Feature

Early rock-and-roll was a hybrid of many genres as big band, blues and country combined to create one of the most popular musical forms in the world.

These days, modern rock is filled to the brim with various sub-genres. With emo, mainstrem, alt. country and the hundreds of “core” genres, it is hard to find a band totally dedicated to pure, uncut rock-and-roll. Clutch has made it their mission to create music that refuses to be placed under any classification except rock-and-roll.

Hailing from Germantown, Md., (still on our side of the Mason-Dixon), Clutch is proving that jam isn’t just for the hippies. Clutch’s philosophy of keeping rock pure has won them over a legion of fans (Gearheads) and has allowed them to maintain popularity even though they seem to prefer the shadows of the underground. They have found homes at Atlantic Records and Columbia Records before finding their more recent haven with DRT.

Recently, they released “From Beale Street to Oblivion” on DRT much to the pleasure of fans and critics. Clutch maintains their pure rock philosophy with “Beale Street.” The work is filled with fiery sermons set to sounds that flirt with Southern rock and metal before plunging into the blues. Listening to this release clearly proves Clutch has taken hold of the roots of rock and pulled them for their own. This sound has earned them a spot at Bonnaroo, where they will provide a furious kick-off on the opening night. When I spoke with Neil Fallon (vocals/guitar/harmonica), Clutch was on the road to Bonnaroo but not before a little detour into Australia to prepare for their date in Mobile and beyond.

SC: You guys are passing through Mobile and are scheduled to play the Bonnaroo Music Festival two nights after your performance at Soul Kitchen. How’s the road to Bonnaroo been so far?

NF: It’s been going good. We’ve been doing shows and stuff for the past ten days. We got another few shows here in the States, then we got ten days in Australia, then come back to the West Coast, then Bonnaroo.

SC: You mentioned playing Australia. How do the Aussies react to Clutch’s sound?

NF: It’s a great rock-and-roll place. I mean, they just like it straight up rock-and-roll. They’re very passionate, and I think maybe you can drop parallels to places that don’t get shows so often, so when they do roll through town, people are that much more passionate about it.

SC: Bonnaroo is a pretty major venue to play in the U.S. What kind of expectations do you have for Bonnaroo?

NF: Nothing in particular. We’re just gonna do the show, and they’ll be plenty of people watching, which is one of the best forms of free entertainment. Anytime, you put thousands of people in the hot sun with warm beer, it’s always a prescription for a good time.

SC: Clutch, as with many bands, has a very dedicated fanbase that calls themselves “Gearheads.” What’s it like knowing that you have this dedicated legion of fans out there pulling for Clutch?

NF: It’s great. We’re very fortunate to have that. We make our living on the road, and it wouldn’t be very enjoyable if there wasn’t…actually, it wouldn’t happen at all if we didn’t have that fanbase. We definitely do not take it for granted. A band can have all the success in the world for a year or two, but their fans are only really fans of a song. So, we’re fortunate to have fans that are fans of the band.

SC: Last time we talked, you guys had just put out “Robot Hive/Exodus.” Now, “From Beale Street to Oblivion” has just been released to the public. How is “Beale Street” different from “Robot Hive?”

NF: It’s much more of a straight-up rock-and-roll record. Robot Hive had more kinda esoteric moments. Our reaction to that was to write something that was kind of more conservative, for lack of a better word, record.

SC: “Beale Street” does have some other interesting qualities to it especially concerning its creation. With all the recording technology out there, you guys opted to take the more traditional route by choosing the analog recording process over the digital. What made you decide to do that?

NF: Digital has its merits, but at the end of the day, there’s something that happens in tubes and tapes that digital can’t quite match. When you’re playing to a click track, that’s alright for writing music and composition, but a click track can kinda suck the life out of a song, sometimes. We just wanted to be really well rehearsed and just put it down on tape like a life recording.

SC: You recruited Joe Baressi to produce this album, and he has worked with everyone from Hole to Queens of the Stone Age. What was it like working with him on “Beale Street?”

NF: It was great. As far as personality goes, within a day, it felt like we’ve known him for years. He’s kind of a rare find these days of a producer with a very, very strong engineering background, who knows about mics and placement and isn’t afraid to take a razor blade to tape. He had a perfect resume for this job.

SC: I know that with “Robot Hive” jamming played an important part in its creation. What was the creative process like in making “Beale Street?”

NF: It’s the same as it ever was. Just go into the basement, write some riffs and I put some lyrics to it. It’s absolutely nothing different to this than anything we’ve done in the past sixteen years.

SC: Clutch has a very intense live show. I’ve heard that your stage presence is electrifying. What can all the Gearheads and Clutch virgins expect from your live show at Soul Kitchen?

NF: Sincere, straight-up rock and roll.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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