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MIKE HEAP is bassist and songwriter for The Legendary Clampetts from Springfield, Illinois. Mike talked to Ceri Shaw for Welsh Steel and AmeriCymru

CERI: How long have The Clampetts been playing together?

MIKE: The band's been together about 3 years. We originated from a project that Matt (Erley - drums) and I were involved in called 'Banzai Kitty'. The Legendary Clampetts was more or less the moniker that Matt and I chose as an inside joke after our original guitarists left to start another project, and it just sort of stuck. We've actually been recording and performing as The LC's for about 16 months now.

CERI: How would you describe your sound?

MIKE: Our sound is really a 'mash-up' I suppose. I know there's punk, funk, progressive metal and a lot of old school classic rock sounding type stuff in there. It actually depends on what I'm trying to convey in the song. For example; 'Riot In The Hospital' has a straight up punk / rockabilly feel to it. The melody and progressions were written to capture and express the tongue in cheek outrage of the lyrics. All of our material is meant to 'stand alone' and tell a story or express an idea or opinion, so we don't really pay any attention to, or try to stick to any particular 'genre' or label.

CERI: You are the main songsmith for The Legendary Clampetts. What inspires your lyric writing?

MIKE: Lyrics, to me, are the most important part of songwritting. So, I take a lot of time with just that aspect of the song writting process. Everything I've ever written starts with expressing a story, an idea or an opinion. The subject matters are diverse, 'Cry Havoc' is an anti-war protest song, while 'Bird Thing' is a song about growing up and leaving home and how scary, exciting and sometimes sad that can be.

CERI: Who would you count amongst your musical influences?

MIKE: Wow, musical influences. Okay, here we go....I do this in a couple of ways. As a bassist, my all time 2 greatest influences are John Entwistle and John Paul Jones without reservations. As a lyricist and composer, I really admire Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull. As far as bands go, Blue Oyster Cult, Queen, Thin Lizzy and Genesis top a really really long list.

CERI: Any tours or live appearances in the near future?

MIKE: We're currently in our home studio working on some new material at the moment, so other than the possibility of appearing on the Ernie Ball Stage at The Warped Tour stop in St. Louis, MO , we don't have any shows scheduled until late August in the midwest.

CERI: Where can people go to hear/buy your music?

MIKE: You can hear us at several different sites - We're on ReverbNation and of course Myspace . On both Myspace and ReverNation, you can stream all the songs there and the ReverbNation site has some special free downloads available to anyone that becomes a member of our fan base. I'd like to take this opportunity to announce that we'll be launching a new website this coming fall where among other things friends and fans will be able to 'rent' and 'recommend' (R&R) our material ( songs and videos). Long story, short answer - we believe the old methods of 'selling' music is dead, and we're approaching this is a new manner that befits the digital age.....stay tuned for more, is all I can say at the moment. You can also find us twitter at ww.twitter.com/clampettsspfld , on www.imradio.com/theclampetts and our youtube channel

CERI: Care to tell us something about the Ernie Ball Battle of The Bands?

MIKE: The Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands is an annual contest that the Ernie Ball company conducts in conjunction with the Vans Warped Tour. The concept is to give a platform for undiscovered bands to showcase their talent to a larger regional or national audience. The contest has launched the careers of several major artists over the last 10 years or so. We're currently in the running for one of 5 available slots during the tours stop in St. Louis, Missouri. At last glance, we occupied the # 2 position after having spent 20 days as the number one contender. Fans must create an account in order to vote, but don't let that stop you - you won't be inundated with junk emails from either the Ernie Ball or the Vans companies or any other sponsor or participant. What we've seen thus far, is that a lot of the bands involved have their fans go 'trolling' for return votes from other bands and fans in order to benefit their chosen band.....and it seems to work. We'd certainly appreciate all the help and support that we can get. We've been discussing offering logo t-shirts to any of our friends and fans that are helping us out, not only in this contest, but in any of our efforts.

CERI: On your AmeriCymru profile you describe yourself as a first generation Welsh american. Care to tell us a little about your Weslsh background?

MIKE: My dad was born in Swansea. He and his mother moved to New Bedford, Mass. when he was 7. My brothers and I were constantly exposed to our culture and heritage from my dad, but more so from our grandmother. She insisted on speaking to us in Welsh as much as possible. My dad was a history nut, and had an extensive library of Welsh history and social traditions, which he 'tutored' us boys on....he went so far as to insist that we watch the movie Zulu at least once a month....why? Well, as he put it, and I'm paraphrasing here - ' the most glorious victory in the british army belongs to a Welsh Regiment'. My Welsh heritage was and still is the most defining aspect of who and what I am....I even have the goch ddraig with the words Wales Forever tattooed on my left arm.

