Shannon and the Clams is a rising name in alternative and punk coming out of Oakland, CA. Featuring members Shannon Shaw (vocals, bass), Cody Blanchard (vocals, guitar), Will Sprott (keys, vocals), and Nate Mahan (drums, vocals), the band combines ’50s and ’60s doo-wop pop and proto-rock with ’80s-style lo-fi punk. The Harvard Crimson sat down with Shannon and the Clams after their performance at Panorama on Sunday.

The Harvard Crimson (THC): Shannon released her solo project, “Shannon in Nashville,” and “Onion,” the band’s latest work, came out in February, both very exciting. But what’s next for Shannon and the Clams?

Cody Blanchard (CB): We’re mostly just doing a little bit of touring through the end of the year. We’re coming back to New York in November.

THC: Tell me more about the trajectory of the albums. You guys have a lot of interesting influences you’ve mentioned. What direction are you headed in now, and what was involved in your latest album, “Onion?”

Cody: I feel like we’ve been leaning more psychedelic. 

Nate Mahan (NM): There are some sort of glam elements creeping in.

CB: Maybe none of that made it on the record but there were some disco feelings, maybe the second song—it’s a light touch.

THC: Tell me more about “Clams” specifically. Why clams over mollusks, or any other animal out there? 

Shannon Shaw (SS): Honestly the worst thing about our band is the name. It just kind of happened. It started off as a joke because I started off as a solo performer. I just sang and played bass. So it was like a joke to be called Shannon and the Clams. And then the name stuck and we kind of took off and it felt too late to change the name.

THC: Cody, you broke a string on stage. Does that sort of thing happen often? Do you have a story about a worst technical malfunction that’s happened to you on show?