Dan Clements
Encyclopedia
Daniel Clements is a singer-songwriter
from Venice, California, best known as the lead vocalist
of Crossover thrash
band Excel
and the only member that remained in the group since its formation until its dissolution. Currently he is a member of Against
, the group formed with his very close friends from No Mercy and Suicidal Tendencies
.
and punk
inspirations from Black Sabbath
and The Police
respectively. In 1983, at the age of 16 years he left home and went to live with a friend at Venice High, soon after Dan's friend cousin, Adam Siegel
, moved in. Then Clements recorded a tape to give it to Adam, and they started talking about form a band. The group was called "Chaotic Noise" with Evan Warech on drums and some temporary bassists during 1984, they played a lot of shows around L.A.
with differents bands of the same scene like No Mercy, Suicidal Tendencies
, Beowülf
and Cryptic Slaughter
. They became very good friends of all those musicians and adopted each other as early influences.
A few months later, Rickey Pallamino took over the four strings and Chaotic Noise recorded their first Demo. They also became close friends of a graffiti crew, Kings Stop at Nothing, specially with a boy called Shaun Ross
, Dan and Adam learned to paint with him and included the graffiti in the style of the band. When Pallamino left Chaotic Noise, there was no one better than Shaun to replace him, then they changed their name to Excel
, name that was created by Shaun Ross when he was in Kings Stop at Nothing. Dan printed posters to find a new drummer, and a few weeks later he received a call from Greg Saenz
, who would become the fourth member of the band. They recorded 3 more demos between 1985 and 1986 (Sonic Decapitation,Personal Onslaught and Refuse to Quit), editing their first studio album
(Split Image
) in 1987 (the recording was paid by Mike Muir
and distribution was conducted by Caroline Records), the second one (The Joke's on You
) in 1989, and a tour in Netherlands
the same year with that line-up. Between January and February, 1989 Dan recorded together Greg Saenz
the background vocals
for the fourth studio album
by thrash metal
band Kreator
, titled Extreme Aggression
. In 1990 Adam left Excel
to join Infectious Grooves
, so Dan decided to split the band until he returned. In 1992 Adam came back to record the last Excel
demo: Third album demos, then he left the band definitely together Saenz to form the power-trio My Head
. The band remained silent for three years until Dan and Shaun joined together to release the last Excel
album,Seeking Refuge
, with Brandon Rudley on guitar and "Max" on drums. Then they broke up for good. In 2001 he joined the band Supervillain, with which he still performs live in some tours. In May 2006 Dan returned to the studios with Grant Estes
(guitar
), Amery Smith
(drums), Louiche Mayorga
(bass) and Kevin Guercio (vocals
) to record a sequel to the split album
Welcome to Venice
, titled Welcome 2 Venice under the name Against
. After the release of the album there were rumors about a possible Excel
reunion, however Clements said he had no intentions of reforming the band and did not want anyone to take Against
as a return of the group.
(Dan participated in all Excel's records)
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from Venice, California, best known as the lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
of Crossover thrash
Crossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...
band Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
and the only member that remained in the group since its formation until its dissolution. Currently he is a member of Against
Against (American band)
Against is a Crossover thrash band formed in 2006 by singer-songwriter Dan Clements, original Suicidal Tendencies members Grant Estes, Louiche Mayorga and Amery Smith and former No Mercy vocalist Kevin Guercio.-History:...
, the group formed with his very close friends from No Mercy and Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
.
History
Dan started singing at a young age, taking his first heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
inspirations from Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
respectively. In 1983, at the age of 16 years he left home and went to live with a friend at Venice High, soon after Dan's friend cousin, Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and graphic designer from Venice, California, United States...
