrong. I like being wrong.”

To understand their timeless debut into rock ’n’ roll, one has to ask the question, What was going on in the Bay music scene in 2007? Besides the arrival of The Clams, other rock-thrusted transplants from Orange County to the Midwest were making headway throughout the Bay and San Francisco.

Labels like Burger Records, at which time was succinctly invading the musical space historically, and in 2007 there was space waiting to be filled. These were essentially the unapologetic bandits of punk revitalized progressiveness. Bands such as the Arizona Born Boys No Bunny, Ty Segall and the newly founded label Burger Records were systematically paving the way for starlight punk continuum.

“We all got started around the same time without knowing each other and eventually slowly 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 from influences like thriller vocalist Etta James to Blanchard’s taste for punk, to off the wall classical compositions and country music.

It’s certain that when you listen to Shannon and The Clams, you’ll yearn to remember the artistic progression that binds all of the ties. Their sound reaches deep into the past and erupts into present day musical craftsmanship of the digital era.

Words By

William Lankford