BOSTON-BASED TRIO TO PERFORM AT YACHT CLUB

Men of Clay, a Boston-based pop trio, will perform at the River City Yacht Club in Port Cape Girardeau this weekend. The three have a sound that combines contemporary influences such as the Police, Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel with the driving rhythms of funk and fusion.

Doc Cain, owner of Port Cape Girardeau said the group impressed him with their sound.

"They sent me a demo tape. I would describe them as having a Paul Simon sound," Cain said. "I was really impressed with the tape."

Men of Clay will perform Friday and Saturday night at 9 p.m. Cover charge is $3.

"They are definitely up-and-coming," said Cain. "I think you'll be hearing a lot more from this group in the future."

The three-member band includes Tom Hammond on vocals and bass, Ben Hammond on guitar and Shankar Ramaswami on drums. They began performing as kids in New York City and began playing together as undergraduates at Harvard University. They each are recent honor graduates of the university.

The band has performed extensively in Boston's most reputed establishments, most recently appearing with Meatloaf, Bop Harvey and Ultra Blue. They have headlined to sell-out crowds at clubs including The Channel, Catch a Rising Star and Johnny D's Uptown.

In September, Men of Clay performed privately for the president of CBS Records International and entered into a demo shopping agreement with Fun Entertainment, Inc.