CERI: Are there any Welsh or Celtic influences on your music?

MIKE: I couldn't claim that my writting has any more Welsh or Celtic influence than anyone elses music I do, however, like to image myself as keeping alive the old bardic traditions of my ancestors in some remote fashion.

CERI: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru and WelshSteel?

MIKE: I'd just like to say to you Ceri, thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself and speak to the members of AC and WS and connect with them via these forums and websites. And, on behalf of The Legendary Clampetts, thank you for taking the time to give us a go, we hope you enjoy the music.

Interview: Ceri Shaw Email

In preparation for this year's Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod the festival organisers have teamed up with local businesses to form a special Community Choir which is expected to forge a new and harmonious link between the festival and the surrounding communities. The Community Choir will make its inaugural appearance on Wednesday 7th July at the One World, One Stage Evening Concert and will play a major part in welcoming the world to Llangollen. In addition, local residents and businesses will be eligible for discounted ticket prices for this spectacular event.

Since its inauguration in 1947 the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has welcomed singers, musicians and dancers from all over the world and audiences in the North Wales town have been thrilled and exhilarated by their vibrant performances. The joys of experiencing what it must be like to sing on the famed Llangollen stage is a privilege extended to very few but, this year, the Llangollen Eisteddfod is offering local people and businesses the opportunity to taste a little of this magic for themselves with the creation of the Llangollen Community Choir.

This is a wonderful opportunity for people in Llangollen to be directly involved in welcoming the festival performers from all over the world and to have the chance (maybe of a lifetime!) to sing on the unique Llangollen stage says Mervyn Cousins, Chief Executive of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod: It is really important the Eisteddfod and the town work together, and this is a new and exciting venture. Singing in a choir is such good fun and brings people together too, and I am sure they will really enjoy this new experience. I am really looking forward to hearing the choir!

The Llangollen Community Choir will be under the expert supervision of Tim Jones, Musical Director of Yale College Choir- and himself a veteran of the Llangollen stage. Performing on that famed Llangollen stage is such a thrill, he says, and I want the local people of Llangollen to taste it for themselves. I am absolutely convinced that Llangollen has Talent and that we can create something truly special here- something magical and unforgettable. What we need now is for one hundred local voices to come forward and to make themselves heard!

Places for the choir are allocated on a first come, first served basis and they are offered to people living or working in the Llangollen area or to people who are connected to the Eisteddfod. The hotline number for anyone interested in joining is 01978 862000 and rehearsals will begin on Tuesday 25th May at St. Johns Church, Abbey Road, Llangollen and will continue on Tuesday evenings throughout June. The Rev Andrew Sully, who presides over the church, will also be singing in the choir.

It will be great for local people to sample the true magic of participating in the Llangollen Eisteddfod says Rachel Jones, Director, Arts & Business Cymru. It is also, of course, a very effective way for local businesses to get involved in what is, after all, a truly global cultural event and to highlight the fact that businesses in the Llangollen area are very supportive of this unique and historical festival.

The formation of a Llangollen Community Choir is such an excellent idea, says Ian Williams, Director North Wales Enterprise & International Business Wales. Every year, choirs travel from all over the world to visit Llangollen and to perform on its world-famous stage and this is a golden opportunity for local people- and local business people too of course- to match their enthusiasm and to express their support for the Eisteddfod through the medium of music by singing together in the Llangollen Community Choir!

The choir will give its inaugural performance on the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod stage on Wednesday 7th July at the One World, One Stage evening concert. This event is a well-established favourite with Llangollen audiences and- in addition to the celebrated Welcome Ceremony and Procession of Performers through the Pavilion- it will be an unforgettable evening of truly global music and, with performances from countries such as Tibet, USA and Wales it offers a marvellous taster of the week to come. Ticket prices for the concert range from 14 to 18 but there will be special 3 discounted seats for local residents and local businesses, and support their friends and colleagues taking part in the Community Choir.

I really hope the people of the Llangollen area will join me in this marvellous choir, says Eisteddfod Treasurer Simon Orton-Jones who has signed up as a member of the choir. We all know that the Welsh have great singing voices and this is a superb opportunity for Llangollen to prove that it is, probably, the most musical town in the whole of Wales. We really are going to make such a glorious sound on that stage and I am thrilled at the prospect of being a part of it. So come on, people of Llangollen, lets get singing!