Clutch is a Maryland based hard rock band formed in 1991 and, with the exception of a three year period when they had a keyboard player, have had the same four members throughout their history. To date, Clutch has released ten studio albums. The eleventh, Psychic Warfare, is set to drop on October 2, 2015. Clutch is: Neil Fallon- Vocals-Guitars, Jean-Paul Gaster- Drums, Dan Maines- Bass, and Tim Sult- Guitar.
Side Stage Magazine: Your 2013 release Earth Rocker, Made it all the way to #1 on ITunes rock chart, Do you expect your new album, Psychic Warfare (coming out October 2nd), to have the same success?
Dan Maines: I certainly hope so. It’s all about getting the word out that the record is coming out. I feel like there is a good level of anticipation with this release.
This is on your own label, Weathermaker music? When did you start this?
Our first label experience right off the bat was a major label deal that we signed in 1993 with Atco records – they became East West records. That was a sister company to Atlantic. It was a big deal. In 1993 there was still a lot of hype surrounding Nirvana and bands of the like. Major labels were just kind of signing every band that they went to see last Friday night in the night club. There were a lot of expectations and I’m sure a lot of money being thrown around promoting these bands including ourselves. Of course, only a small percentage of these bands are going to succeed in a way that will make a major label executive happy and will make them want to continue that relationship. At that time Clutch just wasn’t doing what these label exes had in mind as far as expectations and album sales. We have never have been the kind of band that was willing to jump through hoops for these people. It was kind of a relationship that was doomed from the beginning.
We moved onto other labels. Eventually found our way onto some independent labels. We discovered over time that it really doesn’t matter what size the label is – there is always going to be roadblocks put in front of a band. We were just kind of fed up with it. We’ve been doing this for a long time – close to 25 years. We just felt like nobody was going to care more about your band than yourself. Luckily, we have developed a fan base that we could rely on. There was a core fan base that was going to buy a Clutch record when it came out. We had developed some key relationships with people. We felt like we could just put together a core team of just two or three people that would put all of their 100% focus all on Clutch – including ourselves putting in the work as well. It’s been a learning experience but I think that it worked, especially in today’s climate. We learned a little more DIY approach can get you places. Being a band from the Washington D.C. area and growing up with the whole egos of the whole discord mentality, it just seemed like it wasn’t that far-fetched of an idea at worst. So we went for it. And things have been going well.
The new record seems to have a pretty heavy funk and blues influence, was that the plan before you started writing or did it just evolve when you guys got together and jammed?
I think that is a pretty good description of a lot of Clutch’s music. I think going into this record we definitely wanted to have a little more of the funk aspect of the band shine through than on Earth Rocker, which was by design very straight forward rock album. We wanted Psychic Warfare to have a broader spectrum of what Clutch can do musically. Funk is definitely a key element of the band. It was a conscious effort to put out a little more funk here.
So the four of you have been together for over 24 years, was there ever a time that you thought that this isn’t going to work? What has kept you together all this time, what is the glue that has kept you together?
It’s just our love of the music. The mutual respect of what the four of us can do together as a band. I think it’s definitely worthwhile for every band to sit back and reflect on what makes the band sound the way it sounds. It’s a collection of the people involved and especially for Clutch when we write a song it’s very much a group effort. It’s usually all of us with no pre-conceived ideas it’s just us getting together and jamming, and coming up with something on the spot. That is usually where the best stuff comes from.
There is always going to be drama within a band. You’re traveling from city to city, which is stressful on its own. And combine that with being forced to travel in tight spaces with 5-10 other people that can be very stressful. You just have to be aware of that and know that when something comes up that gets under your skin. Got to be a man about it…it’s like a marriage, if you want the relationship to last you got to do things on a conscious level to make things last.
Your upcoming tour, lots of dates, I see you have the Aftershock festival and Knotfest listed.