, moved in. Then Clements recorded a tape to give it to Adam, and they started talking about form a band. The group was called "Chaotic Noise" with Evan Warech on drums and some temporary bassists during 1984, they played a lot of shows around L.A.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
with differents bands of the same scene like No Mercy, Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
, Beowülf
Beowülf
This article is about the American heavy metal band. For the epic poem, see Beowulf; for other uses see Beowulf .Beowülf is a crossover thrash metal band formed Venice Beach, California in 1981 by Michael Alvarado, Dale Henderson, Mike Jensen and Paul Yamada...
and Cryptic Slaughter
Cryptic Slaughter
Cryptic Slaughter was a Santa Monica, California-based crossover thrash band.-Biography:Cryptic Slaughter was formed in 1984 by Les Evans , Scott Peterson and Adam Scott , who met through their mutual participation in the American Youth Soccer League . Soon they were joined by Bill Crooks , a...
. They became very good friends of all those musicians and adopted each other as early influences.
A few months later, Rickey Pallamino took over the four strings and Chaotic Noise recorded their first Demo. They also became close friends of a graffiti crew, Kings Stop at Nothing, specially with a boy called Shaun Ross
Shaun Ross (musician)
Shaun Ross is a bassist from Venice, California, and former member of Excel, a band with he performed since 1985 until its dissolution. He took his first inspirations from very different kinds of music, like Rudimentary Peni, Jungle Brothers, Sly and the Family Stone and Deep Purple...
, Dan and Adam learned to paint with him and included the graffiti in the style of the band. When Pallamino left Chaotic Noise, there was no one better than Shaun to replace him, then they changed their name to Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
, name that was created by Shaun Ross when he was in Kings Stop at Nothing. Dan printed posters to find a new drummer, and a few weeks later he received a call from Greg Saenz
Greg Saenz
Greg Saenz is a drummer from Los Angeles, California, currently based in Coachella Valley. He started playing for several groups around L.A., mainly inlfuenced by british performers like John Bonham, Keith Moon and Charlie Watts, later he joined Excel where he stayed for 7 years...
, who would become the fourth member of the band. They recorded 3 more demos between 1985 and 1986 (Sonic Decapitation,Personal Onslaught and Refuse to Quit), editing their first studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
(Split Image
Split Image
Split Image is the debut album by Excel, released in 1987. It is the band's first album as Welcome to Venice is a split album with Suicidal Tendencies, Beowülf, No Mercy and Los Cycos.Like many Excel albums, the recording is out of print....
) in 1987 (the recording was paid by Mike Muir
Mike Muir
Mike Muir is the lead vocalist of the Venice skate punk bands Suicidal Tendencies Los Cycos and the funk rock band Infectious Grooves...
and distribution was conducted by Caroline Records), the second one (The Joke's on You
The Joke's on You
The Joke's on You is the second album by Excel, released in 1989. The song "The Joke's on You" was already released on the previous album, Split Image....
) in 1989, and a tour in Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
the same year with that line-up. Between January and February, 1989 Dan recorded together Greg Saenz
Greg Saenz
Greg Saenz is a drummer from Los Angeles, California, currently based in Coachella Valley. He started playing for several groups around L.A., mainly inlfuenced by british performers like John Bonham, Keith Moon and Charlie Watts, later he joined Excel where he stayed for 7 years...
the background vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for the fourth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Kreator
Kreator
Kreator is a thrash metal band from Essen, Germany, formed in 1978, but formalized in 1982 under the name Tormentor. They originally performed a speed metal style with Venom influences. Their style of music is similar to their compatriots Destruction and Sodom, the other two big German thrash metal...
, titled Extreme Aggression
Extreme Aggression
-Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - guitar and vocals*Jörg Trzebiatowski - guitar*Rob Fioretti - bass guitar*Jürgen Reil - drumsProduction*Martin Becker - photography*Randy Burns - producer, engineer*Dan Clements - background vocals...
. In 1990 Adam left Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
to join Infectious Grooves
Infectious Grooves
Infectious Grooves is a funk metal band led by Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir. It also features former Excel guitarist Adam Siegel, ex-Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo , and ex-Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins...
, so Dan decided to split the band until he returned. In 1992 Adam came back to record the last Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
demo: Third album demos, then he left the band definitely together Saenz to form the power-trio My Head
My Head
My Head was a grunge/alternative rock power trio from Los Angeles, California, United States formed in 1993 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Adam Siegel and drummer Greg Saenz. Due to its member's past on Excel, My Head's sound was influenced by early 80's Crossover Thrash music, but also by the...
