Clare & The Reasons End The Summer On A High Note

Clare & The Reasons “The Movie” (Frog Stand Records- Late September). “The Movie” is lush & sinfully beautiful, featuring the likes of Van Dyke Parks (“Love Can Be A Crime”), Sufjan Stevens (“Nothing/Nowhere”) and Gregoire Maret (“Rodi”). Clare & The Reasons’ music harkens back to the romance of a forgone era, through the eyes of a contemporary indie-chanteuse with a pop sensibility.

Lead by Clare Muldaur Manchon, the seven-piece is rounded out by Alan Hampton (bass, vocals), Olivier Manchon (violin, vocals, piano, saw), Greg Ritchie (drums), Beth Meyers (viola, vocals), Christopher Hoffman (cello), and Bob Hart (guitar, vocals, piano). With a certain sultry playfulness and charm, Clare & The Reasons thematically evoke the era of the classic Film Noir beauty we have come to cherish from the 1940’s, with tracks like the ironic “Cook for You”, the haunting “Alphabet City”, and playful yet melancholy first single, “Rodi”.

Adding to the bands arsenal of symphonic harmonies, is Clare & the Reasons’ showcase of the blues, doo wop and strings, best exampled on “The Movie’s” opening track “Pluto,” which permeates throughout the LP to the final opus track “Pluton.” Clare Muldaur’s vocals and lyrics are both earnest and intangibly appealing, set to the rich tapestry of The Reasons , the entire LP will leave you mesmerized and longing for the days when simple times were upon us.

Featured Artists:

Clare Muldaur
Alan Hampton
Olivier Manchon
Greg Ritchie
Jenni Muldaur
Beth Meyers
Cristopher Hoffman
Bob Hart
Sufjan Stevens
Van Dyke Parks
Gregoire Maret

www.myspace.com/claremuldaur

Track Listing:

1. Pluto (3:30)
2. Nothing/Nowhere (5:06)
3. Under The Water (3:43)
4. Alphabet City (5:52)
5. Cook For You (4:10)
6. Rodi (4:37)
7. Go Back (4:29)
8. Sugar In My Hair (3:29)
9. Love Can Be A Crime (3:06)
10. Science Fiction Man (5:10)
11. Pluton (3:43)

About Clare & The Reasons

First, Clare writes songs. Then she brings them to the Reasons test lab. There, the songs are submitted to a series of intense treatments and tests until they become what some people call: “lush and sinfully beautiful”.This process named in the scientific community “Reasonitis Polymorpheus Synthesis” or RPS, lead to the making of “The Movie” (Frogstand Records) their debut album. (no known side effects. FDA approval pending).

Who is this Clare anyway?

She was born on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in a vegetable garden amongst the most incredible tomatoes grown by her mother Sheila. Her father, music innovator Geoff Muldaur, introduced her to artists such as Mildred Bailey, Bessie Smith and Sam Cooke. Clare rode hundreds and hundreds of horses and listened to these inspiring musicians on her walkman while working in the barn.

One day, she rode her horse all the way to Berklee College of Music. With a handsome scholarship she was able to study jazz arranging and composition. There, she met now long time collaborator Olivier Manchon. On their first encounter, he made her cry and then they got married.

Who are “The Reasons” ?

Alan Hampton, Olivier Manchon, Christopher Hoffman, Beth Meyers, Greg Ritchie and Bob Hart can be found in Brooklyn, NY. Most of the time, they are rehearsing, singing harmony vocals, pretending that their string trio is an orchestra, or playing very embarrassing football (the real name of soccer) in Prospect Park while discussing how to get endorsed by big sports gear corporations.

You can hear Clare sing 2 songs on the Fox show “Arrested Development”. She also has songs in 2 Lion’s Gate films. Most recently, her song “Cactus Tree”, can be heard in the HBO show “Cathouse”. Clare and Olivier have toured together in Japan, Ireland, France and the US of A.

Beginning this fall, look for The Reasons in a town near you.