I look forward to both aspects of the tour – festivals are a lot of fun obviously, it’s a great opportunity to see a lot of great music and you will be playing to more people than you normally would in a club environment. It can be a little more of a headache as well because everything is so rushed. A lot of times you don’t get a sound check. Throw your gear up there and hope for the best. Sometimes it makes the performance better a little more spontaneity. I still enjoy playing our regular club shows as well. It’s a different vibe; they both have their own qualities that I enjoy.
Do you have any special releases planned for your 25th anniversary?
That is something that is in the back of our heads. We haven’t really sat down and discussed it much, but I am sure there will be something in the works. I have no idea what it could possibly be yet. It’s a great idea.
You guys just played the Shindig festival in Baltimore what were your thoughts on that festival?
I think it’s a great festival. It’s the second year in a row that we have played it. It’s a hometown gig for us as well. It’s nice for me because it’s an opportunity to bring my whole family out. I have some small children that don’t do well in nightclubs. So it’s a fun show for me. The festival itself is run really well. They had some really good bands – they always do. I look forward to another opportunity to play the festival in the future.
What are your thoughts on streaming music?
Well you know there are pros and cons. Being a consumer of music I can see the convenience of it. Being part owner of our record label, it’s slightly frustrating aspect to music distribution. I think it’s still a work in progress. It’s always been a challenge from day one for an artist to feel like he is getting paid properly for his work. Musicians had to go through a lot to ensure that they were getting paid fairly from the record labels outing out their records. Now it’s the same process with streaming. Eventually we are going to get to a place where bands feel like they are getting their fair share of the process. The technology is there we can’t go backwards and make it not available. It’s something that you have to do your best to deal with.
Do you have any plans with the Bakerton Group in the future?
I hope so. It’s kind of tough because once a Clutch album comes out it’s full throttle, all engines on for Clutch. There is just a lot going on. It’s always something that’s definitely in the back of our minds. I think the first step is shows. I think we should work on bigger group shows and hopefully a record will materialize out of that. It’s a lot of fun and it’s very beneficial to Clutch too. It kind of forces us in different directions.
Is there anything you want to say to your fans?
Keep a heads up for the record. It comes out October 2nd. Keep an eye on the calendar to see when we are swinging through your area and come out if you can.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Headline tour with guests Corrosion of Conformity, The Shrine:
10-03-15 in Ft Lauderdale, FL at Revolution
10-04-15 in St Petersburg, FL at Jannus Live
10-06-15 in Nashville, TN at Marathon Music Works
10-07-15 in Charlotte, NC at Amos’ Southend
10-09-15 in Hampton Beach, NH at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
10-10-15 in Clifton Park, NY at Upstate Concert Hall
10-11-15 in New Haven, CT at Toad’s Place
10-13-15 in Indianapolis, IN at The Vogue
10-14-15 in Chicago, IL at House Of Blues
10-15-15 in Grand Rapids, MI at Orbit Room
10-16-15 in Sauget, IL at Pop’s Nightclub
10-17-15 in Lincoln, NE ab Bourbon Theatre
10-18-15 in Fargo, ND at Scheels Arena
10-20-15 in Billings, MT at Shrine Auditorium
10-22-15 in Spokane, WA at Knitting Factory Concert House
10-23-15 in Boise, ID at Knitting Factory Concert House
Co-headline with Mastodon:
10-26-15 in Tucson, AZ at Rialto Theatre (Clutch closes)
10-28-15 in Austin, TX as Austin Music Hall
10-29-15 in Dallas, TX as Gas Monkey Live (Clutch closes)
10-30-15 in Houston, TX at Bayou Music Center
Special shows:
10-24-15 in Sacramento, CA at Gibson Ranch (Aftershock)
10-25-15 in San Bernadino, CA at San Manuel Amphitheater (Knotfest)
10-31-15 in New Orleans, LA at Voodoo Festival
Check the website for more information: www.pro-rock.com
