Big thanks to Ava Berman + Carlos Adley for inviting me this past Saturday night to see Shannon & The Clams at their sprawling + massively cool Fremont Country Club in downtown Vegas. The vocal harmony-rich Oakland, CA quartet packed out the venue + lit it up with their crazy + playful hybrid of garage, surf, garage, girl group, psych and doo-wop. You definitely can’t pull the reins in on the band, whose latest album “Year of the Spider” marks their sixth, and the crowd was absolutely ravenous. For those who haven’t been, the venue (across from the El Cortez Hotel in a giant brick building that once was the home of Metro Police) has been key to the redevelopment of the East Fremont Street area. Hats off to Ava and “Big Daddy” Carlos, who are not only visionaries but really nice people. Long may they run and keep Vegas vital.
