clara venus

Artist Information

Biography

"This New York trio that took their name from a line in a Rimbaud poem (impressive) took four years to follow up their EP with the LP, but they haven't forgotten what they were up to. The Replacements influence they admitted to back then is still there, but it is less pronounced on this unusually well produced self-released LP. Recorded in their basement, in a closing studio, and in a house outside Woodstock with no water, it is no wonder it took so long to finish! Co-producers Michael Tudor (Moby, John Cale) and Chris Feinstein make everything sound immediate and punchy, and aside from "Liar", the one faster rocker out of the Pleased to Meet Me playbook, Greatest Hurts is kind of like the dirtier tracks on the last two 'Mats LP's and the early Paul Westerberg LP's. But there are also spots of Rolling Stones ("Doesn't Work Right"), classic rock heavy riffing ("Rolling in the Wrong Direction"), Neil Young ("Dry Razor's Hand"), power pop ("Secret"), and oddball Flaming Lips or Wilco ("Bastard"). The band's heart, well encapsulated by the LP's title, will win you over too - especially on the Westerberg-ian acoustic ballad bawling of "DCIL" and the soulful standout closer, "You Were Right (Never Again)."

Jack Rabid - The Big Takeover ..56

*************

Teamed with producers Michel Tudor (Moby, Duncan Sheik, John Cale) and Chris Feinstein (Iodine), Clara Venus recorded Greatest Hurts whenever and wherever they could... from tracking at TMF studios in Manhattan the night before it closed for business and the equipment was sold, to a small house outside of Woodstock, NY with no water because the pipes froze at 20 below, to recording on their own in their basement rehearsal space, affectionately called "The Cave". Clara Venus found great working partners in Tudor and Feinstien and the album feels the influence of Tudor's Detroit rock upbringing and Feinstein's Nashville rock experience. The songs themselves owe something to personal heroes such as Steve Earle, Joe Strummer, Paul Westerberg, Dylan, and Bowie, but manage to maintain an identity all their own.

Clara Venus is decadent and positive. It's cheerful about its melancholy and subversive about the anarchy of life. As "Liar" says: "I got my loving cup/ I wanna fuck it up."

Released 02.14.05
Produced by Michael Tudor and Chris Feinstein
Mastered by Mark Muller at Dangerous Music, NYC
Programmed to Fail Records, NYC

Instrumentation

Jon Crider - Guitar & Vocals
Bick - Bass & Vocals
Tommy Emery - Drums

Discography

Greatest Hurts - 2005
Clara Venus - EP 2001

Audio

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Tales of losers and doomed relationships [+ Show ]
  

  Since indie music often employs simplistic rhythms, melodies in minor keys and introspective lyrics,...Since indie music often employs simplistic rhythms, melodies in minor keys and introspective lyrics, performers in the genre are too often tagged with “singer-songwriter” labels. This unfortunately opens the door to matching them against such stalwart artists as Bob Dylan and Paul Westerberg or anticipates the promise of a new Jeff Buckley. And usually the emerging artist comes off sounding like a sophomoric whiner in comparison to such heavyweights. Not the case with Clara Venus and their newly released (and cleverly titled) Greatest Hurts. The songs on this NYC trio’s full length are thematically linked tales of losers and doomed relationships. Perhaps the blood-spattered graphics on the CD are a nod and a wink to Dylan’s masterstroke Blood on the Tracks. Each cut from the bitter-sweet “Know When It’s Over” to the back porch blues of “You Were Right (Never Again)” certainly burns with the same soured blood and unhealed wounds of that mid-70s classic. Produced by the group along with Michael Tudor (Moby, Duncan Sheik, John Cale) and Chris Feinstein (Iodine), the album isn't just thinking aloud soul searching either. Upbeat cuts like "Liar" and especially "Rolling in the Wrong Direction" with its walking bass line can just be grooved to in the best garage rocker tradition. While displaying excellent musicianship and intelligent writing throughout, Clara Venus has still managed to strip these songs down to the essentials - strong personal stories backed by a soundtrack that is just as emotional as the lyrics.
  
  Jeff Rey
  NeonNYC.com

• Melancholic Rock Opus [+ Show ]
  

  Is it merely coincidental that lovelorn trio Clara Venus released its melancholic rock opus to fract...Is it merely coincidental that lovelorn trio Clara Venus released its melancholic rock opus to fractured relationships on Valentine’s Day? Probably not, because few things this clever outfit does seem unplanned, from the dazzlingly dynamic rhythm of “Doesn’t Work Right” to the AC/DC meets The Replacements shuffle of “Liar”. GREATEST HURTS exposes the band’s losses with matters of the heart with wide-eyed honesty and rock ‘n’ roll pretense, never losing sight that their hearts are both on their sleeves and entrenched in spacious riffs like “Talk” or dragging melodies like the one found on “Dry Razor’s Hand”. With ample influences of Dylan, Westerberg, Cobain, and Bowie shining through their heartbreaking melodies, GREATEST HURTS is an album to cry along to, only if you want to, but ultimately is a collection of breakup songs that truly encompass all of those emotions from the day after and beyond.
  
