'The New Wave of Music Is Here!'

From their self titled-debut, the Maverick debut from Hollywood sensations Clear Static evokes images of mascara, frilly shirts, flamboyance, and hedonism. Yet today their gigs draw throngs of eye-lined, glammed-out kids into places like the Viper Room and Key Club and onto the teeming sidewalks outside when not even one more fashion casualty can squeeze into the venue.

This band - TOM PEDERSON (lead vocals), MICHAEL DAVID (guitar), DANNY KINCAID (guitar), RICH PEDERSON (bass) and JACOB SHEARER (drums), then, has brought rock’s most excessive era back to life – and yet their determination to not mimic the past but to play what they want is something that artists from any era can understand.

Who are these guys? They’re still in their teens (mostly). They grew up close enough to Hollywood to qualify as suburban sprawl but near enough to start catching all-ages shows at age eleven.

And what about their sound? Its spacious production, the big drums, smooth bass stylings, the keyboards that wash across the mix or percolate in pinprick rhythms, vocals that drip with high-fashion attitude: It blends echoes of the Romantic era into a fully modern sound, adding up to a unique blend of depth and immediacy, trend-referencing and trend-setting, and spearheading what just may turn into the next wave of dressing and listening taste among club kids nationwide.

And their roots are American to the max: You can trace the birth of the band to one Fourth of July, when Tom Pederson and Michael David met amidst the sparkle and pop of fireworks in a neighbor’s backyard. Michael, a South African transplant, was just twelve, a year older than Tom, yet his guitar playing at the party caught Tom’s ear. The boys lived only two blocks apart, so it was easy for them to start doing music.

Chatting recently with guitarist Michael David, and noting that their vibrant sound definitely evoked flashback memories of a more retro glam rock time period, I first wondered if this was always their musical game plan or was it just one that fell into place along the way? "We had aspirations of making an electrifying record, but we never limited our references to Glam or New Wave. We're all over the map concerning influences.. But to answer your question, I think it is more a reflection of a natural progression rather than something calculated."

For the Average Joe who may not have heard of you and was thinking of buying your new 'ClearStatic' CD, how would you yourself describe your sound and what they are in for? "I would say that our sound is youthful, but well put together. The record touches upon electro, rock, and new wave, but is thread with a pop sensiblity.. Most of all. There is something for everyone and if you feel shitty, listening to our record will make you feel better."

Your album being self-titled is sometimes an interesting choice and sometimes a lazy one. So, which one was it in your case?! "Haha. We actually came up with a lot of ideas, but decided to make our record self-titled because it is bold and I'd prefer not to digress from the theme of the band itself and our name representing us."

And just where does the bands name originate and what else could it so easily have been? "Clear Static is an idea that a friend of ours came up with. I've seriously never thought of any other name. This one seems to stick."

If there was one track on this new CD that truly encapsulated ClearStatic at their musical and lyrical finest, which one would it be? "'Out of Control' is a pretty good representation of our band, among others. You have to hear the whole record to get a proper understanding of what we're about."

Knowing that Danny is good at taking pictures and using Photoshop, did he take the one for the front cover of the new CD, perhaps? "Danny did not create our CD cover, but he does design our Merch."

What was it like getting that call from Duran Duran's management asking you guys to open for them ... and then what was it like actually opening for them that first night in front of all those hordes of screaming people?! "The call from Duran Duran's management felt a bit surreal, I had to sit down and come to terms with it. The show was the most thrilling thing I've ever done!"

Just for fun, and taking the titles of a few of your album tracks, please let us know:
'97 Lies' - OK, when was the last time you lied ... and why?! "I told a drunken lady that i had a girlfriend. She was much too old for me!"

'Make-Up Sex' - Come on now, is there any better kind of sex to be had ... no really, I'm curious?! "Not really better sex, different. The first time with an object of long-time secret admiration is pretty cool."

'Like The Movies' - What was the last movie you went to see in the cinema and is there a new one your dying to check out? "I just saw 'The Da Vinci Code' with the whole band. It was quite interesting and I enjoyed the history lesson. I think the action sequences were inappropriate, but I never read the book for the same reason."

Noting the musical love for the passion of the '80s within your sound, what '80s (and possibly cheesy!) pop/rock song would you love to cover today if asked ... and why?! "I would avoid covering another 80's song, but if we had to I would like to do 'Smalltown Boy' by Bronski Beat."

Lastly, I like Penguins ... do you?! "Of course, penguins are amazing!"

Thanx again for doing this for us today, and we wish you all the best for the future. Interviewed by Russell A. Trunk

If you would like to win an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Clear Static's new CD, just answer this easy question: Clear Static recorded this album in the studio with which maestro at the console?!

Send me your answers and if you're correct you'll be in the running to win one of these great new and AUTOGRAPHED CDs! Just send us an e:mail here before August 1st with your answer and the subject title 'CLEAR STATIC SIGNED CDs' to: exclusivemagazine@flash.net

www.ClearStaticMusic.com