Frantic Clam began half a world away in the winter of 2006 when guitarist, Zack Hadley and bassist, Joe Sparks were deployed to Iraq with the US Army. Upon returning to the United States in December of 2007, they began working on their first self-released EP titled “Celebrity.” In the spring of 2008, high school friends, drummer Vasanth Coorg and guitarist Jack Reid joined as the gorup began playing shows in and around Austin, Texas. Most recently, Gregg Irick and Scott Cater have joined the band as both Vasanth and Joe moved to new ports of call.
Frantic Clam recently finished their sophomore release Anatomica, which was officially released January 15th, 2009 on Exemplary Records. They have been featured in various press outlets and radio programs including Performing Songwriter magazine, KALX Berkeley's "The Next Big Thing" and on American Apparel's Viva Radio station.
"It's tough to get beyond a name like Frantic Clam, but indulgence yields big
rewards via a swaggering sound that recalls T. Rex, Bowie, Sweet and others of that glam-slam variety. Given their rambunctious revelry, Frantic Clam apparently has no problem coming out of its shell." - Performing Songwriter Magazine May 2009
"Austin band Frantic Clam apparently tailored us up a nice little ditty called 'Hipster'...The tune is sassy and something tells me that you all want to hear it. Perhaps it'll make you mad because you feel like it's targeting you. If it stings, that means it's working... On the other hand, if you feel like you're always on the outside looking in, you'll probably feel like justice is being done by the Clam. However, if you feel like an outsider, you're probably already going through the motions of becoming a hipster." - Viva Radio
"[Anatomica] easily demonstrates that the horizon could be endless. Anatomica screams of a young band progressing, moving beyond their influences in order to discover their own sound." - Austin Town Hall
"Anatomica is a collection of the catchiest and most refreshing songs I have heard in a long time. The tracks are concise and economical with the music they carry throughout Anatomica, preserving the shelf life of the EP itself as well as the genius of the music. Aside from this album containing five great songs, Anatomica has the kind of allure that you rarely find." - Austin Sound Apr 2009
"The challenge for Frantic Clam was assuring us all that their initial success [Celebrity] wasn’t a fluke, that the band could actually deliver. And just as with Built by Snow, the answer is a resounding "Yes." - Side One Track One
"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" - Austin Sound, October 2008
"They’re a band to seriously watch (and listen to, for that matter)" -BigDiction.net, October 2008
"Austin's latest greatest indie export is Anatomica, by the band Frantic Clam" - CovertCuriousity.com
" Frantic Clam is deceptive: Its arty mix of raucous glam and strangled indie seems familiar, but then the guitars knife sideways, the lyrics start rambling about under-the-radar scream queen “Mary Elizabeth Winstead,” and you notice the band is far weirder than it lets on." Austin.Decider.com
"Keep an eye on this group, as I’m sure we’ll hear more of them in the future." - Austin Town Hall
"The real success of this album [Celebrity] is found in it’s ability to take a now universal, mundane part of our lives (the war in Iraq, or even war in general) and relate it with personal experiences in a very universally human way" - SideOneTrackOne.com
"For a clam to become agitated enough to be "frantic"—as the name of local art-rock group Frantic Clam suggests—something must have seriously gone wrong under the sea. - The Austin Decider "Namecheck: This Week's Most Notable Band Name"
ACL rocked, but there is NO time to rest... Art Outside starts Friday!
Featuring musicians like Wine and Revolution, Suzanna Choffel, Freq Nasty and 62 other acts across three stages, over 100 visual artists ranging from photographers to jewelry-designers, film shorts by Austin Underground Film Society, on-site yoga and acrobatic training, DIY craft demos, fashion show by Rene Geneva, fire dancing performances and much more, Art Outside is an unforgettable, full-sensory art adventure. Art Outside also makes a special effort to reach out to families, and will offer interactive earth-friendly projects, storytelling, and a variety of arts and crafts workshops for children at this year's event.
Since its inception in 2004, Art Outside presented this year by Art Seen Alliance has played a significant role in shaping Texas' vibrant art and music community. By moving creative works from inside gallery walls to an outdoor setting with open sky and wild environs, Art Outside challenges guests to rethink the way they view art, fostering an environment where no genre is off-limits, no medium left unexplored.
SITE INFORMATION:
Gates open Friday, October 9th at noon. All children 12 and under will receive free admission. In addition to camp ground privileges for full-weekend participants, Apache Pass offers RV parking and on-site shower facilities for guests, as well as music performance areas, a cantilevered stage over the San Gabriel river, and tents for participating artists and attendees.
Come out to We Make Stuff...music, art & fashion on Saturday Sept. 19th from 7-9pm! Judge a skateboard painting competition, on-site DIY with The WonderCraft, listen to great bands like Hollywood Gossip, Panjoma & Lost Werks. Watch a fashion show, & cool dudes on a half-pipe from Find n' Grind skate shop, with many fabulous local vendors sporting their wares!
Your friends in Peoplefood are nominated for Artist of the Month at www.thedelimagazine.com/austin Help us out. Winning this popularity contest will do wonders for our hair stylist's 401k.
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