Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
(often abbreviated CYHSY
) is an American indie rock group based in Brooklyn, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their debut album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
, was self-released in 2005.
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CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH TICKETS
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History
The band, whose members met years earlier at
Connecticut College, formed in the beginning of 2004 and played shows in
Manhattan and
Brooklyn [1]. They are notable for achieving their initial fame and commercial success via the internet rather than through a
record label. Shortly after the release of their first album, they received attention from numerous
MP3 blogs and a favorable review from
Pitchfork Media, who gave the band a "Best New Music" commendation. The ensuing demand for the album was so great that the band was forced to repress the CD, as the initial production run was too small. They garnered even more press after
David Bowie and
David Byrne were spotted at some of the band's shows in 2005.
[2]
[3]
On
October 3,
2005, they were signed to
Wichita Recordings in the UK.
The band members live in Brooklyn, with the exception of Ounsworth who lives in Philadelphia.
Ounsworth has a solo project, Flashy Python and the Body Snatchers, and is said to be forming an "indie rock
supergroup".
[4] Meanwhile, Greenhalgh moonlighted as the frontman for Mr. Brownstone, a
Guns N' Roses tribute band, until their breakup in June 2006.
[5] Robbie and Tyler also play in another project called Uninhabitable Mansions, along with Annie Hart from
Au Revoir Simone. Robbie also plays the drums in Radical Dads.
The band has a fairly extensive repertoire that extends outside their two-album parameter. Several non-album songs are frequently performed at live concerts, most notably, "My Papa's Waltz" (also known as "Cigarettes" or "We Met at the Cemetery"), "Me and You Watson", "The Sword Song" (available on iTunes and Japanese CD only), "Wet Dynomite" (also known as "Pass Along This Way"), and "Telling the Truth and Going Away." They have also been known to cover the traditional Irish folk song
Moonshiner, the ballad "Helpless," written by
Neil Young, and
Guided by Voices song "Motor Away."
The band released their second album,
Some Loud Thunder
on
January 29,
2007 in the
UK, and
January 30,
2007 in the United States. Alec Ounsworth has said that he plans to professionally record some of his older songs for a solo release before moving CYHSY onward.
On
September 18,
2007,
Live at Lollapalooza 2007: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
was released on
iTunes. It features the band's complete live set from
Lollapalooza, professionally recorded on
August 4,
2007.
In 2008, Lee and Tyler Sargent performed on
James Lavino's score to the Alex Karpovsky film "Woodpecker." The soundtrack also featured performances by
Radiohead bass player
Colin Greenwood.
[6]
On January 21, 2009, it was reported that CYHSY abandoned plans to head to the studio to record their third full-length album, and are "taking a break" while the band members pursue side projects.
[7] However, some speculate that the break could be permanent due to vague statements given from CYHSY's manager, Nick Stern, that "[The internet is] probably reading a bit too much into things."
[8] The public hiatus was to take official effect after the band performed at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music on February 13, 2009, however, on March 4, they performed a new song on
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, titled "Statues", which can be downloaded for free on their official website, http://www.clapyourhandssayyeah.com/ .
The hiatus was later disproved when the band was signed on to headline the University of Texas in Austin's 40 Acres Fest
Members
- Alec Ounsworth – guitar, vocals
- Robbie Guertin – guitar, keyboard, backing vocals
- Lee Sargent – guitar, keyboard, backing vocals
- Tyler Sargent – bass, backing vocals
- Sean Greenhalgh – drums, percussion
Discography
Albums
- 2005: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
(JPN #44, UK #26)
- 2007: Some Loud Thunder
(US #47, JPN #40, UK #45)
- 2007: Live at Lollapalooza 2007: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
(iTunes release)
EPs
- 2006: Fall 2006 Tour EP
(with Architecture in Helsinki and Takka Takka)
Singles
- 2005: "Is This Love?" (UK #74)
- 2006: "In This Home on Ice" (UK #68)
- 2006: "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth" (UK limited vinyl – 1500 copies) (UK #149)
- 2007: "Satan Said Dance" (released 19 February)
References
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah website, past shows section
- Cokemachineglow review of ''Clap Your Hands Say Yeah''
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, meet David Byrne
- Pitchfork article
- CYHSY Drummer's GN'R Tribute Band Calls It Quits
- Pitchfork.com article
- Pitchfork article on CYHSY break
- Guardian.co.uk article on CYHSY break