  Mike SOS

• The band's heart, well encapsulated by the LP's title, will win you over too [+ Show ]
  

  This New York trio that took their name from a line in a Rimbaud poem (impressive) took four years t...This New York trio that took their name from a line in a Rimbaud poem (impressive) took four years to follow up their EP with the LP, but they haven't forgotten what they are up to. The Replacements influence they admitted to back then is still there, but it is less pronounced on this unusually well produced self-released LP. Recorded in their basement, in a closing studio, and in a house outside Woodstock with no water, it is no wonder it took so long to finish! Co-producers Michael Tudor (Moby, John Cale) and Chris Feinstein make everything sound immediate and punchy, and aside from "Liar", the one faster rocker out of the Pleased to Meet Me playbook, Greatest Hurts is kind of like the dirtier tracks on the last two 'Mats LP's and the early Paul Westerberg LP's. But there are also spots of Rolling Stones ("Doesn't Work Right"), classic rock heavy riffing ("Rolling in the Wrong Direction"), Neil Young ("Dry Razor's Hand"), power pop ("Secret"), and oddball Flaming Lips or Wilco ("Bastard"). The band's heart, well encapsulated by the LP's title, will win you over too - especially on the Westerberg-ian acoustic ballad bawling of "DCIL" and the soulful standout closer, "You Were Right (Never Again)."
  Jack Rabid
  The Big Takeover #56

• "Clara Venus" tattooed on her ass [+ Show ]
  

  The first thing I liked was learning that the band took their name from words by Arthur Rimbaud, whe...The first thing I liked was learning that the band took their name from words by Arthur Rimbaud, where an ugly fat woman has the words "Clara Venus" tattooed on her ass. The second thing was the rest of it: the swirling guitars that fade in and out of your attention, the strength of the vocals, which hit parched and raspy, and the hint of a little Paul Westerburg. The piano is subtle, and the dark pop rock moves seemingly straightforward, but always manages to through a surprise hook or a quick trip into some strange sound. The EP is slightly tripped out at times, moving close to the feel you get when listening to some of The Flaming Lips' more pop songs ("She Don't Use Jelly"), but still holding onto the rock.
  
  Marcel Feldmar
  The Big Takeover
  www.bigtakeover.com
  
  

• A terrific EP [+ Show ]
  

  This is a terrific EP, doing proud the "tradition of Television, Replacements and Flaming Lips," as ...This is a terrific EP, doing proud the "tradition of Television, Replacements and Flaming Lips," as cited on their web site, a slice of cyberspace as artfully crafted as the songs themselves."An amalgamation of the bombast of the Stooges and AC/DC and the songcraft of Paul Westerberg and Frank Black," the band suggests, doing a passable job of doing my job. All too often, Westerberg's name is invoked as an excuse for besotted shouting; in the case of Clara Venus, the Mats man should be pleased by the comparison. Producers Michael Tudor (Duncan Sheik) and Chris Feinstein (Iodine) grace the band with a cracking good recording; crisp, punchy and dark-hued, giving ample sonic room to emotive vocalizing (love the Dylanesque "Don't Answer The Telephone") and Crider's vivid soloing.
  
  Jim Santo
  Jim Santo's Demo Universe
  www.demouniverse.com
  
  

• Clara Venus possess a musical instinct that will take them far in their career. [+ Show ]
  

  Clara Venus liken themselves to The Replacements and their CD is evidence that they are a close com... Clara Venus liken themselves to The Replacements and their CD is evidence that they are a close competitor. Lyrically their music is dark and stays within themes of loss and self-doubt, but musically they are energetic. Lead singers Bick and Jon Crider are vocally emotional and work off each other well, giving each song its own identity.
  Standout tracks on the CD are "Clean," Settle Down" and "Don't Answer the Telephone."    
  Clara Venus possess a musical instinct that will take them far in their career.
  
  Kimberly Schedel
  Inside Connection Magazine
  
  

• Sounds like it could have been released by Stiff Records back in it heyday. [+ Show ]
  

  This is really quite nice indie rock. It has jangly guitars and it has 80s indie-pop sensibilities i...This is really quite nice indie rock. It has jangly guitars and it has 80s indie-pop sensibilities in the songs, too. For example the second track, "True Original", sounds like it could have been released by Stiff Records back in it heyday, if it weren't for the better production value on this release than those early records. "Mama's Song" is a strange one, sounding like the bastard offspring of a menagea tois between the Beatles, a Southern rock band, and an 80's indie rock band.
  
  Paul Silver
  Jersey Beat Magazine

Setlist

A typical Clara Venus set is tailored to the NYC club scene - 45 minutes to an hour of original songs.

The band has the material to do several sets.

Basic Requirements

Calendar