Clearview
From left to right:Tuna, Ciera, Matthew, and on the drums is Oscar
Clearview consists of Ciera (vocals/guitar), Matthew (vocals/guitar), Tuna (bass), and Oscar (drums). I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing these artists recently! With a sound that Ciera says is “...raw, authentic, melodic and, at times, punchy. We don’t hold back on our subject matter so our music can be pretty emotional.” Clearview has all the makings of a full-fledged Emo-rock band, I’m excited to share them with you and thoroughly hope you find as much joy in sad music as I do.
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To shed some light on how it all got started for the band, Ciera let me know how they all came together,
“Honestly, it all started with me (Cierra) in high school just really wanting to be in a band. My best friend and I were the ones to get the idea going originally and she and I recruited Oscar our senior year because we heard he played drums. He didn’t even have a drum set at the time, my mom bought me one from a church sale and I gave it to him basically as a bribe to get him to join haha. And Matt I’ve known practically my entire life. My older brother and his mom used to run around together back in the day. We were also neighbors a few different times, so I knew he’d started learning how to play guitar. He ended up sending me a drunk text after Oscar joined asking if he could be in the band too, but we already had two guitarists, so I told him to learn bass haha. Eventually, my best friend ended up going in a different direction and by that point, Matt had surpassed me by far at guitar so his transition to lead guitarist felt natural. That’s when the core of what would become Clearview came to be. The three of us spent a LOT of time together back then, just discovering our favorite artists and records and then making music from the inspiration that came from it all. Most of it was bad in the beginning. But I think that was an important era for us. We all got to know each other well and then eventually the music we were writing started to sound good. Quite a few sad songs and horrible band names later and here we are.”
Something that I struggle with is explaining how a band sounds to other people, to me all music invokes a feeling and that's not something I can describe through words, Clearview has all the emo feelings mixed with a bit of being fed up with being fed up, as Ciera explains “ the best I could do is say that Clearview combines components of alternative, indie, and emo rock and (as Matt would say) adds a little “razzle dazzle”. ”
Emo music is fun to me because I find it funny how the music that most people find “relatable” is oftentimes sad and angry songs, which is exactly the goal of Clearview, when asked what feeling they’re trying to invoke in the listener, I was reassured in my feeling that sad music is the most relatable, “Honestly, what we want more than anything is just for whoever listens to us to feel like they can relate. We want people to feel seen and heard, like they’re not alone ya know? Obviously, everybody struggles with stuff, whatever it may be, and knowing there’s music out there that can encompass those feelings and give you something to let it all out to can mean all the difference. We know it has for us. So really, when it comes to Clearview, everybody’s welcome. Whether you’re here to chill and vibe it out or scream and cry and swing arms and kick air, we’re here for all of it.”
As 2024 is getting started, I am excited to see bands grow and expand in the new year, with more shows and more music on the verge, Ciera states
“Clearview’s future looks a lot busier, at least that’s what we’re hoping. 2023 was the year of firsts for us. We played our first show in April, went into the studio in July, and released our first EP “The Strangest Things” in November so I think 2024 could hold some cool possibilities for us if we can manage to juggle the band along with life responsibilities. I know we’d love to go back to New York and work with our pal Nick over at Dead End Studios again and release some new music. Maybe get some visual projects going. Of course, our number one goal for the future is MORE SHOWS!... We have no idea what’s going to happen, but I think that’s the beauty of it! We’re incredibly grateful for everything we’ve gotten to accomplish so far and for everyone who’s supported us. We definitely plan to keep this thing going and if anyone is interested in seeing where it heads, they should follow our Instagram @clearviewbandtx for updates. And of course, go stream “The Strangest Things” wherever you listen to music! #GulfCoastEmo”
Please go stream Clearview, and relish in the fact that you are not alone and everyone is sad sometimes, maybe I am odd for finding joy in sad songs but maybe not, to wrap things up huge thank you to Ciera for a very insightful interview, and all of Clearview for making outstanding music and putting on great shows. If you have the chance, catch a Clearview show, stand next to someone who shares a bit of your feelings with you, and lastly follow them on everything to be up to date on everything Clearview!
Instagram @clearviewbandtx
“The Strangest Things” - out everywhere
Writing and photos by: Burger - @burgerphoto22
