In this modern age of downloading, there have been precious few success stories in the independent music world. While music sales have plummeted across the board, a select group of new bands have managed to build significant hype, exclusively online. One such act is quirky East Coast quintet Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Despite being almost invisible when it comes to mainstream media, the band, which includes vocalist Alec Ounsworth, guitarists Lee Sargent and Robbie Guertin, bassist Tyler Sargent, as well as drummer Sean Greenhalgh is currently in the midst of a sold out tour, thanks to online word-of-mouth. First drawing attention through various music critics’ blogs, in fact the band’s lack of marketing itself seems to be fueling interest. The group recently released their debut self titled album themselves, selling more than 40,000 copies in the process. While those are figures that would barely pay a major label’s overhead for a week, it’s a remarkable figure for an independent release. Although it’s not usually good form to hold up the exception as the rule, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have proven it possible to succeed in the music business at least on a small scale without any of the normal machinations of the ‘biz, including a PR agency or a label.
It’s enough to drive the indie rock scene across the country into a frenzy, with shows on the current jaunt being consistently moved into bigger venues as it progresses. San Diego was no exception. The group makes its local debut at the Casbah on March 22, with the club reporting the fastest ticket sales in their history, topping even such established groups as the Cult and Arcade Fire. Controversy ensued around the initial ticket offering when it was learned that out-of-state scalpers had bought up a quantity of the admissions and were offering them online at inflated prices. Striking a blow for local music fans, the club canceled the scalpers’ purchases and made the tickets available again for the normal fee. The situation was serious enough that the Casbah has now reduced the amount of tickets that a patron can buy online to four per show.
None of this would mean much if the band didn’t have the songs to back up their increasing profile. And these they have in abundance. Hard to pin down stylistically, there are touches of new wave, country, blues and rock in their sound. The end result is a unique hybrid that’s full of tunes with melodies strong enough to stick to your ears like gum to a shoe on a warm day. In truth only the groups album opener, “Clap Your Hands,” keeps the band from being melodic over achievers, coming off like one of Tom Waits quirkier moments. However songs like the synthesizer backed "Over and Over Again (Lost and Found)" and the manic "Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away,” show that if the band can survive its very public infancy they have the potential to become real contenders.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah recently signed a deal with independent European label Wichita and their album is now distributed by Warner Brothers offshoot ADA. With this much attention, it’ s a sure bet the major label sharks have begun to circle the band. While it’s likely that they won’t be able to stay independent forever, the band have become trailblazers for the next wave of artists to follow. Whether you’re hoping to catch a rising band on the way up or simply want to see what all the fuss is about, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s show March 22 at the Casbah is one concert you wont want to miss.