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Amanda Slater
amanda.slater@emyouthemagazine.com
Band: The Afternoon Round
Members: Tim Clairmont (singer/guitarist/songwriter), Rick Coughlin (lead guitarist/backup vocals), Ian Gleespan (bass/backup vocals), Martin Maginity (drummer—nickname “Irish Thunder”)
Established: Fall 2007
They won emYOU! the Magazine’s Battle of the Bands on March 10 at EMU’s Student Center. Now, emYOU! sits down with Tim Clairmont of The Afternoon Round.
emYOU: Tell me about being in emYOU!’s Battle of the Bands.
Clairmont: It was fun. I haven’t battled in about 10 years, so it was fun to do that again. It was funny because I want to say that almost every band except maybe two or three have rehearsal space in the same building as us. It was just funny — we see each other all the time and all ended up in this battle of the bands.
emYOU: Where do you practice?
Clairmont: We practice at Spur studios in Downtown Ypsi near Depot Town. We share a space with three other bands.
emYOU: Do have any plans to play again at Eastern?
Clairmont: Since the battle of the bands, it would be really cool to come back [to EMU] and play again. We have nothing officially lined up, but we’re always on the lookout.
emYOU: How would you describe your band’s sound?
Clairmont: I would say we’re kind of a pop-rock band with a little bit of indie, a little bit of old country and a little bit of pop kind of rolled in. I think at the end of the day, we’re a pop/rock band.
emYOU: Where did you get your band name?
Clairmont: I was living in Kalamazoo and we were wracking our brains for a name for the band. We would always go out to the brewery there. We’d say, “Hey, let’s go for an afternoon round.” Then one day, we were like, “Hey – what about The Afternoon Round?” Believe me, before that, I came up with some of the worst band names ever. So, I don’t know if The Afternoon Round is that cool of a name, but it’s better than our other prospects.”
emYOU: Were there any other close contenders?
Clairmont: I remember we were drinking whiskey one night and whiskey just makes any idea seem more profound – at least for us, apparently. We came up with this name that we thought for a good week was [great] — The Low Acre Almanac. Now my gag reflex comes up when I even say that.”
emYOU: What do you think sets you apart as a band?
Clairmont: We don’t really play into any of the latest fads. I’ve always tried to keep our music well-rounded — and, I like to think, timeless. You are very likely to see both a 26-year-old and a 50-year-old at our shows, side by side — which I like. But, I don’t really like flavor-of-the-minute music. We consistently write songs showing that we don’t buy into whatever is catchy for the minute.
emYOU: Are there any specific artists your music is modeled after or inspired by?
Clairmont: I grew up with a lot of ’60s pop records like the Beatles, the Byrds, the Association. Then I found a lot of ’90s music like the Gin Blossoms and Oasis. When I got to college, I started to get into folkier alt-country stuff like Ryan Adams and Wilco. But I definitely take the ’60s pop foundation and layer it in with a lot of other little elements – depending on my mood, I guess.
emYOU: Describe your songwriting process.
Clairmont: I’m not one of those guys who sits down with a piece of paper and a guitar and says, “I’m going to write a song now.” I can be driving in the car and get a phrase in my head and I just try to remember it, or I’ll even text the lyrics to myself. It can be about life stuff that’s going on or based on visual things like seeing something outside. I don’t have a formula for writing songs. I wish I did. It would probably make me more disciplined. I’m sort of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of songwriter.
emYOU: What are some of your biggest accomplishments as a band?
Clairmont: We recorded a full-length album last year called “Princess of a One Horse Town.” It was good to actually get in a real studio and make a real album, which I had never done before. We’re also on iTunes now, which is cool. The battle of the bands was fun. It was a great thing to add to our list of things that we’ve done. Our shows have gradually gotten bigger, and we’re getting more into the Detroit area and that scene. We play a lot at Ypsi and the Elbow Room, the Lager House in Detroit, the Belmont in Hamtramck, the Blind Pig – just rock and roll clubs around the area. But Ypsilanti would definitely be considered our home base.
emYOU: Where do you see the band going in the future?
Clairmont: I would love to be doing this for a living. Touring around and making records would be great. In the near future, I see us doing a small tour and getting back in the studio for a follow-up album.
emYOU: Are there any shows that you are particularly looking forward to?
Clairmont: We are doing something called the anti-hoedown at the Lager House in downtown Detroit with a bunch of really good Detroit bands. I’m really looking forward to that.
emYOU: Anything you’d like to say to readers?
Clairmont: Come out to more live shows in general – not just us. Going to see live music is so important—especially to bands. There’s nothing bands want more than to have people come out. It’s a fun alternative to just going to a bar and sitting there.
For more information, visit theafternoonround.com.
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