Henry Clay People

A conversation with Joey Siara

(August 2010)

Interview by Adam McKibbin

Henry Clay People are an Everyman sort of rock band - or at least an Everyindieman sort of rock band, bashing out songs grown up from garage origins, singing of go-nowhere jobs and go-everywhere nights, and managing to toe the precarious line between twenty-something ennui and twenty-something euphoria. They bring to mind other "people's champion" type bands: The Thermals, Ted Leo, a dash of The Hold Steady. Their latest album, Somewhere on the Golden Coast, is barroom rock for complicated people seeking simpler times. These are fist-pumping anthems for people who still have library cards and actually know how to properly tap a keg.

They've paid their dues pounding the LA pavement, and now 2010 is seeing them repeatedly take their rock gospel to the road - first as a support act for Silversun Pickups and Against Me! and now, starting in September, a sweet spot in front of Drive-By Truckers.

In between tours, The Red Alert caught up with Clay frontman Joey Siara to talk about Katy Perry's cupcake bras, crappy day jobs, and making the most out of the road, regardless of whether 20 or 2,000 kids are waiting.

Let’s start with a Golden Coast question.  Two great songs were late additions to the album, and wound up as the lead and closing tracks.  Were you actively trying to write songs to fit those parts – had there been a sense that you didn’t quite like how the album was kicking off and winding up?  And had the track sequence otherwise been the same prior to those additions?

Almost every time I come to the band with a song I tell them, “this should be the first track on the record.”  Clearly that doesn’t work.  The last two songs that were written were within pretty significant limitations.  “Nobody Taught us to Quit” was a last minute thing where we had a half hour left in the studio and it was just me, Andy, and Dave Newton the engineer and we just threw it down.  “Two Lives…” was played without our bassist and with a drummer that I had never played with before.  I was working on another project and we had just a little extra time.  I think that those limitations made both those songs stand out and since they were the last two recorded I thought it made sense to have them bookend the record.   Plus I like curveball openers and closers.

Longwinded question alert:
I’ve spent the past decade in LA, and am always surprised by the lazy, stereotypical things writers elsewhere will claim about our city, using positive reviews of bands to make dumb, backhanded swipes at the city.  For instance, Time Out Chicago wrote that it’s “hard to believe” you guys have wit and charm, being from the land of “fake tans” and “Katy Perry’s cupcake bras.”  In an interview on my own site a few weeks ago, a drummer from Athens said he’s automatically suspect of any band that settles in LA.  What’s your experience been as an LA band toiling in the LA “scene”?  Do you ever long for Portland or Brooklyn or Athens?

I get it.  I think a lot of people flock to this city with stars in their eyes and with big hopes.  That in and of itself can be corrupting.  Sincerity takes a backseat too often when folks are really “going for it.” We were all born and raised in suburban LA.  This is all we’ve known.  I never really understood what LA was growing up.  It always seemed just like a skyline off in the distance. There are plenty of folks here that are just playing in rock and roll bands because they love it and it's fun, which is exactly why we started playing in garages when we were 14 years old.   I never thought jamming NOFX tunes was ever a solid way to make a living.   But yes, Portland is an amazing town.

“Working Part Time” brings up the question:  what are the worst day jobs you guys have had to hold down?

I’ve worked a lot with kids.  Don’t get me wrong, I like kids but I have also had to work with some really tough ones, some with serious behavioral issues.  One day in particular, a kid wiped his own crap on my arm.  I got “employee of the month” and a gift card to Chili's, but yeah, it was pretty awful and I’m glad to be done with that.

You guys have a bit of a reputation as a party-friendly band, and the last time I interviewed Silversun Pickups, Brian Aubert was talking about how the Pickups are pretty formidable in that area.  Who’s in the lead for best party stories from this tour?

On this tour, at least, they are.  They travel in a big tour bus, which is much more conducive to wild drunken nights than our van.  We get points for slummier parties, boxed wine mixed with Lone Star at crappy motels.   That’s how we roll.

You guys are just wrapping that tour and then heading back out with Drive-By Truckers.  Are you finding that’s a better way to grow your audience than booking a headline or co-headline tour with smaller gigs… or is the jury still out?

I think that there is a balance between being the “opener” and then just going out there and headlining shows for 10 kids.  We played a headlining show in Missouri on this last tour and there were like twenty kids there but it was a blast.  We played like an hour and half, kids were singing on stage with us.  Afterwards we went over to someone’s house and drank beer on their porch.  The next night we opened for Silversun there were 2000+ people there.  Totally a different kind of fun.   I like both.

My own day job is working for Metromix, where we recently had a debate (we call them bar-guments) about whether PBR is passé or never going out of style.  Which side are you on?

Personally, I am not a big PBR fan.  Our first couple tours- that was all we got every night.  I burnt out.   If it ever goes out of style, rest assured it will come back in.  That’s the PBR way.