Alec Ounsworth is best known as indie band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s talented frontman, but, especially recently, there’s more to his career than that.
His voice, described on Spin.com as a “”nervous yelp,”” has made him invariably distinctive. His lyrics, strange and intricate upon first glance, are true enough to hold anyone’s interest. But all that’s been true since Clap Your Hands’ 2005 self-titled debut.
What’s new is his solo album, Mo Beauty, and his decision to tour solo. At the start of Clap Your Hands’ recent break, Ounsworth began several side projects. He created the group Flashy Python with several other artists and recorded the album Skin and Bones. He recorded his own songs in New Orleans, drawing from the talent available there to supplement his work. Now, he’s touring with a different band altogether.
When asked how all these different groups of artists influenced his process, Ounsworth said, “”I’ve always worked in the same way.””
Such a response comes as a relief to those who don’t want his lyricism or that signature yelp to change. On his current tour, Ounsworth said he’ll be playing some songs from each of his groups’ repertoires, and that the set list will “”be different as the tour goes on — a bit of Clap Your Hands, not an overwhelming amount.””
But that Ounsworth is willing to mix it up, play more keyboards — as he mentioned he’s doing — and turn to a “”relatively different aesthetic”” for his solo tour, is exciting.
And since he said the tour “”came by virtue of having all of this material to tour with,”” we can expect new songs as well as new aesthetics: His upcoming appearance at Solar Culture on Tuesday is something to look forward to.
Ounsworth is excited too. He’s been to Tucson before, though he makes the point that tours don’t allow much time for local exploration and that, as a band on tour, “”you make your way to the next venue.”” But that’s OK because he’s fond of our venue.
“”I played there with Clap Your Hands years ago,”” Ounsworth said. “”I really liked that place.””
But what he’s most interested in is his music. The variable isn’t the town, he said, but the show.
So when asked if he particularly likes returning to any city, Ounsworth named Tucson.
“”Seriously?”” I asked.
“”Sure, why not.””
