NY’s Click Clack Boom: Marching to its own beat

By John Benson

What a difference a clack makes.

On the surface, new group Click Clack Boom, which returns to Youngstown for a Saturday show at Cedars, may sound like a Saliva cover band making light of the rock-radio group’s hit single “Click Click Boom,” but the truth is this New York City outfit couldn’t be any more stylistically different.

“Yeah, we don’t pay too much attention to [the Saliva song],” said Click Clack Boom visionary Nathaniel Hoho, calling from the Big Apple. “The name was derived from when I was playing solo shows and I had this drummer playing with me. So for a while, it was Nathaniel Hoho and the Click Clack Boom. And the click clack boom was something that happened when I talked about drums playing along with me. Click clack boom seemed like perfect words to describe the sound.”

For Hoho, who supported his 2007 solo debut EP, “Wait Until the Story Ends,” with a show at Cedars, the idea of forming Click Clack Boom came naturally. Not only did the majority of his current band mates play on his solo EP but they had all been friends for years back in their native Pennsylvania.

Having spent the past two years honing its rock style while also recording its debut full-length effort, which is due out in early 2010, Click Clack Boom is hoping its amalgamate sound speaks to music fans looking for something different on their iPods.

“We like to think our songwriting is a little bit diverse, but a lot of people categorize us as indie rock or indie pop,” Hoho said. “Indie to me is such a vague word. It pretty much varies from song to song. I’d say what we listen to has a big influence, and that’s something that is ever-changing. One thing that is pretty consistent throughout the band is that we all love The Beach Boys. We love the harmonies they use, and because everyone in the band sings, we do try to incorporate a lot of vocal harmony.

“But also some of us have rock-group [influences], so we like to be loud and play mean-sounding guitars and heavy drum kits. I don’t know. I’d say somewhat closer to Wilco. I play an acoustic through an amp and have that dirty tone.”

Among the new tracks Hoho said he’s excited about playing at Cedars are the gritty “The Negative” and the radio-friendly “Open Hands.” The singer also hinted there may be Kinks or TV on The Radio covers thrown into the set for fun. Speaking of fun, there is no denying the uniqueness of Hoho’s name, which some may instantly connect to a certain tasty chocolate dessert. So did he ever consider changing his name?

“No, I embrace it,” Hoho said. “Whenever I meet people, I’d say most of the time the reaction is one that it seems that they will remember me. That can’t be a bad thing. I’ve been in New York City for a while, and whenever you meet people, it’s good to be remembered. So that’s nice.”

You better believe Hoho is hoping his band’s music does the same.