WEBVTT 00:00:04.940 --> 00:00:09.980 It is Dan mains time today Welcome to the Dan 00:00:09.980 --> 00:00:14.259 time podcast. I am your host Dan McArdle Dan 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:18.820 time pot at gmail .com at Dan time pot across 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:21.739 the socials different dance every week on the 00:00:21.739 --> 00:00:25.800 show Sometimes some non dance and as I've said 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:30.039 many times before That is okay. That is healthy, 00:00:30.660 --> 00:00:33.719 but I love every new Dan talking to Dan episode 00:00:33.899 --> 00:00:36.920 and I sure hope you do too. Been pretty excited 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:39.560 to bring this one to you. I had a chance to connect 00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:42.740 with one of the founding members of the iconic 00:00:42.740 --> 00:00:46.500 Maryland -based blues rock, groove metal band, 00:00:46.619 --> 00:00:49.219 whatever you want to call them. Better yet, an 00:00:49.219 --> 00:00:53.380 institution called Clutch. We spoke just before 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:56.500 Dan joined the guys in Clutch on stage for their 00:00:56.500 --> 00:01:00.729 performance in Pensacola on May 12th. Dan Maines 00:01:00.729 --> 00:01:03.270 has been described as the anchor of the clutch 00:01:03.270 --> 00:01:07.569 sound. He and drummer Jean Paul Gaster, or JP, 00:01:08.209 --> 00:01:10.689 have been playing together since Dan's formative 00:01:10.689 --> 00:01:13.329 high school years when he had just switched from 00:01:13.329 --> 00:01:16.950 guitar to bass. Amit Sharma of Music Radar wrote 00:01:16.950 --> 00:01:19.950 about Dan and JP. They've got one of the most 00:01:19.950 --> 00:01:22.829 telepathic connections in all the rhythm sections 00:01:22.829 --> 00:01:26.420 across the world. Clutch consists of Neil Fallon 00:01:26.420 --> 00:01:29.599 on vocals, Tim Salt on guitar, Dan Maynes on 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:32.859 bass, and John Paul Gaster on drums. Neil also 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:35.760 contributes rhythm guitar and occasional harmonica. 00:01:36.299 --> 00:01:39.280 Dan has said before that his role in Clutch is 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:42.840 to provide a solid foundation. Trust me, whether 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:45.659 he's playing the Fender, the Gibson, or the Rick, 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:49.260 Dan is the backbone to every Clutch song. Whether 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:53.540 that's Bach and all, Spacegrass, Big News 1 and 00:01:53.540 --> 00:01:58.750 2, The Yeti, Mr. Shiny Cadillac -ness, Land of 00:01:58.750 --> 00:02:01.790 Pleasant Living. You can tell I'm rattling off 00:02:01.790 --> 00:02:05.409 some of my favorite songs. Minotaur, Behold the 00:02:05.409 --> 00:02:09.949 Colossus, Smoke Banshee, Mr. Freedom, Cyborg 00:02:09.949 --> 00:02:13.830 Betty, Mountain of Bone. Let me ask you this. 00:02:14.009 --> 00:02:16.830 How many four -piece bands playing professionally 00:02:16.830 --> 00:02:21.750 still consist of the original four members who 00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:28.129 met in high school? In 1989, 90, this is a brotherhood. 00:02:28.509 --> 00:02:32.270 Clutch has released 13 studio albums, five live 00:02:32.270 --> 00:02:35.870 albums, three compilation records, five EPs, 00:02:36.590 --> 00:02:39.710 10 singles, and two video albums. I'm probably 00:02:39.710 --> 00:02:42.349 still missing one. A lot of collectors releases. 00:02:42.870 --> 00:02:46.569 And since 2009, Clutch has been releasing music 00:02:46.569 --> 00:02:49.169 through their own label, Weathermaker Music. 00:02:50.270 --> 00:02:54.259 2022's Sunrise on Slaughter Beach. reached number 00:02:54.259 --> 00:02:57.479 three on the U .S. Top Hard Rock Albums Chart, 00:02:57.939 --> 00:03:00.840 making that their fourth consecutive album to 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:04.780 land in the top three of that category. Rolling 00:03:04.780 --> 00:03:09.259 Stone wrote in 2018, on record, Clutch are reliable. 00:03:09.719 --> 00:03:12.379 On stage, buoyed by their fun -loving public, 00:03:12.780 --> 00:03:15.280 they're unstoppable. I've seen this firsthand. 