CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH [13:02:08]
HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah frontman and mastermind Alec Ounsworth sounds exactly like you'd expect. He's the prototypical too-cool-for-school New York indie rock god who really isn't interested in doing interviews.

Despite that, Scene managed to get answers out of him about his acclaimed band's second release, 'Some Loud Thunder', the omnipresent comparisons to Talking Heads, and arena etiquette in Mexico City.

“From what I've gathered, the response has been alright,” Ounsworth says of the way people have reacted to the follow-up to the band's self-titled debut. “People seem to be extraordinarily enthusiastic about the first, and moderately enthusiastic about the second. I think we did well on the second. In a way, though, I think we overly challenged ourselves, especially me.

“I'd try to come up with something on the spot, but in retrospect, I should have considered it a little bit more. I've had a little bit of a break since November, and during this time off, I've already started to learn quite a bit more about songwriting. You're always learning, you know?”

The early success of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, without any major label support, has entered rock folklore. As one of the first 'myspace-era' bands latched onto by the mainstream media, you could be forgiven for thinking that their meteoric rise had more to do with the magical powers of the internet than their own considerable talent. You'd be wrong, of course, but the question remains: where the heck did these guys come from?

“Well, it might as well have been in the belly of a great whale. It doesn't really matter, and nobody should ask where we precisely come from. It's just not important. I don't find the origins of this particular band interesting. Your version of it can be that I found people to play the stuff I was writing, and it just so happened that they went to my college, but I didn't know them very well.”

Given the success of the debut, were there ever any plans to take 'Some Loud Thunder' to a major?

“There was no consideration, as far as labels. I don't have any natural disdain for, or disinclination to the idea of joining forces with a record label. But the thing is, any partnership should be considered well before diving in, and if you can remain independent, and if you can get more by virtue of remaining independent, then you might as well remain independent.”

While the band is headed to Brisbane for the Laneway Festival, Ounsworth's most memorable show will probably remain a date in Mexico City.

“There were shoes thrown in Mexico City. That was one of the more unusual shows that we played. We played our first song, and it was raining slightly. It turned out the rain didn't do well for the soundboards, particularly the one controlling our monitors. By the end of the first song we couldn't hear ourselves! We were rained out onstage … but the audience could hear us fine! We just stopped playing, and I guess they got a little restless, and started throwing a few things. Which, of course, is what you do when you get restless. You know, you're having a meal with friends, the conversation isn't going exactly where you want it to … you take off a shoe and throw it at someone! I love stuff like that. It adds a little intrigue to the show.”
Rohan Williams

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah play The Zoo on February 28 and the Laneway Festival on March 1. 'Some Loud Thunder' is available now.
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