The Henry Clay People
Hometown: LA
Tags: indie, kickasstic, recommended
The members of the Glendale, Calif., power-pop/punk quartet the Henry Clay People (named after a failed 19th century presidential candidate) have described their sound as “concise, sloppy, fun, spirited rock ’n’ roll music.” Sometimes bands are lousy at summing themselves up, but that nails it. So does the list of artists frequently name-dropped by the band as key influences, including the Replacements, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Neil Young and Pavement. The Henry Clay People, anchored by brothers Joey and Andy Siara, have released three albums to date: Birdman & the Squid, Blacklist the Kid with the Red Moustache and, most recently, the excellent For Cheap or For Free. But as good as the records are, the band’s live shows are even better. Not for nothing did the blog Web in Front enthuse, after one exceptionally fervid HCP gig opening for the Airborne Toxic Event, “…Henry Clay is probably the best live act in Los Angeles.”
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TheOwlMag on The Henry Clay People
4 months agoThe Henry Clay People Twenty-Five For The Rest of Our Lives [TBD Records]
“Every band we ever loved/Is selling out and breaking up,” sings the quartet known as The Henry Clay People; the quintessential lament of twenty-somethings struggling to find a place between growing up and out. Anyone who haunts all the cool venues in the greater Los Angeles area has encountered The Henry Clay People at some point, and their new album Twenty-Five For The Rest Of Our Lives is a punk-laced, introspective offering to their rabid fan base.
HCP specialize in the infectious shout-along tune. Try and keep from going hoarse when you sing along with Joey and Andy Siara to the title track or “EveryBandWeEverLoved.” You hear the echoes of influences like Pavement and The Replacements, but with strong storyteller lyrics that shows wisdom beyond their years. The Brothers Siara construct the ennui of the young adult with their clever lyrics, grinding guitars, and raucous rhythm section (Eric Scott on drums and Noah Green on bass). Twenty-Five For The Rest Of Our Lives is a solid, fun album that will be sure to rock even harder when you hear it live.
Check out title track “Twenty-Five For The Rest of Our Lives” here:
more at theowlmag.comPASTE's Best of What's Next on The Henry Clay People
6 months agoHometown: Glendale, Calif.Album: For Cheap or For Free Band Members: Mike Hopkins (drums), Jonathan Price (vocals, bass), Andy Siara (vocals, guitar), Joey Siara (vocals, guitar)For Fans of: Mott the Hoople, T. Rex, Built to Spill ... more at pastemagazine.com
Buzz Bands LA on The Henry Clay People
6 months agoIn 2008, indie-rock agitators the Henry Clay People released a great album titled "For Cheap or for Free," which embodied the economic times of the moment. (And probably the moments that ensued, but that's another discussion.) Next month, the Henry Clays will perform for cheap, for free and for charity . They've scheduled a residency called "The Henry Clay People Occupy the Satellite" ( full lineup here ) during which the quartet will record a live album to benefit the Songs for Kids Foundation , an organization that brings musicians into hospitals and special-needs facilities to more here
Buzz Bands LA on The Henry Clay People
7 months agoWhat I've always liked most about the Henry Clay People is that they are one of the least delusional bands out there. Brothers Joey and Andy Siara probably had a good sense of themselves when they were teenagers, and now that they're roaring through their 20s, making music (of all the endeavors they could possibly undertake), they confront their quarter-life quandary with biting humor, unflinching honesty and only the minimum daily requirement of hopefulness. Their new album "Twenty-Five for the Rest of Our Lives" (out June 26 on TBD Records) is a punk-rock barrage of guitar blasts and more here
Buzz Bands LA on The Henry Clay People
7 months agoNothing mundane about this Monday: ► If this isn't the most helter-skelter It's a School Night ever, you can slap my hand with a ruler. On the bill (chronologically) for the RSVP-only night at Bardot are Malibu-bred beach-vibe duo Brandon & Leah ; followed by Bobby Woods' horn- and string-laden Les Deux Love Orchestra featuring special guest Robert Lamm of Chicago (yes, that Chicago ); followed by young folk songstress Alaska Reid [pictured]; followed by prickly indie-rockers the Henry Clay People . Oh, and there's a Penguin more here
Buzz Bands LA on The Henry Clay People
7 months agoJotted on a napkin while free-associating with the Henry Clay People's album "Twenty-Five for the Rest of Our Lives," coming out June 26 on TBD Records: We know that what we are doing is transitory, and we will very likely — although relucantly — grow out of it. We know that what we are doing has been done before, in various ways, by people possibly more astute and probably more famous than us. In that way and many others that involve negotiating today's post-modern minefield, we have a lot in common with you. And we will more here
Buzz Bands LA on The Henry Clay People
7 months agoWhen does an identity crisis become an existential crisis? Somewhere in the two thrashing minutes of the Henry Clay People's "The Fakers," that's where. "Our mothers and fathers gave us faces no one remembers," Joey Siara rages in the song, from the L.A. punk-rock quartet's equally raging new album "Twenty-Five for the Rest of Our Lives." Matt Wyatt's house-party video casts a who's-who of locals for a couple of minutes of Who's Who? Point is, the Henry Clay People could be anybody — that's the beauty of it. And, if you think too hard about it, more here
Aquarium Drunkard on The Henry Clay People
about 4 years agoThe result doesn’t simply pace the record, but it makes plain their Southern California roots, where the fast-paced modernity of Los Angeles arose out of the quiet, dusty southwest. It’s subtly sophisticated, to the point where you can get lost in the rock and roll without appreciating composition. more at www.aquariumdrunkard.com