The Cliks: An Interview with Lucas!

The Cliks: (from left) Lead singer/guitarist Lucas Silveira, guitarist Nina Martinez, drummer Morgan Doctor and bassist Jen Benton while visiting Logo world headquarters today. Yep, they rock!

The Cliks rock. Meaning, they make fun straightforward, melodic, driving rock music. It’s not electro, it’s not neo-grunge, it’s not new wave or emo or anything fussy. They just churn out thumping tunes that charge along with gutsy tales of damaged romances, fighting back against crappy circumstances, and powerful “I am Lucas, hear me roar” emotional intensity.

Lucas Silveira, by the way, is the lead singer of The Cliks, and may just be rock and roll’s loudest trans frontman. Yep, he identifies as transgender, and he’s proud and outspoken about who he is, ya dig? Just as impressive is the music, a point you’ll understand when you hear (or watch) the band’s single, “Oh Yeah,” which has claimed a solid spot on Logo’s The Click List over the last few weeks, making it one of the top ten tunes that queer America is into. And the band’s album, Snakehouse (which drops on April 24th) slams nine more killer tunes at you, so be prepared.

Anyway, here’s a lengthy, sassy chat with Lucas about music, gender issues, The L Word, straight guys, playing drums as a kid, and the sex-organ-related origins of the band’s name.

And... It’s just been announced that the band will be performing on some of the dates of the True Colors tour this summer (with Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Erasure and such). So you can catch them on the road with that crew beginning June 9th (in Salt Lake City). Or catch them this Wednesday (March 28th) when they tear up the Mercury Lounge here in good old NYC.

Rock on with Lucas after the jump...

Congrats on "Snakehouse." It’s one of the best straightforward rock records I’ve heard in a while. It’s like you guys aren’t trying to be overly clever or edgy or gimmicky. Is that a fair assessment?
Absolutely. I’m glad you see it that way.

How did you arrive at your solid rock sound?
Well, my aim isn’t to just create something that is only powerful and strong, but also quite melodic. And something that can connect with people. Obviously, I lean toward the rock thing, but I listen to all kinds of music. Lately, I’ve been listening a lot to Jeff Buckley and also Radiohead, Jane’s Addiction... And lately, I’ve been listening to Justin Timberlake and Beyonce, so I’m all over the place.

How did you get started playing music?
I grew up in a pretty musical family. My dad was really into music and always singing, my brother is a musician, and my sister also was a musician. So, since I was born I’ve been very much put into a musical environment. My sister had this keyboard, this big organ with pumping pedals, and I used to play it all the time when I was little. Then as I got older, I picked up the guitar, and from there I ended up picking up the bass, the piano and I got a drum set when I was 16.

Being 16 and getting a set of drums sounds like a pretty liberating experience.
It really was. It was interesting because it was my birthday and my parents said, “We got your brother a new bedroom set for his birthday, and we were thinking of getting you the same, because your room is looking a little shabby. And I was like, “I don’t want a new bed. I want a drum set!” And they were like, “Girls don’t play drums.” And I was just very quiet. So they ended up getting me this little Pearl kit, which I still have.



Morgan rocks on the drums for The Cliks these days...

Well it’s handy having all of those skills with different instruments when you’re writing music.
Absolutely. Because I started playing all of these instruments, now when I write music, I hear all of the parts. But it’s great when I go in and start rehearsing a song with the band, I have an idea of what I want, but they all basically blow me away with what they bring and what they think should be happening.

How has your sound changed, then, with the line-up shifts and changes that you’ve had in the band? Because you’ve had lots of personnel changes over the last while.
The original players that I had in the band were good musicians, but they were musicians that I had to direct, as opposed to, “Here’s a song; what are your ideas with it?” And the musicians that I have with me now, they’re just strong mature players who just know the ins and outs of music and what belongs where. I’ll come in with a song, and I’ll have this preconceived notion of what a song’s going to sound like, but then my band members will take it and guide me somewhere where I never thought that it was going to go. There are some songs where I’ll hear a drum beat, and then Morgan will come in and put a completely different spin on it, and I’ll be like, “Oh, wow! That’s amazing!”

Where did the name “The Cliks” come from?
It’s funny…. I used to do solo stuff before—solo acoustic folky stuff—and when I got the band together it was because I was sort of developing a harder rock sound and I just wanted to have this full cohesive unit. And I wanted people to look at it as a band. So, I started thinking about names, and I said to myself, “I don’t care what it is, as long as it starts with ‘The.’” So I was sitting there with my ex-girlfriend and I said, “It’s got to be something that sounds sexy.” And I made a joke and said, “The Clits,” but that’s obviously not going to work. But we started playing around with words and she came up with “The Cliks” because it was half-way between two body parts. (Laughs.)

