A Conversation with Patrick Cleary and the legacy of The Unclaimed

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Cleary.

Hi Patrick, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I had a good childhood overall, growing up in the La Habra area, graduating from UC Irvine with a B.A. in History before I moved to Hollywood to pursue music as a songwriter and band leader in the mid-2000’s. I performed my own material with the four-piece rock band The Digs, before collaborating with my partner Cheryl in the folk-rock band Silver Phial. I then released a couple EP’s with Cashew & Cleary before joining up with Shelley Ganz and reforming The Unclaimed.

The Unclaimed was founded in Los Angeles by Shelley Ganz and Sid Griffin and quickly established a repertoire derived from a stack of rare records given to Shelley by Dave Gibson of Moxie Records, who released their all-originals debut EP in 1980. The band’s lineup evolved through the release of the mini LP Primordial Ooze Flavored and the recently rereleased Under the Bodhi Tree (both recently reissued on Teen Sound Records) before a long hiatus. In 2019, they reemerged with a new EP, You Never Come (Groovie Records), and a line-up of me on lead guitar, John Worley on bass and Shaun Bryant on drums backing Shelley on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. We recorded Creature of the Maui Loon (2024, Teen Sound Records) before Shelley sadly passed away just before its release. In testament to his inspiration, we carried on to record a new album of Shelley’s original songs with our longtime producer Dave Klein, which will be released on Outro Records in 2026.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Music as always been an escape from the stress and uncertainty of daily life. I am always learning all I can about music theory and techniques as I go. I never formally studied music, but my keen interest has allowed me to get an education through other means. I’ve held down a number of jobs over the years, making a living and keeping music projects moving forward while raising a family. I was always drawn to Los Angeles primarily because of the magic of the Sunset Strip scene in the ‘sixties. My quest has been to rekindle whatever embers remain from those halcyon days.

When I joined The Unclaimed in 2016, Shelley became my garage rock guru, sharing dozens of songs that became instant favorites. I would learn these nuggets alongside Unclaimed songs and it really renewed my love of rock ‘n’ roll, discovering hundreds of bands I’d never heard of that made one or two singles in their hometown back in the ‘sixties. Shelley called me “Young Squire” for my ability to learn these songs. It was such an honor bringing the band’s legacy into focus with a reissue series and a new EP and LP. Since Shelley passed away in 2024, we’ve undertaken the hardest challenge of all, making Unclaimed music without him. Of course, half the songs on the new album are songs we played with him, so we had a template. Four of the others are songs I wrote the music for, one is a cover the band used to play live, “Mark of Zorro,” and lastly is a new song by me, “Batgirl.” We think we did a good job of capturing the magic of The Unclaimed, and that Shelley would love this new record.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What makes me an interesting musician is my versatility, as I’m well-versed in folk, country and rock ‘n’ roll. I like playing bluegrass and old-time on acoustic guitar and mandolin. If you add a Telecaster and a rhythm section, you’re playing country music or rockabilly. I play in that style with Country Sedan, who is also working on an album. Get a little more blues-based and aggressive and you’ve got garage rock.

What sets The Unclaimed apart is how it was part of the first wave of the garage music (or “‘sixties punk” as Shelley liked to call it) revival, in the wake of Generation X bands like The Ramones and The Damned. This good-time music spoke to members of “the blank generation” like Shelley, giving them a taste of real fun. They became a kind of house band at The Cavern Club in Hollywood, where young people with a passion for the ‘sixties recreated the swinging discotheque. Not only were they determined to be extremely authentic in sound and image, but Shelley also wrote new songs that stood on their own merits alongside the obscure classics.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’d be nowhere without the love and support of many folks, especially my wife and collaborator Cheryl. Scott Bassman was a great friend and bandmate who introduced me to Shelley. All the bandmates I’ve worked with have been solid and I appreciate them all. Bookers like Eddie Lopez and others I’ve worked with have given me the chance to entertain audiences. Certain people have been kind enough to share tips with me when I’ve asked, like the late Gary Dunn, a music industry figure; and the late Tony Fasce, a singer-songwriter and collaborator with Dion.

The Unclaimed has had a great friend in Dave Klein, our producer/engineer; Massimo del Pozzo, label prez at Teen Sound Records; Federico Borsella, our great fan and artist who contributes cool graphics, Tom Lundin, who was there in the beginning creating a unique brand and style for the band; our next label, Outro Records and former label Groovie Records; Robyn Mayer, photographer/videographer; previous members of the band like Sid Griffin, Barry Shank, Dan Valentie and Lee Joseph, Dave Provost, our friends Tom Meyer, Domenic Priore, Rob Jacobs; the sister scene in San Diego: Mike Stax, The Allyrgic Reaction, Ron Silva, Ray Brandes and more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theunclaimed.bandcamp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theunclaimedband/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnclaimed/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickrcleary/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theunclaimed9756

Image Credits
Angelica Monroy, SmiLee Kalyānamitratā von Grimmigwaten, Robyn Mayer, Jason Torres Perez