Scripps Live Arts (SLA) will host long-awaited band Shannon and the Clams tonight at Scripps College’s Motley Coffeehouse. The concert will also feature local groups Moses Campbell and Satoros.
SLA co-leaders Tessa Paoli SC ’13 and Edie Adams SC ‘13 have anticipated bringing Shannon and the Clams to the Claremont Colleges since their first year at Scripps.
“They’re really great. The shows that I’ve seen them play at have been the most fun I’ve had in my entire life,” Paoli said.
Shannon and the Clams features three members: Shannon Shaw, Cody
Blanchard, and Ian Amberson, all of whom are from Oakland, Calif. This
pop-rock band also incorporates indie, alternative, and garage-punk influences
into their music. The name Shannon Shaw may sound familiar because she is also
a member of the punk band Hunx and His Punx. Since their debut in 2009, Shannon and the Clams have released three albums: I Wanna Go Home, Sleep Talk, and Dreams in the Rat
House.
Paoli also spoke highly of opening bands Moses Campbell and Santoros, both of which are Los Angeles-based. SLA thrives on relationships with the local music community, focusing on bringing LA-based bands to the Claremont Colleges to introduce students to music.
Moses Campbell is a
crust-pop band made up of five members: Sean
Solomon, Pascal Stevenson, Miles Wintner, Pauline
Lay, and Andrew MacKelvie. Guitarist and vocalist Solomon met bassist Stevenson in high school, and they started the band in 2008. They released their latest album Expectations this past August.
Seven-member Santoros will kick off the show tonight. In an e-mail to TSL, members Tony Jimenez and Carlos Presichi attested to how the band’s chemistry helps create inspiration for their music. Santoros draws on differences in musical preferences to produce a unique sound.
“Everyone likes different music but the inspiration usually comes when we are hanging out and talk about the past, present or future,” Jimenez wrote.
Presichi described the band’s sound as a combination of rock and roll and punk influences, which, he wrote, will affect each of his audience members differently.
“You really have to listen to it and make your own take on it. We are seven and we all like different music. [It’s] a big scramble of sounds but we make it work,” he wrote.
Presichi and Jimenez are especially looking forward to Friday’s show because of the vibrant energy that comes with playing in smaller venues.
“We like smaller venues better! We like to feel the heat and energy from the crowd also all of us are closer on stage. I think we sound better,” Jimenez wrote.
Presichi added, “We never plan what we do on stages, we always like going with the flow. It keeps us doing something different every time.”
SLA events and concerts offer an exciting alternative to the party scene while also introducing music that students may not have otherwise discovered.
“We try to bring bands that are independent record labels or self-released to the Claremont Colleges in order to develop an appreciation for underground music. Also to create an alternative to big 5C parties, because not everyone is interested in doing that and I think that little shows in the garden create a good alternative to the party scene,” Paoli said.
According to Paoli, SLA does not have definite dates for upcoming shows, and plans to take a break to recover from recent shows. Earlier this month, SLA hosted singer-songwriter Ferraby Lionheart, along with LA-based band Graves and student musician Olivia Buntaine SC ’15. Currently, SLA is training volunteers to organize future events.
Doors will open tonight at 8:30 p.m. The event will feature other activities, including a photo booth. The show will begin at 9 p.m.