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:18.539 Clutch is one of the tightest units around. They 00:03:18.539 --> 00:03:21.300 delight their fans with different songs every 00:03:21.300 --> 00:03:24.060 night. All right, the New World Samurai Tour 00:03:24.060 --> 00:03:27.180 wraps up tonight in Columbus, Ohio. Clutch has 00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:29.259 been on the road through April and May promoting 00:03:29.259 --> 00:03:33.960 the first ever vinyl release of their debut LP, 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:38.479 1993's Transnational Speedway League. Following 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:41.580 tonight's show, Clutch takes a quick break before 00:03:41.580 --> 00:03:44.620 heading out on their first ever long anticipated 00:03:44.620 --> 00:03:47.979 Latin American tour beginning in Sao Paulo on 00:03:47.979 --> 00:03:52.199 July 18th. Getting back to Dan here, He lists 00:03:52.199 --> 00:03:55.240 as his influences Darrell Jennifer, Bad Brains, 00:03:55.580 --> 00:03:59.300 Rob Wright from No Means No, Billy Cox with Jimi 00:03:59.300 --> 00:04:02.379 Hendrix's Band of Gypsies, Jack Bruce from Cream, 00:04:02.659 --> 00:04:06.340 Geezer Butler, Black Sabbath. He is all about 00:04:06.340 --> 00:04:10.199 tone and complimenting the song and providing 00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:14.960 a warm, rich sound. And when you watch Clutch 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:17.699 perform live, you can see that he and the guys 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:22.779 are there to give you a show. to strive for excellence. 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:27.720 Yes, they do. All right. Let's get to the conversation 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:32.819 now. Can you dig it? This is Dan Maines from 00:04:32.819 --> 00:04:38.839 Clutch. Folks, this is a well -oiled machine. 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:42.920 And I'm just so pleased today to welcome Dan 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:45.819 Maines, one of the founding members of Clutch 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:49.439 to the show. How are you doing today, Dan? I'm 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:54.220 doing good, Dan. Thank you. Proud to be part 00:04:54.220 --> 00:05:02.279 of this elite club. Yeah. It's very nice to talk 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:04.860 to you. Well, it's good to talk to you as well. 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:08.459 I know you guys have played about 12 shows in 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:12.139 the past two weeks on the New World Samurai Tour, 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:17.329 the spring kind of April, May US tour here. First 00:05:17.329 --> 00:05:18.949 of all, before we get into some dance stuff, 00:05:19.350 --> 00:05:21.269 how's it going? Do you get used to the road? 00:05:21.389 --> 00:05:24.189 Are you road weary after two weeks or is this 00:05:24.189 --> 00:05:28.589 just a walk in the park? How's it going out there? 00:05:30.290 --> 00:05:33.670 Well, to be honest, right at the moment, it's 00:05:33.670 --> 00:05:38.790 a little rough. I just gave up coffee two days 00:05:38.790 --> 00:05:43.910 ago. Oh no. And I'm really regretting that decision. 00:05:44.230 --> 00:05:53.050 Not sure if it's going to stick. We tend to tour 00:05:53.050 --> 00:05:58.689 quite a bit, not as long of a stretch at one 00:05:58.689 --> 00:06:01.689 time as we used to back in our younger days. 00:06:03.310 --> 00:06:07.410 We've done tours in the past that have been anywhere 00:06:07.410 --> 00:06:11.790 between one to two months. One tour in particular 00:06:11.790 --> 00:06:15.519 was actually three months long. that was back 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:20.600 in the early 90s. And yeah, we just can't maintain 00:06:20.600 --> 00:06:25.720 that type of youthful stamina. Yeah, it seems 00:06:25.720 --> 00:06:29.399 like around the, I guess maybe the Pure Rock 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:36.019 Fury Tour, some of those 150, 200 plus date treks 00:06:36.019 --> 00:06:42.300 or years. Yeah, it's, you know, we've... We've 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:46.720 kind of found our comfort zone as far as how 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:51.360 much time works well for the four of us being 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:54.579 away from home. And then we try to space it out 00:06:54.579 --> 00:06:58.420 in between tours so that we can just continue 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:05.120 to keep it rolling without it being such a grind, 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:10.379 as you could say. But I mean, we thoroughly enjoy 00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:14.870 being on tour. We love playing shows You know, 00:07:14.870 --> 00:07:18.470 it's never really Anything that we don't look 00:07:18.470 --> 00:07:22.769 forward to as long as we can, you know, try to 00:07:22.769 --> 00:07:26.810 Keep it within reason