Amy Humphrey

Amy Humphrey and her Waterstone Bass Guitar.

I never really meant to be a musician. Sure, I grew up in a musical family and was performing in school plays and choirs at an early age. But that was just for fun. What I really wanted to be was a veterinarian. Then a photographer. Then a French speaker. Then a Russian speaker.

I went to college at the University of Kansas and graduated four years later with BA degrees in French and Russian (had to drop photography early on -- too busy already!). More important than the degrees I received, though, were the experiences: getting talked into singing backup in a band, then later recruited to learn and play bass; spending a semester in the Soviet Union where I learned to be grateful for what I had; and most importantly, meeting Joe. We were introduced by a mutual friend / guitar player who was trying to put a band together, and the rhythm section was born!

Always the serious and studious one, though, I went to graduate school heading toward a Ph.D. in Russian. I received a grant and made more money as a student than I ever could in the real world. I figured I would be the breadwinner of the family while Joe pursued his musical career. But after going to school non-stop since Kindergarten, I finally decided I needed a break from the fantastical, idealistic world of academia.

So we picked up and moved to Seattle, where Joe was going to join a band and I was going to get a super-cool job using my language skills and support the both of us. Soon I was working two jobs: clerk at a cat-and-dog-themed retail store and barista at a cafe. Then just the cafe full-time. Not really what I had in mind, especially as I had sworn I would never work in food service again. I was gone all day at work, Joe was gone all night for band practice and gigs.

After about a year I left the world of food service and became a veterinary assistant at a cat clinic. Back to my original dream! Sort of. Our cat population at home increased exponentially. It was around this time that Joe insisted I pick up the bass again and call some ads looking for a bass player. I grudgingly obliged, and ended up playing in a six-piece all-female band called Citizen Cry. That was fun for a while, but the music wasn't quite my thing, so I eventually decided to split. Three of the other members came along, too, and we started the band Clatter Bean.

This band was musically more what I was about, and we all seemed headed in the same direction. Well, all but the drummer -- she was much younger than the rest of us, and although incredibly talented, she wasn't ready to hunker down and sacrifice her life for the good of the band. As luck would have it, Joe's band was disintegrating about this time, so it seemed natural that he should fill the drum chair, especially since he already was familiar with the songs.

And this is where the communal bio takes over!

Amy Humphrey (bass, vocals) and Joe Hayes (drums and percussion) have played in a variety of bands, both together and separately. Their first recording together was with four-piece band Clatter Bean in Seattle. The EP, titled "Salt," was recorded at Bad Animals studio with producer Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Good Charlotte). This self-released CD received radio airplay nationwide and spawned a tour that stretched from Seattle to CBGB in NYC.

Amy and Joe later left Seattle for central Missouri and hooked up with a new guitarist. They changed the band name to Clatter and recorded the full-length CD "Brood." Again, the record was played on college and commercial radio across the country, and Clatter toured extensively to support the release.

After the departure of the guitarist, Amy and Joe decided to approach hard rock music from a completely different perspective. Their new concept incorporates the driving, rhythmic foundation that has always been a cornerstone of their sound, while introducing effected bass and electronic percussion -- with no guitar.

Amy and Joe released their first full-length CD, "Blinded By Vision," in March 2003. The record showcases the duo's heavy, rhythmic, melodic strengths (check out some samples on the CD page). After touring over 50,000 miles to support the release, Clatter recorded a concert for DVD, titled "Blinded in Boonville," on July 10, 2004.