What do you do when all seems lost? When life becomes tragedy? Well, one option is to process that sadness and grief through art. Indeed, through music. And that is just what songwriter, singer, musician and band frontwoman Shannon Shaw of Shannon & The Clams did.
Videos by American Songwriter
For the lead singer of the Oakland, California-born group, known for upbeat 1950s-inspired rock music, life lately has been hard, to say the least. Shaw lost her fiancé, Joe Haener, in a tragic accident in August of 2022, just weeks before their wedding. Now, she is dedicating her band’s newest LP, The Moon Is In The Wrong Place, which is out May 10, to his memory.
Today (February 22), American Songwriter is proud to premiere the latest single and accompanying music video from the Dan Auerbach-produced LP. Check out the new work, which was animated by Amber McCall, here below.
Speaking about the new single, Shaw told American Songwriter, “The idea for the song came to me very soon after Joe’s death. His family and I spent so much time sitting in the bean fields right where he was last, right at the accident site which happened to be one of the crops he tended. We were in this fog, having no idea what to do or how to comprehend it. We would dig around the wreckage, searching for answers, trying to understand what happened, why Joe?
“At some point I noticed that the beans were blooming all around us. White flowers and beautiful legumes, lush greenery, bees buzzing, crickets, little wildflowers, right next to this black hole in the earth. The ultimate juxtaposition. We started to just HANG OUT in the bean fields, drag out a mat, then chairs, eventually a table. Strangers would drop off flowers to our little area, money, wine, candles, some drumsticks. We’d stay out there at night, and just BE TOGETHER.
“It happened in the summer during the Perseid meteor shower, so every night became a show. For me, the darkness of this tragedy made the beauty of the natural world stand out more than ever before, everything felt symbolic, important, hyper-real. The simple act of sitting together in the beans and being with each other, drinking wine, talking about Joe, watching meteors, crying, laughing, it was all so deeply important.
“The accident site is now a beautiful secret garden his family has been developing ever since. To me, that is a beautiful act of love. I’m left to survive a world without Joe, it feels like it’s my responsibility to honor him by carrying his torch & celebrating life where I can. The song Bean Fields is my promise to Joe to not give up, find bright spots, stay open and tender.”
Added the music video’s director Vanessa Pla, ““This music video enforced the belief that the power of love is what brings us all together and surrounds us at all times. I met Shannon years ago and was lucky to meet her fiancé Joe. Their love left an impression on me that I hold very dear. When Joe passed, I was traveling in Greece and a postcard fell out of my journal. It was a painting of a woman in a field greeting the new day by Jules Breton called, ‘The Song of The Lark.’ I had been holding on to that postcard for over seven years. And something told me it was for Shannon.
“Little did I know that postcard was a direct message from Joe. When Shannon came to me with her ideas about ‘Bean Fields’ and how she wanted to create a world that represented his beautiful farmland in Portland, it felt like it was meant to be. It was a direct line of spiritual love, and I’m just beyond humbled to witness all the miracles that it took to make this happen. So grateful for everyone that came onboard. It was a gift to direct from this pure place of love and to honor Joe’s beautiful life.”
Check out the new work here below.
UPCOMING BAND TOUR DATES:
3/13-3/16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
4/5-4/8 – Hot Springs, AR @ Ecliptic Festival
5/23 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
5/24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
5/25 – Toronto, ON @ The Concert Hall
5/26 – Montréal, QC @ Les Foufounes Électriques
5/28 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
5/30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
5/31 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
6/1 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
6/4 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
6/5 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
6/6 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
6/7 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
6/8 – Pelham, TN @ The Caverns *
6/10 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
6/11 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
6/12 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
6/13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
10/3 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern Theatre
10/4 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
10/5 – Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater
10/7 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
10/8 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre
10/10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
10/11 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club Ballroom
10/15 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
10/16 – Seattle, WA @ The Neptune Theatre
10/19 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
* w/ Murder By Death
Photo by Jim Herrington / Courtesy The Oriel
