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The Henry Clay People

The Henry Clay People drop a slew of new tracks, Live Session #56

by oz on September 29, 2009

hcp

The Henry Clay People are the embodiment of a live studio session. They are sincere, authentic and make no apologies for creating straightforward three-chord American rock music.  They hate wearing headphones in the studio, prefer to record like it’s a rehearsal (they plan to cut their next record like this) and are comfortable with slight imperfections as long as the vibe is right. We were serving up stiff bloody marys with over-sized celery sticks looming out of the cups like redwood trees on this Lollapalooza morn. The vibe was certainly right.

I’ve been a fan of this Orange County, CA band, led by brothers Joey and Andy Siara, since they released For Cheap Or For Free last year.  As I listened to the album, I thought their sound was like Stephen Malkmus fronting The Hold Steady. I got my first glimpse of them live at SxSW at the party we co-hosted then we caught their set at Lollapalooza this year as the rain started falling. They won over the day one Lolla crowd immediately with their energy and addictive party songs.

The following morning we all met up at Shirk’s studio, exchanged pleasantries and started nursing our collective hangovers with the aforementioned hair of the dog and vegetable adornments. The band set up in record time and started tearing through their new material much to our delight. The only old track performed was “Something In The Water” upon request by Shirk.

The Henry Clay People are another one of those bands that are impossible not to love. Secretly, all the HearYans wanted to take the after session party to a local bar and spend the rest of the afternoon tossing back shots and slapping high fives with the band, but like all artists passing through, The Henry Clay People had a full schedule and were busting their asses to make a name for themselves. Here’s to hoping they accomplish that mission.

The Henry Clay People Circus Band Intro

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – End Of Empire (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – The Switch Kids (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Keep Your Eyes Closed (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Randy, Where Is The Rest Of Me (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Something In The Water (old track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Running On Empty (Jackson Browne Cover)

Download The Henry Clay People Session as a zip.

See all the session videos at our YouTube channel.

Video: The Henry Clay People – Randy, Where Is The Rest Of Me?

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HearYa SXSW Party Preview: The Henry Clay People

by oz on March 16, 2009

The Henry Clay People are playing about 7 sets at SXSW, so there’s no question about the bands determination to win over crowds the old fashioned way. To me, their sound is like Stephen Malkmus fronting The Hold Steady. The Henry Clay People follow Ferraby Lionheart at 1pm on Wednesday at our 15 our day party at The Paradise. That’s when the dancing starts.

The Henry Clay People – Something In The Water

The Henry Clay People – Something In The Water

The Henry Clay People “Something in the Water” from Adam Mesinger on Vimeo.

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The Henry Clay People – For Cheap or For Free

by Woody on November 20, 2008

Although it was founded years ago, I recently found out that one of my favorite music blogs, Aquarium Drunkard, owns their own record label. We share very similar taste in music, so I’ve been anxious to learn more about their artist roster. The Henry Clay People is the first release I’ve heard from Autumn Tone Records and their album For Cheap or For Free is fantastic.

The LA foursome are comprised of a set of brothers and school friends who bonded over a love of Pavement and The Replacements. Their sound and lyrics instantly reminded me of The Hold Steady, with a dash more punk thrown in for flavor. Much like the The Hold Steady, The Henry Clay People are unpretentious and brash and I’m sure they plug in on stage with canned beer in hands and have a blast. In fact after SXSW, Esquire named them “the most intoxicated band in Austin” and also said that “the usually amazing band was made even more amazing by the fact that they could barely stand.”

For Cheap or For Free starts off with a sweet guitar hook on “Something In The Water” with vocals that sound like Hutch Harris of The Thermals. You’ll hear similar talk-singing vocal styles on the wordy, but excellent tune “Working Part Time.”  They also offer up a couple slow, drunken, country-tinged ambles with “Rock and Roll Has Lost Its Teeth” and “Bulls Through.”

There are certain bands that are just more fun to see live when you are drinking, like Drive-By Truckers, The Hold Steady, and Lucero. The Henry Clay People have the definite potential to be added to that list. I’ll need to see them in person to know for sure.

The Henry Clay People – Something In The Water

The Henry Clay People – Working Part Time

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