Cliff Laufer

Cliff Laufer has been playing bass guitar ever since he discovered that he could play "the guitar part" with greater success on bass than on guitar. Influenced by Jack Bruce of Cream, Chris Squire of Yes, Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention, and the early Rick Kemp of Steeleye Span, Cliff finds his greatest source of musical creativity in the tension between structured basslines and constant improvisation.

Although Cliff has listened to Clam Chowder since nearly the beginning of their musical existence, he first started to tinker with Clam Chowder-style music while in a duo with John Huff, during the years when Clam Chowder had semi-retired. With John singing and providing the guitar bedrock of the music, Cliff was free to use his bass to improvise counter-melodies and harmonic doubling and even (occasionally) a bassline. When some of the former members of Clam Chowder decided to rise up singing once again, John asked Cliff if he'd like to join in as bassist, and the combination of Cliff's "anything but the bass part" approach to playing seemed to go well with the approach of the rest of Chowder. With the later departure of Chowder's bass vocalist Sam Van Wyck, Cliff agreed to sing bass as well, provided that the departing Sam would leave his lowest bass vocal tones with Cliff for use as necessary.

Cliff also composes for and plays with the all-instrumental duo/ trio Cliff Art, playing 8-string bass and Appalachian dulcimer and joined by Stuart Mawler on Chapman Stick and (sometimes) Dave Bloodgood on drums and percussion.