Yeah, I know one of my 00:07:26.810 --> 00:07:29.709 favorite records earth rocker the title track 00:07:29.709 --> 00:07:31.709 where Neil comes out and says If you're gonna 00:07:31.709 --> 00:07:35.449 do it do it live on stage Or don't do it. Don't 00:07:35.449 --> 00:07:37.970 do it at all. That's what I've always loved about 00:07:37.970 --> 00:07:41.500 you guys and most of my favorite bands are live 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:45.639 bands and they get get a lot of energy from taking 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:48.920 the show out there to the masses because every 00:07:48.920 --> 00:07:52.399 tour you guys probably have people that quantify 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:55.000 this for you but maybe some of the excitement 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:58.600 is hey we're gonna we're gonna pick up some extra 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:00.399 fans here somebody's gonna bring their buddy 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.800 to the show at this point a dad's gonna bring 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:09.120 his 18 19 or or maybe even 14 year old son on 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:12.220 some of the hall ages gigs and you get some of 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:15.279 that exposure. Is that pretty exciting with each 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:18.620 passing tour that you're grabbing some new fans? 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:22.680 Absolutely. Yeah, there's definitely a generational 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:26.040 thing going on at this point. You know, we've 00:08:26.040 --> 00:08:32.539 been together since 1991. You know, so we have 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:35.899 fans that have been with us from the very beginning 00:08:35.899 --> 00:08:41.230 or close to it, you know, and Either they've 00:08:41.230 --> 00:08:43.929 gotten to the age where they're now bringing 00:08:43.929 --> 00:08:48.269 out their children. And it's great to see that. 00:08:48.909 --> 00:08:51.909 That's, you know, that's what's going to keep 00:08:51.909 --> 00:08:56.309 this type of music alive is, you know, passing 00:08:56.309 --> 00:09:02.909 it on. And we first started noticing that with 00:09:02.909 --> 00:09:07.129 a tour we did with Motorhead for the first time 00:09:07.129 --> 00:09:11.139 over a decade ago. But we were kind of surprised 00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:17.019 at how wide range in age their audience was. 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:20.799 And it shouldn't have been a shock. But it was 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:26.200 that same thing where it was like, you could 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:29.440 have up to three generations of family members 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:34.039 coming out all enjoying the show equally. And 00:09:34.039 --> 00:09:37.139 we're like, wow, that's something to really strive 00:09:37.139 --> 00:09:40.480 for. And we're definitely seeing a lot of that 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:44.419 with our own shows. And it's a good feeling. 00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:47.960 It's a good feeling. You know, it's like, you 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:50.379 know, you know that there's an element to your 00:09:50.379 --> 00:09:54.179 music that translates to the younger generation. 00:09:55.179 --> 00:09:59.159 And, you know, it's nice to know that the people 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:02.279 who have been, you know, fans of yours for a 00:10:02.279 --> 00:10:05.179 while are sticking with it. And it's great to 00:10:05.179 --> 00:10:09.279 see that. Yeah, that is so cool. I My children 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:12.360 are pretty young right now. So when I travel 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:15.740 with them, I don't try to blast their ears off 00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:18.840 with the heaviest fastest stuff I can think of 00:10:18.840 --> 00:10:22.419 you know, we kind of bounce around from Bluey 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:25.080 and blaze and the Monster Machine songs to let 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:27.919 me just sneak in Well, I don't know if I played 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:31.960 Cyborg Betty or I think I have played Slaughter 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:35.549 Beach from the latest record And I just tested 00:10:35.549 --> 00:10:37.809 out, you know, and