Clevis

Huntington Beach, CA rockers Clevis (pronounced like “clever”) had its beginnings when drummer Jimmie Argott and his dad built a rehearsal space in the garage complete with drum riser. A few days later neighbor and guitarist James Cramond stopped by and said “Hey man, wanna start a band?” Then called Militia, the friends found their style wasn’t anything near the accepted Sunset Strip norm of the day. One day while practicing, a former band member, Tim asked Jimmy if he could play Ratt’s “Round and Round” on drums but instead the skinsman took the band upstairs to plays S.O.D.’s “Sargeant D”. Jimmie relates “to this day the opening of that album gives me chills. It was loud and in your face and I loved it and immediately they did too.”

Fast forward to 2001. Bassist Donny Giese joins and Clevis is finally complete. Donny played bass with The Grabbers and trumpet with Voodoo Glow Skulls. According to Jim “Donny brought a style and energy that made Clevis complete.” Onstage he’s “like Flea from the Chili Peppers. You can’t help but watch to see what he will do next.” Rounding out the group is singer Craig Hale. His voice is slightly reminiscent of Bon Scott’s raspy, gritty wail and he’s able to hold his own with the tight rhythms and slashing guitar work. “Craig’s vocals really blew me away. I always told Craig how much potential I thought he had and BOOM, he finally fucking used it,” Jimmie says of their powerhouse singer while recording “Last Stop”.

What has kept the band together through thick and thin? Jimmie tells us “The reason I think the band has been able to survive for the last five or six years is because we’re all men. There is not a lot of drama in the band. We’ve had a few ups and downs but nothing major. Everyone is even keeled.” And Jim explains his and Jimmie’s long-time association “We stayed together for the love of music. Jimmie and I never saw another option.”

“Last Stop” was recorded at Huntington Beach’s Griffdog Records studio. The CD was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Derek Phillips and the band using Pro-Tools. Jim explains, “Analog has always been known to have a richer, fuller sond but Pro-Tools allowed us to get the songs at the perfect speed to make them the best they could be. Plus I really feel this CD is stronger sounding than any other recording we have ever done. Derek really knew what we were trying to accomplish. Plus we grew up with owner John and they believe in us.”

“Last stop” is 13 short sharp shocks of slashing, searing layers of guitars, angry vocals, chunky bass and smashing percussion. From the muted instrumental groove that begins Crusade, to the face melting guitar of Killer Whale, to the barely controlled Easy, to the stoner rocking River, to the abrasively chilling breakdown on Communion, rock’n’roll fans will find a lot to appreciate and bang their heads to. Clevis’ unassuming style will appeal to many, to fans of AC/DC, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Dead Kennedys, Dio and Testament. A bit of thrash, a dash of metal, a shot of punk and a whole lot of energy in a tightly rocking package. That’s Clevis. That’s rock’n’roll. Get used to it.

Get more Clevis tunes at: www.myspace.com/clevismusic