Stoner rock band Clutch are known for their rigorous touring schedule which helps to maintain a dedicated following.
Clutch released their major record label debut album Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes and Undeniable Truths in 1993. The thrash metal/punk guitars with angrily delivered lyrics is a style the band would move away from on subsequent releases, gradually introducing a bluesy feel to their music. The band's follow-up, 1995's Clutch, would prove to be their biggest seller to date. The single "Careful With That Mic." from the Pure Rock Fury album was a hit for the band, taking them into the Top 30 of the Mainstream Rock charts. The band enlisted Jackass Bam Margera to direct the "Mob Goes Wild" video, which helped take the Blast Tyrant album into the Billboard 200 in 2004. The band's 2007 album From Beale Street to Oblivion was released to critical praise and has been described as the best album the band have produced. Their latest relase, Strange Cousins From the West (2009) is yet another build on their impressive and ever changing style.
Maines, Sult, Gaster, and Fallon have a side project in the form of jazz-blues-rock band The Bakerton Group. They put out an EP, (without Fallon)Space Guitar (2000), and released a self-titled album in 2007. El Rojo was released in 2009.
Since 1991 these individuals have been challenging rock n' roll's limits, and Clutch show no signs of abandoning the unique experimentation that has defined them. Check out the Spanish cover of Poppo's Blues Band's "Algo Ha Cambiado" for proof. Neil's voice functions as an instrument on its own, and it helps carry Clutch into a new realm.
"If you're not learning then you're retiring," says Neil. "You've got to take risks to learn, and there's always something to learn. When you go to your grave, you're only going to have learned a fraction of what's truly out there. This record isn't so far flung from our other albums and, as far as the spectrum of rock music goes, it's not alien. Nevertheless, if we repeated one formula that would be a slow death."
The only formula that Clutch will ever subscribe to is one of progression—on stage and off. Strange Cousins is particularly special for the band because it's the first full-length of new material to be released via the band's very own indie label, Weathermaker Music. They released a CD/DVD collection of live songs, Full Fathom Five and The Bakerton Group's El Rojo through the label, but this is the first new Clutch to come from Weathermaker."There is a sense of gratification when you can call all the shots and cut out some of the middlemen. There's no artistic difference between what we're doing now and what we've done previously. We always did what we wanted to do even when we were with enormous labels like Atlantic. We've got a really good team put together to do this. We're not going to be the guy on the other side of the desk."
The band recorded the album with J. Robbins (Against Me!) in their hometown, and he once again encouraged them to be themselves. Neil comments, "He's got a really great instinct for capturing the true sound of a band. He's worth his weight and gold with his strong engineering background too."
Live, Clutch still own every stage they stomp onto. They remain a highlight at major festivals and music events worldwide from the UK's Download and Australia's Meredith Music Festival to Bonnaroo in the States. They were also a top act at the renowned Austin City Limits Festival in 2009. No matter what the forum, Clutch have cultivated a live show that can't be stopped. In between all of the festival appearances, Clutch have lined up a slew of headline dates across the U.S. for their faithful.
