AlterMusic

ARTIST: Clear Static
TITLE: Clear Static
LABEL: Maverick
GENRE: Alternative
BITRATE: 222kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 39min total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-03-06
RIP DATE: 2005-11-15

Track List
----------
01. 97 Lies 4:10
02. Tuesday On My Mind 3:31
03. Make Up Sex 3:51
04. Careless Lies 3:41
05. Like The Movies 4:01
06. Sleep Late Sunday 3:11
07. Dancing With Strangers 3:58
08. Anything At All 3:38
09. Love Rockets 2:56
10. New Years 1984 3:17
11. Telestar 3:25

Release Notes:

The Maverick self-titled debut from Hollywood sensations Clear Static, evokes
images of mascara, frilly shirts, flamboyance, and hedonism. Yet today their
gigs draw throngs of eye-lined, glammed-out kids into places like the Viper
Room and Key Club and onto the teeming sidewalks outside when not even one
more fashion casualty can squeeze into the venue.

This band, then, has brought rockÆs most excessive era back to life - and yet
their determination to not mimic the past but to play what they want is
something that artists from any era can understand.

Who are these guys? TheyÆre still in their teens (mostly). They grew up close
enough to Hollywood to qualify as suburban sprawl but near enough to start
catching all-ages shows at age eleven.

And what about their sound? Its spacious production, the big drums, smooth
bass stylings, the keyboards that wash across the mix or percolate in
pinprick rhythms, vocals that drip with high-fashion attitude: It blends
echoes of the Romantic era into a fully modern sound, adding up to a unique
blend of depth and immediacy, trend-referencing and trend-setting, and
spearheading what just may turn into the next wave of dressing and listening
taste among club kids nationwide.

And their roots are American to the max: You can trace the birth of the band
to one Fourth of July, when Tom Pederson and Michael David met amidst the
sparkle and pop of fireworks in a neighborÆs backyard. Michael, a South
African transplant, was just twelve, a year older than Tom, yet his guitar
playing at the party caught TomÆs ear. The boys lived only two blocks apart,
so it was easy for them to start doing music.

From the start they wrote their own material. "We werenÆt good enough yet to
play covers," Michael laughs. "But our first song wasnÆt actually that bad.
ThatÆs what started us thinking that we could put our own band together."

The rest of the band fell into place quickly, through a network of relations
(Rich Pederson is TomÆs brother) and friendships (Danny Kincaid and Michael
are best friends; the Pedersons had met Jacob Shearer in a karate class when
they were all three were eight or nine years old). But they had more than
that in common; ultimately, their music bound them to each other and
separated them from other young bands.

"A lot of them started off with punk," Tom explains, "and that certainly had
an effect on us too. But we were more interested in writing good songs. We
wanted to be good musicians. And we were open to all kinds of influences.
ThatÆs what drew us toward the eighties, because bands like the Fixx, Naked
Eyes, and Roxy Music played their instruments well and wrote great songs. We
found that really intriguing."

But Clear Static was never about imitation. Though they followed a clear
course in defining their sound, each member brought his own taste to the
table; the contrasts as well as the consensus energized their creativity.
"IÆve always been into adventurous music, like Sonic Youth, the Pixies, and
Spiritualized," Michael says. "Tom was more in tune with what was happening
on the radio and making sure I knew about that. Jacob was even into jazz;
heÆd been playing all kinds of music on sessions and shows since he was a
kid."

They shared ambition too. When they were ready to gig - around ages thirteen
and fourteen - they started designing posters and putting them up around town.
"Danny is totally pro at taking pictures and running Photoshop," Michael says.
"So while the punk bands were tagging street signs, we were putting up these
elaborate posters. At first we got a lot of heat for it, but those posters
also made us infamous and started drawing kids to our shows."

Being underage, they were restricted at first to teen-friendly venues - high
schools, rec centers, band battles, and parties. As word spread, clubs started
booking them; often theyÆd have to wait in an alley, near the stage door,
before being ushered inside for their set. Nights at places like the Viper
Room, the Key Club, and the Troubadour intensified the buzz about the bandÆs
triple-threat appeal: hook-driven songs, riveting performances, and an
eye-catching, neo-romantic look.

That just set the stage, though, for early 2005, when Duran Duran invited
Clear Static to open for them on dates in the U.K. and the U.S. "That,"
Michael insists, "was unbelievable, especially because this was our first
tour. We really look up to them. They influenced us a lot as musicians" "and
theyÆve got twenty billion amazing songs," Tom adds. "TheyÆre such an amazing
band," Michael continues. "The funny thing is that after one of our
soundchecks, Roger and John Taylor came up and said, æWatching you guys
reminds us of when we were your age, doing the same thing.Æ That just
completely blew us away."

Between legs of the Duran Duran tour, Clear Static returned to L.A. for a gig
at the Key Club. By now they were drawing industry insiders as well as fans.
On that night a delegation from Maverick showed up: CEO Guy Oseary, who had
previously brought Alanis Morissette, Michelle Branch, and Prodigy, among
others, to the label, and A&R legends Perry Watts-Russell, whose signings
have included Radiohead, Damien Rice, and Everclear, and Scott Austin, with
Tyler Hilton and All-American Rejects among his discoveries.

All three saw what Clear Static has to offer. Before the night was over they
were talking with the band. "They got it instantly," Michael says. "They were
like, æMaverick could be a great home for you.Æ And they were right."

By this point Clear Static had cut a number of garage demos, which theyÆd
been selling at their shows. Now, with Maverick in their corner, they hit the
studio with Tommy Henriksen at the console. As a recording artist with
engineering and production credits (Revis, Brooks Buford, Mighty Six Ninety,
Balay), Henriksen understood how to pull the best possible performance from
the group while also capturing its sonic power.

From "Tuesday on My Mind," with its full-gallop chorus and irresistible vocal
hook, to the teasing strut of "Make-Up Sex" .This self titled-debut delivers
a one-two punch. Some listeners may focus more on the classic elements of its
sound; others will hear it as a departure from the lock-step formula of
contemporary pop.

Either way, itÆs a knockout. "WeÆve never tried to be a retro act," Michael
says. "There are lots of modern elements in our music as well as the big
snare and kick drum and all those sounds we love.

In other words, Clear Static belongs on everyoneÆs radio. Tune it in, roll
the windows down, and ride ...

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