it's so much fun. You look 00:10:37.809 --> 00:10:40.370 in the rear view mirror and my three year old 00:10:40.370 --> 00:10:43.570 has, he's got long blonde hair and I'll see him 00:10:43.570 --> 00:10:45.669 doing that slow head bang, you know, not the 00:10:45.669 --> 00:10:49.429 real riveting pace, but I'm like, okay, there's 00:10:49.429 --> 00:10:51.590 something, something I can work with here in 00:10:51.590 --> 00:10:56.529 about 10 years. I think he's, he likes it. That's 00:10:56.529 --> 00:11:00.009 awesome. That's awesome. Yeah. My, my kids, I 00:11:00.009 --> 00:11:04.809 have four kids myself. And, you know, they were 00:11:04.809 --> 00:11:10.190 obviously exposed to clutch music as far back 00:11:10.190 --> 00:11:15.750 as being in the womb. And it's just, you know, 00:11:15.789 --> 00:11:21.549 I think that, you know, some I think have latched 00:11:21.549 --> 00:11:26.549 onto it more aggressively than others. And our 00:11:26.549 --> 00:11:30.909 youngest one especially, he seems to be the hard 00:11:30.909 --> 00:11:37.129 rocker of the bunch. He is eight years old and 00:11:37.129 --> 00:11:40.909 he loves coming out to the shows whenever he 00:11:40.909 --> 00:11:46.529 can make it and he looks to me like a future 00:11:46.529 --> 00:11:52.070 drummer. He's got that innate rhythm and I'll 00:11:52.070 --> 00:11:56.289 have to try to put a kit in front of him as soon 00:11:56.289 --> 00:11:59.850 as possible because it'll be nice to get some 00:11:59.850 --> 00:12:03.129 good practicing at home too. Maybe maybe John 00:12:03.129 --> 00:12:09.590 Paul will give him a lesson or two Yeah That 00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:13.190 would be a good start for him for sure Well, 00:12:13.190 --> 00:12:15.529 I know as you guys get older not unlike a lot 00:12:15.529 --> 00:12:18.190 of bands that have been out there doing it As 00:12:18.190 --> 00:12:20.710 long as you have you get older, you know, the 00:12:20.710 --> 00:12:24.970 girlfriends become wives the relationships spawn 00:12:24.970 --> 00:12:28.970 children the band endures the records endure 00:12:28.970 --> 00:12:32.169 but you have that element that maybe wasn't there 00:12:32.169 --> 00:12:36.070 on the Elephant Riders tour or when you're recording 00:12:36.070 --> 00:12:40.090 Jam Room or some of those earlier records. Is 00:12:40.090 --> 00:12:44.049 it hard and maybe going back to the pandemic 00:12:44.049 --> 00:12:46.710 interruption where you're now all of a sudden 00:12:46.710 --> 00:12:49.389 everybody's home, everyone's sitting still and 00:12:49.389 --> 00:12:52.129 you form the bonds and you're hanging out, you're 00:12:52.129 --> 00:12:53.889 always around and all of a sudden we're back 00:12:53.889 --> 00:12:58.970 to normal and we're out again. Is that difficult 00:12:58.970 --> 00:13:02.679 to To kind of move back into what into the clutch 00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:07.500 machine after something like that? Well after 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:12.919 the I mean the pandemic that you know was obviously 00:13:12.919 --> 00:13:19.659 a very challenging time for Anybody as far as 00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:23.500 being in a band during that it always especially 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:30.669 challenging because it cut off the ability to 00:13:30.669 --> 00:13:35.929 do such a large part of your job, which is traveling 00:13:35.929 --> 00:13:38.830 and getting in front of people and playing your 00:13:38.830 --> 00:13:44.809 music. And it was, I think we were really fortunate 00:13:44.809 --> 00:13:51.389 to have a good team in place that helped us figure 00:13:51.389 --> 00:13:56.970 out what to do and how to do it. And we were 00:13:56.970 --> 00:14:02.039 lucky enough to have a space. We have a warehouse 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:08.899 at home. That's where we get together and rehearse. 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:13.500 I use the word rehearse in a very loose term. 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:20.200 But we set it up with some, well, initially it 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:23.820 was just Neil's laptop set up in the corner of 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:32.519 the room. And we figured out how to stream what 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:41.320 was going into Neil's computer lens to the group 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:45.159 of people who were brave enough to buy a ticket 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:48.519 to this online show that we were trying to put 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:55.720 on. And that first show was a very bare bones 00:14:56.039 --> 00:15:03.419 but