In an interview with StAugustine.com, Shannon Shaw explains why she decided to name her backing band The Clams.

“They are clams because I dug them out of the beach one day and loved them so much I kept them forever.”

That origin story could just as easily apply to Shannon and the Clams‘ music. With their surf-rock riffs and beach-party vocals, the Oakland band’s songs feel as if they were washed ashore in the 50s, buried in the sand, and only recently unearthed. If not for Shaw’s slurred and surly presence, the songs would feel perfectly at home in a Gidget movie.

That simultaneously innocent and sleazy sound makes Shannon and the Clams’ new album, Sleep Talk, an unrelentingly fun time. Tracks like “Baby Don’t Do It” and “The Cult Song” will get stuck in your head for days, and Shaw’s guttural wail on the tipsy waltz “Tired of Being Bad” will stick with you even longer.

You can check out the songs in person tomorrow, November 2, when Shannon and the Clams play the Casbah. The trio will be joined by two other girl-fronted punk groups: Japan’s rock veterans Shonen Knife and San Diego’s own Jungle Fever. Don’t miss it.

Shannon and the Clams tour dates
Oct 13th – Oakland CA – Lobot – w- Clams as CCR, Uzi Rash as the Undertones, Younger Lovers as the GoGos, Primary Colors as Souxsie & the Banshees
Oct 15th – Las Vegas Nevada – Beauty Bar – Las Vegas Shakedown Fest
Oct 16th – Flaggstaff AZ – Cottage House – with TBA
Oct 17th – Albuquerque NM – TBA
Oct 19th – Opolis – Norman, OK – TBA
Oct 20th – Tulsa OK – Sound Pony Bar – with Lizard Police
Oct 21st – Shreveport LA – Bears Oyster House Bar with TBA
Oct 22nd – New Orleans LA – Siberia – with Gardens
Oct 23rd – St Augustine FL – Cafe 11 – Waylon Thorton & the Heavy Hands
Oct 24th – Orlando FL – Wills Pub – with Sexcapades, Vein Cranes
Oct 25th – Gainesville FL – Atlantic – with TBA
Oct 26th – Atlanta GA- Masquerade – with Shonen Knife, the Dirty Knockouts
Oct 27th – Mobile AL- Alabama Music Box – with- Shonen Knife, the Divine 6/7
Oct 28th – Houston TX – Stereo Live – with Shonen Knife,
Oct 29th – Austin TX – Red 7- with Shonen Knife, Germ Free Adoloscents
Oct 31st – Phoenix AZ – Trunk Space – Halloween Show (All Ages!) with JJCMV, Liam and the Ladies, & the Rebel Set
Nov 1st – Los Angeles CA – The Echo – with Shonen Knife
Nov 2nd – San Diego CA – Casbah – with Shonen Knife, Jungle Fever
Nov 3rd – Long Beach CA – Alex’s Bar- with Shonen Knife, Dollrots, Bellhaunts
Nov 4th – San Francisco CA – Bottom of the Hill- with Shonen Knife, Pleasure Kills