. The band remained silent for three years until Dan and Shaun joined together to release the last Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
album,Seeking Refuge
Seeking Refuge
Seeking Refuge is the third and final album by Excel. It was released in 1995 and is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed album The Joke's on You ....
, with Brandon Rudley on guitar and "Max" on drums. Then they broke up for good. In 2001 he joined the band Supervillain, with which he still performs live in some tours. In May 2006 Dan returned to the studios with Grant Estes
Grant Estes
Grant Estes is an American guitarist from Santa Monica, California. He was one of the guitarists for the highly influential band Suicidal Tendencies, during the band's hardcore punk era.-Suicidal Tendencies/Los Cycos:...
(guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Amery Smith
Amery Smith
Amery "AWOL" Smith is a drummer from Los Angeles, California. He is best known for playing drums in the Venice punk band "Suicidal Tendencies."-Early Life:...
(drums), Louiche Mayorga
Louiche Mayorga
Louiche Mayorga is best known for his bass playing in the Venice punk band "Suicidal Tendencies."He co-wrote many of their earlier songs including the punk classic "Institutionalized" from their 1983 debut album on Frontier, as well as" "War Inside My Head," "Possessed To Skate." and the title...
(bass) and Kevin Guercio (vocals
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
) to record a sequel to the split album
Split album
A split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
Welcome to Venice
Welcome to Venice
Welcome to Venice is a crossover thrash album that features local Venice Beach, California punk and metal bands. It was released in 1985 on Suicidal Records.-Album History:...
, titled Welcome 2 Venice under the name Against
Against (American band)
Against is a Crossover thrash band formed in 2006 by singer-songwriter Dan Clements, original Suicidal Tendencies members Grant Estes, Louiche Mayorga and Amery Smith and former No Mercy vocalist Kevin Guercio.-History:...
. After the release of the album there were rumors about a possible Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
reunion, however Clements said he had no intentions of reforming the band and did not want anyone to take Against
Against (American band)
Against is a Crossover thrash band formed in 2006 by singer-songwriter Dan Clements, original Suicidal Tendencies members Grant Estes, Louiche Mayorga and Amery Smith and former No Mercy vocalist Kevin Guercio.-History:...
as a return of the group.
Excel
See also: Excel discography and List of Excel demos(Dan participated in all Excel's records)
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1987 | Split Image Split Image Split Image is the debut album by Excel, released in 1987. It is the band's first album as Welcome to Venice is a split album with Suicidal Tendencies, Beowülf, No Mercy and Los Cycos.Like many Excel albums, the recording is out of print.... |
Suicidal/Caroline |
| 1989 | The Joke's on You The Joke's on You The Joke's on You is the second album by Excel, released in 1989. The song "The Joke's on You" was already released on the previous album, Split Image.... |
Caroline |
| 1995 | Seeking Refuge Seeking Refuge Seeking Refuge is the third and final album by Excel. It was released in 1995 and is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed album The Joke's on You .... |
Delicious Vinyl Delicious Vinyl Delicious Vinyl is an American independent record label founded by Matt Dike and Michael Ross in 1987 and based in Los Angeles. Throughout its history, the label has had distribution deals with [Island Records/[PolyGram]], Warner Music Group, EMI, Red Ant, Rhino and Universal Music Group.-Early... /Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
Kreator
| Year | Title | Label | Credits |
| 1989 | Extreme Aggression Extreme Aggression -Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - guitar and vocals*Jörg Trzebiatowski - guitar*Rob Fioretti - bass guitar*Jürgen Reil - drumsProduction*Martin Becker - photography*Randy Burns - producer, engineer*Dan Clements - background vocals... |
Noise Records Noise Records Noise Records was a German record label founded by German music industry personality Karl-Ulrich Walterbach in 1983 as an expansion of his company Modern Music Records. Noise Records specialized in thrash and melodic speed metal. It was sold to the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001 and ceased any... |
Background vocals |
Against
| Year | Title | Label | Notes | Credits |
| 2006 | Welcome 2 Venice | Built On An Once | Split Album | Vocals on "Camarillo" |