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Here's a bio which I wrote on Clam Chowder (mostly done by researching what they'd said about themselves) for the 2003 Boskone. This is what I submitted, which probably differs slightly from what actually appeared in the program book. You have my permission to post it to the Web with appropriate credit. - Gary McGath =============================================== Clam Chowder has been around, in its various incarnations, since 1977. It first performed at the Maryland Renaissance Festival that year, and became known to fandom at the next year's Balticon. Three of the four original members -- Kathy Sobansky, Bob Esty, and John Huff -- have stuck with the group through its many incarnations. The group retired in 1989, but as Ed Sobansky put it, "someone forgot to put a stake through our hearts, and so we have had more reunions than the Yale Class of '53." In 1996, they reappeared at Darkover, and have performed at a number of cons since then. One must ask that deep and troubling question, though: BUT ARE THEY FILK? Some might deny it. While they do the occasional song on a science fictional subject, their repertoire is varied. In recent years the group -- currently the three originals plus bassist Cliff Laufer -- has performed only at science fiction and filk conventions, but their repertoire isn't restricted to, or even mostly, songs about spaceships, computers, and elves. Their concerts feature an eclectic range of songs, from Renaissance tunes to sea chanteys to the Arrogant Worms to Poul Anderson. BUT ARE THEY FILK? Well, just what is filk? It's not parodies -- there is original filk. It's not funny songs -- there is serious filk. It's not even songs about science fiction -- there are songs widely accepted as filk that don't touch on such subjects. Think of the Kipling adaptations, the songs about cats living and dead, the apropos-of-nothing parodies. Filk is a movement, not a musical style; it's the tradition of music-making in fandom, of performing at unexpected times and places, of inviting everyone to participate. And the Clams have been an important part of that movement. In their original Balticon appearance, they were jamming under the stairs with Anne McCaffrey. They have repeatedly infused the filk movement with broader folk influences, making filk both richer and stranger. Largely because of their performances, the songs of writers such as Eric Bogle and Stan Rogers are standard fare at filksings. Varied as their songs are, what's constant is the excitement which they generate in audiences; long snake-dance lines in the aisles are a common sight at their concerts. They have a talent for discovering strange and memorable songs and for arranging them so that they aren't just strange, but worth hearing as music. And you never know what instruments they might use! If you like traditional songs, listen to their treatment of "Simple Gifts" or "Babylon Is Fallen." If you like weird stuff, stick around for "Cows With Guns" and "Zombie Jamboree," or hear Kathy sing about why she never does anything twice. And if you're prepared to have your mind rotated through spacetime, listen to what they do to "The Agincourt Carol." The Clams have appeared at Conterpoint, several Balticons and Darkovers, and two Worldcons. Their have produced ten albums, the oldest on vinyl, the most recent including _Salvaged_, _Spindrift_ and _At High Tide_. =============================================== |