When a band comes along and knocks you on your ass, blind-siding you with a wholly unexpected journey, it’s hard not to take notice. With a prolific studio output and a legendary live reputation, Clutch are as unique as they are unpredictable, a true rock’n’roll unicorn.
Since their inception in 1991, the Maryland four-piece have ushered their burgeoning congregation through a multiverse of experiences, emerging as pioneering advocates of good times and big grooves. With elements of hardcore, country, rock, blues and other vibes, Clutch have danced their merry jig across the globe for over 30 years now, and it doesn’t look like the pace will be slowing any time soon.
Growing up in Maryland, they soaked up everything that the nearby DC scene would throw at them. From Fugazi to the legendary go-go rhythms of Trouble Funk, the variety of influences came thick and fast. The hardcore scene injected a fire within them, but it was the funk that made them who they are today. “That feeling of groove, I hear that all the time when we’re playing,” Clutch’s drummer Jean-Paul Gaster told Classic Rock’s Dave Everley. “Big beats and big sounds. That’s what I’m thinking when I’m playing. I’m thinking go-go.”
With fans and loyalists popping up from all areas of the rock and metal spectrum, Clutch are hard to hate. They’ve shared the spotlight with Slayer, Tool, Motörhead, Marilyn Manson, Dinosaur Jr, Mastodon, System Of A Down and Helmet, to name just a few – solid evidence that trying to fit them into a neat box is a fruitless exercise. And the joyous rhythms that permeate every live show flow directly into their studio recordings, making it hard not to want to move and dance. They exude the aura of a band truly comfortable and confident both in the studio and on stage.
Preacher, shaman, ringmaster; all have been used to describe Clutch’s frontman Neil Fallon, who oozes charisma like Clutch’s music radiates serotonin, syrupy and hearty; Clutch’s music fills you up. With Gaster on drums and Dan Maines on bass, they have a rhythm section for the ages, saturated with weight and feeling. And Tim Sult’s avant-garde guitar musings have him ranked with other sonic six-string pioneers such as Tom Morello.
Together, the four are a tour de force. On stage they are peerless. As their 2015 track Earth Rocker preaches: ‘If you’re going to do it, do it live on stage, or don’t do it at all.’ Amen to that.
...and one to avoid
