Galore World Premiere: The Clamor “Staircase Stomp” Single
New Music Friday, Check out The Clamor’s latest single “Staircase Stomp”
The Clamor, outfit of NYC based musician, producer, author (and more) Aaron Louis, are back with their third single this year, “Staircase Stomp”. “Staircase Stomp” delves into the allure of self-destructive behavior, and a call to reconsider those darker tendencies. The song navigates the recognition of a sense of emptiness and unmet desires in life, coupled with an internal rebellion and the quest for comfort and connection.
With a waltz-like tempo, listeners enjoy a progressive rock experience like that of Kate Bush or Katzenjammer. Poetic lyrics describe this push and pull of desire and lack, while a myriad of instruments increases drama with each passing verse. Shouts, backing vocals, and an intensifying drumline all serve to turn up the temperature of this track.
The entire project is meticulously crafted, with production, tracking, and mixing helmed by Jeff Berner at Studio G in Brooklyn, NY. The Clamor’s musical lineup boasts Aaron Louis on vocals, guitar and organ, accompanied by Gary Atturio on bass, Omer Leibovitz and Kirk Schoenherr on guitar, Aleida Gehrels on viola, Nicole Williams on cello, Shin-Yi Yang on guzheng, and Layton Weedeman on drums. Assisting in the engineering process are Ross Colombo and Leah Gutman, while mastering is expertly handled by Alan Douches at West West Side Music in NYC. Cover art is by Bill Smith who is responsible for over 2000 music covers from the likes of Kate Bush, Genesis, The Cure, The Jam, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, Van Morrison, Queen, The Rolling Stones and many others.
FEATURED INTERVIEW:
Written by Aaron Louis:
“Staircase Stomp” is unique in its waltzlike tempo. What drew you to write a song with this kind of beat, especially a song not dealing with classic waltz themes (love, romance, etc)?
I believe the tempo and subject matter stemmed from the fact that I wrote the majority of the lyrics before the music, which I normally do simultaneously. This tempo emerged after several days of mentally reciting the lyrics, and by the time I picked up my guitar, it had already solidified.
The single art, like most of your single art, is really striking and unique. Can you talk more about collaborating with Bill Smith on the “Staircase Stomp” single art?
Bill has been in this industry for some five decades, starting with one of my all-time favorite album covers, the now-iconic album cover for The Jam’s ‘In the City.’ His portfolio includes works for legends like The Cure, Kate Bush, and The Rolling Stones, among others, so it’s safe to say he didn’t need any direction from the likes of me. I sent along the lyrics to accompany the demos, and what I received were the smartest, coolest sleeves I could have hoped for. I thought the images he chose to represent “Staircase Stomp” don’t just complement the track’s energy, I find they are also powerful and evocative in themselves, and really added a visual depth to the song’s narrative. I feel very lucky to have collaborated with him on this. Bill is endlessly talented and really just a hell of a guy.
How did you go about finding so many collaborators on this track? Was it tricky to find a viola and guzheng player?
Finding collaborators for this track turned out to be surprisingly painless. For the guzheng, which I thought was going to be nearly impossible, I reached out to some friends, and one of them, a composer, connected me with Shin-Yi Yang, who is the director of the Boston Guzheng Ensemble. I was thrilled when she expressed interest in collaborating, and it all fell into place seamlessly despite our vastly different musical backgrounds. The search for a viola player was similarly effortless, and with another friend’s recommendation, we found our talented viola and cello players and we were underway.
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