Clamtones
Encyclopedia
Clamtones was an American
folk rock
group, and Jeffrey Frederick
's most notable band. Most of the band's lineup also performed with The Holy Modal Rounders at one point.
and musician
, Jeffrey Frederick, organized his first Clamtones band in Vermont
during the early 1970s, the best-known incarnation of the band was based out of Portland, Oregon
. The Clamtones usually comprised Frederick (vocals and guitar); Jill Gross (vocals); Robin Remaily (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, other strings); Richard Tyler (piano); Dave Reisch (bass); Teddy Deane (woodwinds and horns); and R. "Willy" North (drums). As the Clamtones, Gross, Reisch and Remaily joined Frederick, Peter Stampfel, Michael Hurley and friends on the 1976 Have Moicy!
(Rounder Records
). However, the definitive studio recording of the full band was the following year's Spiders In The Moonlight. Some of the tracks from that album and from Have Moicy! were included in the 2003 Rounder compilation album
, I Make A Wish For A Potato. In 2007, the original album was digitally remastered, and three studio tracks from the later Jeffrey Frederick Band were added, and the work republished on CD as Resurrection of Spiders In The Moonlight.
Jeffrey Frederick & The Clamtones B.C. (Frederick Productions, 2005) was a remastered effort taken from a 1976 radio broadcast of their show at Rohan's Roadhouse in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Clamtones were part of an unusual arrangement in which the same band members played by that name when Frederick took the stage, but as the Holy Modal Rounders
when Steve Weber fronted the band, typically as alternative sets in the same show. Weber's portion of the above-referenced Vancouver performance has been released as Steve Weber, The Holy Modal Rounders, B.C. (Frederick Productions, 2005). Clamtones, without Frederick and Gross, also performed on the Holy Modal Rounder's Adelphi recording,Last Round.
Although Frederick and Tyler are deceased, the rest of the Clamtones continue to be musically active. When he is not touring with Michael Hurley, backing the Holy Modal Rounders or on some other project, Reisch sings and plays bass with the Freak Mountain Ramblers, along with North on percussion. Remaily also plays with them on occasion, at Holy Modal Rounders reunions, as well as with a number of musical collectivities on the Oregon Coast. Deane had an active theatrical and musical career in Portland, most notably leading the Swingline Cubs, a seven piece swing band. He continued to play and sing, currently as part of the duo, the Play-Rite Boys. In 2008, he recorded a new album of original songs, So Far So Good, with the remaining Clamtones and others. Gross performs from time to time in the Boston, Massachusetts area, and appeared on Michael Hurley's album, Sweetkorn, as well as on the tribute album
, St. Jeffrey's Day: The Songs Of Jeffrey Frederick, Volume One (2008).
Jeffrey Frederick and the Clamtones were inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame on October 8, 2011
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
group, and Jeffrey Frederick
Jeffrey Frederick
Jeffrey Sutton Frederick was a songwriter, guitarist and performer specializing in good-time Americana music—an idiosyncratic blend of folk, country and rock and roll. He was a largely uncredited predecessor of today's alternative country music genre. Also notorious for his pranks, he was a...
's most notable band. Most of the band's lineup also performed with The Holy Modal Rounders at one point.
Biography
Although songwriterSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, Jeffrey Frederick, organized his first Clamtones band in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
during the early 1970s, the best-known incarnation of the band was based out of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The Clamtones usually comprised Frederick (vocals and guitar); Jill Gross (vocals); Robin Remaily (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, other strings); Richard Tyler (piano); Dave Reisch (bass); Teddy Deane (woodwinds and horns); and R. "Willy" North (drums). As the Clamtones, Gross, Reisch and Remaily joined Frederick, Peter Stampfel, Michael Hurley and friends on the 1976 Have Moicy!
Have Moicy!
Have Moicy is the 1976 album released by Michael Hurley, The Unholy Modal Rounders, Jeffrey Frederick, & The Clamtones.In 2011 Light In The Attic Records reissued Have Moicy on vinyl-Track listing:...
(Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
). However, the definitive studio recording of the full band was the following year's Spiders In The Moonlight. Some of the tracks from that album and from Have Moicy! were included in the 2003 Rounder compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, I Make A Wish For A Potato. In 2007, the original album was digitally remastered, and three studio tracks from the later Jeffrey Frederick Band were added, and the work republished on CD as Resurrection of Spiders In The Moonlight.
Jeffrey Frederick & The Clamtones B.C. (Frederick Productions, 2005) was a remastered effort taken from a 1976 radio broadcast of their show at Rohan's Roadhouse in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Clamtones were part of an unusual arrangement in which the same band members played by that name when Frederick took the stage, but as the Holy Modal Rounders
Holy Modal Rounders
The Holy Modal Rounders were an American folk music duo from the Lower East Side of New York City which started in the early 1960s, consisting of Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber. Their unique blend of folk music revival and psychedelia gave them a cult-like following from the late 1960s into the 1970s...
when Steve Weber fronted the band, typically as alternative sets in the same show. Weber's portion of the above-referenced Vancouver performance has been released as Steve Weber, The Holy Modal Rounders, B.C. (Frederick Productions, 2005). Clamtones, without Frederick and Gross, also performed on the Holy Modal Rounder's Adelphi recording,Last Round.
Although Frederick and Tyler are deceased, the rest of the Clamtones continue to be musically active. When he is not touring with Michael Hurley, backing the Holy Modal Rounders or on some other project, Reisch sings and plays bass with the Freak Mountain Ramblers, along with North on percussion. Remaily also plays with them on occasion, at Holy Modal Rounders reunions, as well as with a number of musical collectivities on the Oregon Coast. Deane had an active theatrical and musical career in Portland, most notably leading the Swingline Cubs, a seven piece swing band. He continued to play and sing, currently as part of the duo, the Play-Rite Boys. In 2008, he recorded a new album of original songs, So Far So Good, with the remaining Clamtones and others. Gross performs from time to time in the Boston, Massachusetts area, and appeared on Michael Hurley's album, Sweetkorn, as well as on the tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, St. Jeffrey's Day: The Songs Of Jeffrey Frederick, Volume One (2008).
Jeffrey Frederick and the Clamtones were inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame on October 8, 2011
Discography
- Jeffrey Frederick and the Clamtones, Spiders In The Moonlight (Rounder, 1977). An expanded version is available on CD, billed as Resurrection of Spiders In The Moonlight (Frederick Productions, 2007)
- Jeffrey Frederick and the Clamtones, Clamtones B.C. (Frederick Productions, 2005)