Click Clack’s ‘Howling’ is a sonic boom

By John Benson

entertainment@vindy.com

Click Clack Boom’s Nathaniel Hoho may be from central Pennsylvania, but he feels at home these days in Youngstown, where his band is scheduled to conclude its current tour through the Midwest and South with a Thanksgiving eve show at Cedars.

“Youngstown is one of our favorite stops,” Hoho said. “Every time we tour we always stop and play Cedars. They treat us really well and people who come out are just genuine. Maybe a lot of it has to do with our lifestyle — giving up everything for the band, traveling and pushing real hard. I think maybe they respect that and seem to be into our songs. From what I’ve experienced in Youngstown, it’s like a lot of hip kids who are artists doing their own thing.”

Artists and working class alike have apparently taken a liking to the rock act with humble beginnings. The project started out a few years ago when Hoho traveled as a solo singer-songwriter with a backing band. After Hoho released his 2007 solo debut EP, “Wait Until the Story Ends,” that backing band joined forces with the singer to form Click Clack Boom, which moved to New York City’s burgeoning Brooklyn borough.

The timing couldn’t have been better for the band with all of music – fans, critics and label folks – focusing on the indie scene hotbed. So, were the members of Click Clack Boom trying to take advantage of the hype and attention?

SDLqWe weren’t so much trying to latch onto it,” Hoho said. “In 2008, we started working with Andy Hilfiger Entertainment. It’s a management company. We played a show hosted by Tommy Hilfiger and his brother saw us and really liked us. So that got us into New York, where we’ve been working out of ever since.”

What the Click Clack Boom members have been working on recently was their proper full-length debut, “Howling,” which came out earlier this year. One of Hoho’s favorite tracks is the alternative minded “Watch Your Eyes.” The singer characterizes it as jungle rock. If that sounds confusing, get ready for his description of the “Howling.”

“All together it’s maybe an alternative indie rock record with an eclectic sound,” Hoho said. “All of the tracks are kind of different from one another, and I’d say we’ve went in maybe a heavier direction. It’s more rock ’n’ roll and punk rock, like Wilco and the Smashing Pumpkins.”

Everything HoHo said made sense until the Wilco meets Smashing Pumkpins comment. How exactly does that work?

“It was kind of a natural thing,” Hoho said. “It worked because we made it work. I think we’re transforming from having the lighter EP into just like a more folk, singer-songwriter orientation, that touches into the folk element of like maybe a Wilco. Also as a band we’re getting more like deeper into effects and recording different sounds. So maybe drawing from them and then taking more of a rock ’n’ roll influence from bands we listened to growing up like alternative rock act Smashing Pumpkins. That’s a group that I love for its tones and sounds.”

Whatever the case, fans can find out for themselves at the Cedars show.

“We’re a tight band with really catchy songs that are easy to dance to,” Hoho said. “Anytime we play, people comment on the amount of energy and quality of songs.”