it was very eye -opening as to what it was, 00:15:03.419 --> 00:15:07.320 you know, eventually possible. We called that 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:10.559 the Doom Saloon, and that was our first live 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:16.299 stream. And by the time we decided to do it again, 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:22.759 we enlisted the help of some friends with a production 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:27.240 team. and brought in some actual cameras and 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:33.879 a couple of light cans and brought our road down 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:40.259 guy down to help set up a multi board mix. And 00:15:40.259 --> 00:15:45.000 that, I mean, that really saved our asses. And 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:50.679 it gave us an opportunity to stay connected to 00:15:50.679 --> 00:15:55.500 our fans. and, you know, kept us in a good headspace 00:15:55.500 --> 00:16:01.299 to try to write, you know, new material also, 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:05.539 because, you know, that was kind of the reason, 00:16:06.019 --> 00:16:08.720 or not the reasoning, but the thought process 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:10.840 was, well, you know, we have all this downtime, 00:16:11.019 --> 00:16:13.320 what are we going to do? It's like, well, obviously 00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:16.299 we should be writing music, but it was a really 00:16:16.299 --> 00:16:21.049 challenging time to feel inspired to write. But 00:16:21.049 --> 00:16:24.230 those doom saloon shows, you know, really kept 00:16:24.230 --> 00:16:29.649 our spirits up. And eventually we, you know, 00:16:29.669 --> 00:16:33.409 we did write the songs that eventually ended 00:16:33.409 --> 00:16:37.309 up being the Slaughter Beach album. But yeah, 00:16:37.309 --> 00:16:39.730 that was, yeah, that was, I mean, obviously, 00:16:40.110 --> 00:16:42.809 you know, everybody has their own stories of 00:16:42.809 --> 00:16:45.909 those times. But I think that considering the 00:16:45.909 --> 00:16:50.799 circumstances, we weathered it. very well and 00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:55.720 I'm very proud of both the Doom Saloon shows 00:16:55.720 --> 00:17:00.740 that we put on and the Slaughter Beach album 00:17:00.740 --> 00:17:05.059 that came afterwards. And Dan, just hearing you 00:17:05.059 --> 00:17:07.559 talk about what was going on, the challenges 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:10.339 that you were facing, unlike other bands that 00:17:10.339 --> 00:17:12.660 have been together, which are not many in your 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:16.759 peer group, 30 plus years, it's not like you 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:20.990 live in Chicago and John Paul lives in Albuquerque 00:17:20.990 --> 00:17:23.809 and Neil's in st. Louis. It's like you you guys 00:17:23.809 --> 00:17:26.069 are all still based in Maryland. Is that right? 00:17:26.769 --> 00:17:29.970 Yeah for the most part Yeah, we all live within 00:17:29.970 --> 00:17:33.190 an hour's drive of each other. So you can kind 00:17:33.190 --> 00:17:37.890 of You can get to each other's houses And and 00:17:37.890 --> 00:17:40.789 you all four met in high school I mean everybody 00:17:40.789 --> 00:17:43.230 can think of I mean my older brother had a high 00:17:43.230 --> 00:17:46.470 school band. It was a metal band They were all 00:17:46.470 --> 00:17:49.849 quite talented but those years, you know, sometimes 00:17:49.849 --> 00:17:52.750 people, you've got two of them that are all in 00:17:52.750 --> 00:17:55.250 and two of them that are all in for that summer, 00:17:55.490 --> 00:17:59.490 but not so much the next fall and their interests 00:17:59.490 --> 00:18:04.009 change. How in the world do you guys keep the 00:18:04.009 --> 00:18:08.130 unit, the bond and from that age to, you must 00:18:08.130 --> 00:18:10.630 all feel like brothers, like blood brothers. 00:18:11.710 --> 00:18:15.089 Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, I don't, 00:18:15.390 --> 00:18:18.549 I don't really have a good answer as to why, 00:18:18.589 --> 00:18:20.769 you know, we've been able to stick together for 00:18:20.769 --> 00:18:24.269 as long as we have. I mean, we just, you know, 00:18:24.450 --> 00:18:28.589 not much has changed. And I guess that is the 00:18:28.589 --> 00:18:32.690 secret to it. You know, we just, you know, I 00:18:32.690 --> 00:18:36.910 think we all share the same mentalities. We all 00:18:36.910 --> 00:18:41.650 kind of had similar interests musically when 00:18:41.650 --> 00:18:47.000 we met. We didn't really have very lofty goals 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:52.799 for the band when it started. It was just something 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:58.299 fun to do. And we felt lucky to get the shows 00:18:58.299 --> 00:19:01.920 that we were getting. And it just kept building 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:07.039 and growing. And we just continued feeling lucky. 