Biography
Allen Clapp earned a devoted following in the underground pop scene through his involvement in multiple groups that garnered acclaim from reviewers and enthusiasts, most notably the Orange Peels, while also issuing a select number of acclaimed solo projects and serving as producer for fellow artists. He entered the world on August 5, 1967, in Foster City, California, along the San Francisco Bay, where his mother instructed him on piano and he pursued violin studies until rock & roll captured his interest. During high school he teamed with Larry Winther to launch a garage rock outfit that operated under the names the Morsels and the Batmen at successive stages. When that group disbanded in 1989, Winther established the “budget rock” specialists the Mummies, whereas Clapp joined Chris Boyke to create the folk-rock unit the Goodfellows. The Goodfellows later transformed into Huck, which issued its first recording via a flexidisc on Winter’s Mist Records. In intervals away from Huck, Clapp explored rudimentary home recording using a four-track cassette machine, an echo unit, and a tie-clip microphone. Even with this modest equipment he produced compelling versions of his polished pop compositions, prompting Maz Kattuah, a former Morsels/Batmen colleague, to issue Clapp’s track “Very Peculiar Feeling” on the Four Letter Words imprint. That number surfaced on a 1990 split flexidisc paired with the Japanese band Bridge, and Four Letter Words followed with the 1991 one-sided single “A Change in the Weather.” As Clapp’s recordings attracted attention within the pop community, the indie imprint the Bus Stop Label stepped forward to release the 1992 EP Mystery Lawn and the 1993 album One Hundred Percent Chance of Rain, the latter issued under the name Allen Clapp & His Orchestra, a designation he would retain for numerous subsequent outings. Although he maintained his solo recording activity, Clapp reunited with Larry Winther in 1994 to assemble the initial lineup of what would become the Orange Peels, whose debut album Square appeared in 1997. The Orange Peels absorbed the bulk of his creative focus well into the new century, yet he still managed to deliver solo releases such as 2002’s Available Light, 2012’s Mixed Greens, and 2016’s Six Seasons. The 2006 collection Something Strange Happens gathered several out-of-print singles, demo recordings, and compilation tracks alongside two previously unreleased numbers. Clapp has additionally contributed as producer and sideman to kindred acts including the Ocean Blue, the Corner Laughers, and the Paul & John.
Albums