Like the merging of male and female?
I just thought it was kind of sexy.

And the name of the album, “Snakehouse?”
It’s funny … I walked in to my apartment one time with my current girlfriend and she goes, “Oh man, it’s a snakehouse in here.” And I looked at her and was like, “What the hell does that mean?” So she goes, “It’s really warm in here.” And I still didn’t know what she meant. And she was, “You know… Where they raise snakes, they have to make it hot and humid, because that’s the environment that they live in.” So I was like, “Okay…” But then I got this image in my head, of this thing, this snakehouse, where it’s dark and humid and dangerous and slithery. And when I was coming up with album names, it just kept popping up with all the imagery in my head. When I wrote this album I was coming out of a lot of turmoil, so I had this representation of hell in my mind, and because I was raised Catholic, I have all these images of snakes and trees and apples. And the album represented coming out of a hellish point of my life, so I just found that title appropriate because of what I was going through.

What kind of attention has your identity as a trans person brought the band? Has that been a big focus, or is it not an issue?
It depends on who I’m talking to. It has been something that’s kind of in the forefront. It’s understandable,because there are not, as far as I know, any bands on major labels right now with lead singers who are transgendered. And I think a lot of people are trying understand—and specifically with me—what that means. Because when they look at me, I’m not a visually obviously transgender person, because I don’t take testosterone, since it could alter my voice in a way that could destroy it. So that’s why I don’t particularly “look like a guy.” But it’s weird sometimes, and a lot of people ask mainly because they don’t know what transgendered means. They tend to put it in the category of transvestite, which is completely different.

So yeah, it can be interesting to talk about sometimes, but when it becomes the focus of what people are asking about, that can become a little distracting when all you want to do is talk about is the music. So, it’s typically mentioned, but not completely focused on. Maybe about 20 or 30% of the interviews I do are all about “Lucas is transgendered.”

Well, I think it’s exciting because it’s great seeing someone, a self-identified trans person out there and kicking ass and showing that there needn’t be this weird sense of mystery around this issue. You’re just someone making music and being an artist.
Right, people don’t have to see me as this person who belongs in a mental ward. (Laughs.)

And it’s not like people have to view you as this kind of trans pioneer—which isn’t to say that you’re not—but it’s not about that.
Exactly. It’s about, “Guess what?” I’m a normal human being just like you.

Has dealing with these trans issues fueled your music? Is it present in what we hear?
In the album? Absolutely. I started writing the album probably right in the middle of coming to terms with the fact that I was transgendered, and there are so many songs on there which are essentially about me coming to terms with who I am. For example, the song “Complicated” is essentially about me… I was also coming out of a long-term relationship that ended very, very badly, and coming out of this kind of dark place and having to go back into this world of dating and having to be sexual with other people in this new identity of knowing who I was, it was overwhelming at times. And “Complicated” is essentially about that. So, yeah, all of that definitely influenced a lot of the album.

Well, the results are great, and it’s cool that those hardships can lead to good music.
That’s it. And I don’t write trying to make those things obvious. Like, the song “Complicated” didn’t start with lyrics that say, “Look, I’m trans and I’m having a hard time…” It was just about a universal emotion about coming to terms with one’s identity. The way I write is just meant as a more universal way of communicating, where there’s no gender or sexuality or boundary there.

The opening of “Complicated,” starts out with the line, “F*ck the pain away…” Is that a nod to Peaches?
You know, it’s so weird, people always say that! But the thing is I’d never even heard that song. When my manager and I first began working together, he was like, “You know the beginning of that song is a Peaches lyric...” And I was like, “It is?” And then I heard the song and I was like, “Oh my god, they’re going to think I was ripping her off.” But hey man, I love Peaches, so it’s cool.

Lucas, rocking in B&W.

You guys also have a song on one of The L Word compilation albums. Are you a fan of the show?
Ummm… Yes. I am. Unfortunately I don’t watch it that much, because, for one, Canada is behind one season, for some reason. So last season I heard that Dana died. And I was like, “That sucks!” So now, I don’t want to watch it. So, it gets a little ruined when friends download it from online and then they tell me what’s going on. But I like the show. It’s like a soap opera. It’s people who are unrealistically wealthy, who don’t do much, and all they do is have drama in their lives. How can you not like that?

