Rising Stars: Meet Trash Clams of Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Trash Clams.

Hi Trash, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Trash Clams officially began on Halloween 2023, when our bass player, Frankie Meyerhofer, joined the band. Before that, Maeg Keller (drums) & April Matulich (guitar/vocals), were jamming in the studio & liked the sound they were creating together & started writing songs. They decided if they found a bass player they would start a band. A few months later, Trash Clams were created. Our first show was a few months later at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach in February 2024, and we hit the ground running! We’ve had shows pretty much monthly ever since. We released our first 6 song EP, “True Story”, in April 2025, and are about to release our first full length album!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Are any roads completely smooth?
We’ve had a bunch of personal struggles over the past few years. Collectively, we’ve overcome 2 broken bones, a hysterectomy, losses of friends & family, a marriage ended…
Within the band, we’ve dealt with a member quitting and there’ve been a few sisterly-like squabbles. But together, we’ve always been consistent with our music and our shared values, our love of nature, community and social justice. We’ve been making something good and fun out of the proverbial dumpster fire we’re all experiencing in this country right now. It feels akin to filling a pothole here and there.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, first and foremost, Frankie is really proud of her stanky bass face. Hahahaha! We suppose we’re mostly known for being loud, outspoken women, and being queer.
We’re also known for inclusivity and community building, and we are proud of that. If you look around at our shows, it’s a real mixed bag of fans that show up for us: queers, straights, cis, punks, art weirdos, & people from varying walks of life, different age ranges, races, genders, etc.
Authenticity is really important to us, and so as long as that’s there, we don’t really care about what you look like or how you express yourself. You know, as long as you’re not an asshole. Please don’t be an asshole.
What sets us apart from others might be that we are actually doing this for FUN! We started this band with no intention. Just 3 badass women wanting to play music together, and now, here we are, almost 3 years later and we’re playing all these shows and about to release a full length album. It just feels good to be doing what we love.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Some of our biggest lessons we’ve learned along the way are to keep playing consistently, whether its live gigs or just showing up for practice – we get better the more we show up for each other. Another big lesson we’ve been learning is to let shit go that isn’t doing us any good, and that the best way to do anything is with kindness. We’ve also learned that inspiration can come in many forms. You can be inspired by friends, family, or complete strangers – you never know the impact you can have on someone- especially if you’re being kind.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trash.clams
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CK1o3BqGNg&list=RD_CK1o3BqGNg&start_radio=1
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/trash-clams
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/07qQtntUFVIpTu9VYWUt7o?si=_LpSh5h8QYy_0qZGmLF5vA