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:12.069 And just really grateful to be doing it, you 00:19:12.069 --> 00:19:14.769 know, at first for fun and then eventually for 00:19:14.769 --> 00:19:19.329 a living. And, you know, that's something that 00:19:19.329 --> 00:19:25.289 we really try to cherish and pay a lot of respect 00:19:25.289 --> 00:19:28.769 to that. And, you know, the four of us, we just, 00:19:29.710 --> 00:19:33.309 we enjoy getting together in a room and creating 00:19:33.309 --> 00:19:38.710 music. And I think that is, you know, the crux 00:19:38.710 --> 00:19:43.019 of it. We like to sit at home and write a riff 00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:45.400 and get excited about showing it to the other 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:49.460 guys, seeing what they can do with it, and seeing 00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:54.559 what we can build. And the process of writing 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:59.940 collect songs hasn't changed any bit since the 00:19:59.940 --> 00:20:02.920 very beginning. And we always try to keep an 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:06.299 open mind about trying new ideas, trying if somebody 00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:10.089 has an interest in trying. a different style 00:20:10.089 --> 00:20:12.490 than you know it's not something we're like well 00:20:12.490 --> 00:20:15.650 that's not what this band is about try not to 00:20:15.650 --> 00:20:19.410 really have any kind of rules about that and 00:20:19.410 --> 00:20:22.009 you know sometimes it works and sometimes it 00:20:22.009 --> 00:20:27.970 doesn't but we are always you know writing for 00:20:27.970 --> 00:20:30.309 each other more than anything else and just trying 00:20:30.309 --> 00:20:33.910 to find something that all four of us can eventually 00:20:33.910 --> 00:20:37.529 kind of you know really get excited about. And 00:20:37.529 --> 00:20:41.609 when it happens, it's something special You know 00:20:41.609 --> 00:20:43.809 another thing that I think keeps a unit together 00:20:43.809 --> 00:20:48.670 is a sense of humor I don't know who's cracking 00:20:48.670 --> 00:20:52.150 up who I guess the fans assume that Neal's got 00:20:52.150 --> 00:20:54.470 all the jokes I mean the lyrics sometimes a lot 00:20:54.470 --> 00:20:56.430 of the tongue -in -cheek stuff, you know and 00:20:56.430 --> 00:20:59.890 I watch a video like hot -bottom feeder and it's 00:20:59.890 --> 00:21:01.950 just spectacular and then what comes across in 00:21:01.950 --> 00:21:05.829 that video not just the hilarity but You guys 00:21:05.829 --> 00:21:08.369 look like you've been hanging out for a long 00:21:08.369 --> 00:21:12.289 time and been traveling together. And I love 00:21:12.289 --> 00:21:18.150 how he keeps serving the crab cakes to you. Yeah, 00:21:18.150 --> 00:21:21.349 that was a fun one to make. We shot that video 00:21:21.349 --> 00:21:26.509 and the video for how to shake hands on the same 00:21:26.509 --> 00:21:31.440 day. And we shot how to shake hands first. And 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:34.039 that was kind of a long, exhausting process. 00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:37.819 So when it came time to shoot the second video, 00:21:38.680 --> 00:21:40.680 and the premise was that Neil was going to cook 00:21:40.680 --> 00:21:47.980 us dinner, that was very exciting. We all thoroughly 00:21:47.980 --> 00:21:52.039 enjoyed that. And Dan, do you think that something 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:54.619 like that, or some of the creative freedom that 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:57.359 you have, would it have been different had you 00:21:57.359 --> 00:22:02.430 not started The Weathermaker? music label in 00:22:02.430 --> 00:22:06.869 2008 if you're Yeah, maybe I mean honestly, I 00:22:06.869 --> 00:22:10.950 think The fact that we did start weathermaker. 