Austin Sound

Though only officially forming last Spring, Frantic Clam’s roots go back to frontman Zack Hadley and bassist Joe Sparks meeting and beginning to collaborate musically while serving in the Iraq War. Once back safely in Austin, the two formed the quartet and have already released a surprisingly excellent EP, Celebrity, and have another set for early 2009 (which you can get a taste of below). Frantic Clam swagger with edgy guitars chiming behind the surging, high hitting vocals, delivering one part raucous punk energy and another part deft and often ironically twisted indie-pop gems. Catch them live this Thursday Friday, Oct. 24 at Trophy’s with Bombs Away Baby and the Black Keys Tribute band, The Black Squeeze, which inevitably begs the question – do there really need to be a Black Keys Tribute band? We’ll be there to find out!

Profile: Frantic Clam

Year Formed:

May 2008

Members/Instruments played:

Zack Hadley - Guitar, Vocals
Jack Reid - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Joe Sparks - Bass guitar
Vasanth Coorg - Drums

Former Bands/Side Projects:

Featherlite
Soup of the Day

Albums:

September 1st, 2008 Celebrity EP Self-Released
January 15th, 2009 Anatomica EP Exemplary Records

Influences:

David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Talking Heads, Velvet Underground, Can

Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:

We sound like that fine line that separates a heart attack from an orgasm.

Favorite local bands:

Ghostland Observatory, Octopus Project

Favorite local venue:

Beauty Bar for the music. Side bar for the alcohol. Elsyium for 80’s night.

Upcoming shows scheduled:

Friday, Oct 24th @ Trophys
Friday, Nov 7th @ The Parlor

Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:

TV on The Radio at Stubbs
Ghostland Observatory at Stubbs

Some of your favorite albums from the past year:

Radiohead - In Rainbows
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Iggy Pop - The Idiot (technically not new but absolutely amazing)
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity

Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:

David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust tour 1972

Austin Sound questions:
Y’all coming together while serving together in Iraq seems pretty unique. How did that get started and do you think the circumstances that y’all began playing music under has influenced the band’s sound or outlook?

I first met our bassist, Joe Sparks, in the Kuwait while waiting for our plane ride north. Joe heard some of my demos and we talked about forming something when we returned home. During the next 15 months I used a guitar with 4 strings and a small microphone to record demos to my laptop. In some of the recordings you can actually hear Howitzer cannons firing in the background. All of the music from our “Celebrity” EP was written during that time. It was a dark chapter in both of our lives so I’m sure that it’s impacted our music and outlook. The war had a way of solidifying our priorities. Life’s too short to waste on regret.

We’re curious about the your song “Richard Corey,” which we assume was inspired by the Edwin Arlington Robinson poem. What about the poem appealed to y’all and how would you describe your approach to adapting it?

I’ve enjoyed this particular poem since I was introduced to it in high school. It’s shocking and abrupt conclusion was profound. In my own life, I’ve struggled with depression and suicide so I found it easy to relate to the subject. It wasn’t until later that I was told that Simon & Garfunkfel had written a song inspired by Richard Cory. It started out as a couple of disjointed sections that I had difficulty connecting. It’s rather unorthodox and we have a love/hate relationship.

Song Introduction:

“Korean Beauty Queen” is the first single off our upcoming release Anatomica. There’s nothing particularly deep or philosophical about the single. I suppose that I could have wrote it for Ahmenijhad’s persian daughter but who wants to incite a jihad against their band?

Sound Off:

I’d like to think that Frantic Clam’s originality is a result of the sum total of its cast of characters: An obsessive compulsive lead singer suffering from meglomania, a bassist who manages to alienate fans by insulting their beverage choices at shows, a drummer who insists on a 5 inch drum riser during rehearsals, and a guitarist who hopes to sound like all of the things that you like and none of the things that you hate. Yeah, I would say we’re onto something.

Mp3s:
Korean Beauty Queen
We Own the Night

Websites:
www.franticclam.com
Myspace