Clint Conley

Clint Conley
Background information
BornBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
GenresPost-punk, Alternative Rock
Instrument(s)Bass guitar, Guitar, Vocals
LabelsAce of Hearts Records (US)

Clinton J. Conley is an American post-punk musician and journalist from Boston, Massachusetts, best known as a co-founder, bassist, and vocalist of Mission of Burma.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

Conley was born in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Rochester in 1977.[4]

Career

Mission of Burma was active from 1979 to 1983.[1] They found only limited success when signed to Ace of Hearts Records, but they have been re-assessed as one of the more influential American post-punk groups of their era.[5] The band was cited as an influence for Pixies, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam. When the group broke up in 1983, Conley dropped out of music almost entirely for over a decade, earning a master's degree in broadcast journalism and going to work as a producer for WCVB-TV's news magazine program, Chronicle.[6][7] He did, however, produce Yo La Tengo's 1986 debut album, Ride the Tiger.

With Mission of Burma, Conley played bass guitar and occasional guitar, and wrote and sang some of the group's best-known songs, such as "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" and "Academy Fight Song"—songs that often had an anthemic sing-along quality.[1] Conley's bass work often featured double stops and chords.

In 2001, Conley formed a new group, Consonant, as lead vocalist and now playing primarily guitar. They released two albums. Conley said that playing in a band again helped him be more receptive to the idea of returning to his old one.[8]

In 2002, Conley reunited with Roger Miller and Peter Prescott, and with Bob Weston of Shellac replacing original member Martin Swope, they began performing and recording as Mission of Burma.[2] They released four albums before announcing they had disbanded again in 2020.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c Milner, Greg (July 9, 2002). "The undeniable truth about Burma". Salon. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Smyers, Darryl (July 22, 2011). "Q&A: Mission of Burma's Clint Conley on Why His Band is Unlike The Pixies". Dallas Observer. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  3. ^ "Mission Of Burma: The Story Begins Again". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  4. ^ Arthur, Christian. "Interview with Clint Conley, Bassist for Influential Boston Band Mission of Burma". The Mass Media. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  5. ^ Robbins, Ira; Smith, Jason. "Mission of Burma". Retrieved February 13, 2020. During its original existence, Mission of Burma was one of the most important American bands surviving outside the major-label record industry.
  6. ^ McCally, Karen. "Resolution: Mission of Burma is a Rock Legend". University of Rochester Alumni Gazette. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Carly Carioli (May 16, 2002). "Consonant come of age". Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  8. ^ Franklin Bruno (August 14, 2002). "Play It Loud, Real Real Loud". LA Weekly.
  9. ^ Sullivan, Jim (June 19, 2020). "Bidding A Quiet Adieu To Cacophonous Post-Punk Band Mission Of Burma". WBUR-FM. Retrieved June 20, 2020.