And the character of Max has been transitioning from female to male. Do you have a take on that?
I have seen parts of that storyline. How can I put this? I’m not extremely happy with that portrayal, in how this character is portraying transgender males. Essentially because right now the issue of being transgender and male is something that’s new to people, and it’s all fine to have it as part of this soap opera, and of course they have to make it dramatic and it’s got to have this impact... But it sort of bothers me that they’re painting this first character as being this kind of insensitive, testosterone-raged trannie, who feels like the rest of the world is up against him. It’s just kind of sad that the first character that’s on a TV show has to be painted in that way. Like, he takes some testosterone and then the next week he has a beard. That’s a little unrealistic. And then next he’s beating up his girlfriend, I hear. That’s not the way it works. And it’s sad. If you’re trying to educate people, you should probably be a little bit more responsible.

I think the intention was good, but I think they probably should have done a bit more research. It’s difficult to have this first trans character come out, and they immediately start focusing on all the negative stuff.

Have you had a favorite character on the show?
It definitely is not Jenny. She’s one you love to hate. I’d say Alice.

And I always find myself madly in love with Jennifer Beals. Who knew she was so good?
She’s good. She’s a little bit wanky on the show… It’s like, “Make up your mind!”

I haven’t seen you guys live. What are your shows like? Are the crowds crazy?
It depends. When we go to places where people know the band, they’re pretty rocking. People get excited; there’s lots of jumping up and down and dancing. People get into it. I think we put on a pretty good rock show; it’s pretty energetic.

And we have a very mixed crowd. A lot of people will come out and expect to find a very queer-based audience, and that element is definitely there, and those are essentially our roots and where our fans have come from—because that’s essentially our community—but there are people from every spectrum of life there. And I find it really interesting that at the end of a lot of our shows, the people who tend to come up to me and say, “That was great!” are usually these 35 to 45-year-old males who are straight and they’ll go, “Man, you guys rocked!” And I think it’s because they walk in and think “Oh, it’s a chick band.” But then we start playing. And I think then we break down a lot of people’s preconceptions about what they’re going to hear.

See, you’re providing a service, in addition to just rocking out.
Yeah, which is cool, because it just tells me more and more that this is a very universal musical thing, when it reaches some 35-year-old straight dude.

For more on The Cliks, hit it.

And yes, that's me -- the weird-eyed bearded person in the middle -- sittin' with The Cliks. Heyyyyyy...

Comments

[Stephanie]

I love the song Oh yeah. I always find myself singing it. I can't wait for there next single.

[Amber]

I love The Cliks! Complicated is basically my favorite song, but all the others tie for second, it's been a while since I found a CD that I didn't need to skip through to hear good songs. I can't wait to hear what's coming next!

[Tom(e)d]

I LOVE the Cliks...best new band in a LONG time!
I can't take it out of my car's CD player...they make me want to dance...HARD!
Keep them coming kids!
Peace,
Tom(e)d

[Jackie]

hi guys,
I really Love your music. It is a rarity for me to hear a partial bit of a song and be like "WOW" I heard a bit of Oh Yeah on logo and had to hear more and then I was so impressed that I then started reading about the band after listening to your great sound. I only have a hand full of artist that have impressed me as you have, your up there with the beatles, eagles, rolling stones and a couple of the new alternatives that I adore. My 10 Year old listened to Oh yeah and instantly went nuts. Then I explained trans gender to her and when I would say she, Makayla would correct me with its HE!!! we will be buying 2 of your new cds, one for me and one for her. She is currently working on a dance for one of your songs, she is starting her 6th year of dance in 4 different dance areas and plays piano as well, 3 years now. but you guys really knocked her off her feet. When you finally come to Louisville, Ky we will be there to see you. Keep up your great sound. I know in my heart you will soar to the top... I can feel it and I am usually right.
I truly commend you Lucas on being yourself. I am a straight female with 4 kids 10 to allmost 28. I was born in ky but raised in LA Cali for most of my life and have had many great friends who lived in the Life. I wish you the best and I know you do not need it, its going to happen anyway. You had best come to Louisville, Ky to see us, because we will definatly be there to see you.
Take Care and Rock On!!!
Jackie/Makayla

[gabe]

come to australia?

go on, I'll buy you a cookie.

[Mika]

I <3 The Cliks! I think that everyone here is right. Every song that they do is just amazing. You can feel their music and thats hard for a band to achieve. I actually found these awesome interviews that they did. People should check them out.
http://www.uncensoredinterview.com/artists/236-The-Cliks

Man, The Cliks fucking rock!! They're my favorite band! I'm getting Snakehouse as soon as a can! Complicated is my favorite song!