Clipd Beaks

Clipd Beaks formed in the cold of Minneapolis, MN, during 2003, drawing on the sharp, half-melodic angles of post-punk trailblazers the Homosexuals and This Heat while incorporating the electronic textures favored by their own-era no-wave revivalists. Childhood friends Ray Benjamin on drums and Scott Ecklein on bass first connected through the local punk scene as teenagers, where they encountered guitarist Greg Pritchard amid the same noisy milieu. The later addition of Nic Barbein, who supplied vocals and a battered ARP synthesizer, steered the trio onto an altered sonic course that became the band’s signature.

They captured their abrasive yet oddly compelling textures on a self-released 2004 debut album assembled from effects pedals, damaged gear, and incidental sounds. The following year the group moved to Oakland, CA, establishing a presence on the West Coast. Tigerbeat6 issued the six-track EP Preyers in 2006, material originally tracked in 2004 that frequently voiced direct opposition to the Iraq war. Returning to the studio in 2007, Clipd Beaks completed the full-length Hoarse Lords, issued that November on Lovepump United Records. Their second album, To Realize, appeared in 2010.