00:22:10.950 --> 00:22:19.509 It was just an inevitability because as Exciting 00:22:19.509 --> 00:22:23.970 and helpful as it was being on the major labels 00:22:23.970 --> 00:22:26.609 for those first three albums that we put out 00:22:27.280 --> 00:22:31.220 each time we put out one of those records, it 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:37.460 really wasn't something that the labels were 00:22:37.460 --> 00:22:43.380 fully expecting or prepared to kind of figure 00:22:43.380 --> 00:22:46.380 out what to do with. You know, I think when we 00:22:46.380 --> 00:22:50.549 first signed to Atlantic back in 1990, or East 00:22:50.549 --> 00:22:55.990 West it was in 92, 93 for transnational. That 00:22:55.990 --> 00:22:59.630 was when if you were in a band, it seemed like 00:22:59.630 --> 00:23:02.809 you were going to get signed or approached to 00:23:02.809 --> 00:23:07.049 be signed. Because the success of bands like 00:23:07.049 --> 00:23:14.470 Nirvana and Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, those 00:23:14.470 --> 00:23:19.450 bands that really just kind of open up the doors 00:23:19.450 --> 00:23:24.170 for this heavier type of music to be more mainstream. 00:23:25.250 --> 00:23:27.190 It seemed like everybody was getting signed and 00:23:27.190 --> 00:23:31.750 we were one of them. And when we made the records, 00:23:32.029 --> 00:23:34.950 they're like, well, this isn't exactly what we 00:23:34.950 --> 00:23:38.549 thought it was going to be. And, you know, we 00:23:38.549 --> 00:23:41.869 went through that process a few times and it 00:23:41.869 --> 00:23:45.990 was just, you know, obvious that we would have, 00:23:45.990 --> 00:23:49.150 you know, one or two cheerleaders at the label, 00:23:49.190 --> 00:23:52.390 but it wasn't enough. And our sales certainly 00:23:52.390 --> 00:23:56.410 weren't enough to persuade anybody to spend the 00:23:56.410 --> 00:24:03.369 extra effort to see what could be done. And in 00:24:03.369 --> 00:24:08.589 the late 90s, after we made the Elephant Riders 00:24:08.589 --> 00:24:13.690 album, we recorded an album on our own, self 00:24:13.690 --> 00:24:19.880 -funded, and put it out. just available through 00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:25.700 our website. This is 1999, I think. The album 00:24:25.700 --> 00:24:31.460 was Jam Room. And we created this label. At the 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:36.059 time, we were living in a house along the Potomac 00:24:36.059 --> 00:24:40.000 River. And so we called it River Road Records. 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:45.720 And it was just kind of like an experiment. What 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:49.329 would it be like to just put out something completely 00:24:49.329 --> 00:24:53.809 on your own, which wasn't a foreign concept to 00:24:53.809 --> 00:24:57.869 us at all. Growing up in the DC, Maryland, Virginia 00:24:57.869 --> 00:25:02.410 area, when you have that whole punk scene of 00:25:02.410 --> 00:25:06.230 the 80s with Minor Threat and then eventually 00:25:06.230 --> 00:25:11.569 Fugazi. Fugazi is the epitome of DIY. We were 00:25:11.569 --> 00:25:14.690 like, well, obviously it's possible. So let's 00:25:14.690 --> 00:25:19.640 see what it's like. And it was a good experiment. 00:25:19.819 --> 00:25:23.319 And we actually ended up kind of going halfway 00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:27.319 between doing it indie and doing it major and 00:25:27.319 --> 00:25:34.119 signing to an independent label for the next 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:38.240 three albums. That was Blast, Tyrant, Robot Hive, 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:42.900 Exodus, and Beale Street. And each one of those 00:25:42.900 --> 00:25:47.779 releases, the label was slowly kind of degenerating 00:25:47.779 --> 00:25:49.880 to the point where it just wasn't sustainable 00:25:49.880 --> 00:25:55.960 anymore. So then we decided to go full tilt with 00:25:55.960 --> 00:26:03.160 just doing it on our own. And that was 2007 or 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:07.480 eight, I believe, we decided to create weathermaker 00:26:07.480 --> 00:26:11.160 music. And that's when we put out Strange Cousins 00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:15.500 from the West. And, you know, I think that we 00:26:15.500 --> 00:26:19.279 were definitely in a good spot just being having 00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:22.039 so many releases already you know you have this 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:28.519 built -in fan base that you could hopefully rely 00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:33.779 on figuring out how to to find your your independently 00:26:33.779 --> 00:26:37.839 released album and you know we were already touring 00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:42.099 steadily at that point too without the need for 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:45.880 tour support so you know, we were in a good position 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:51.019 to be able to start doing it on our own. And, 00:26:51.160 --> 00:26:53.599 you know, it does free up, not, I mean, it doesn't 00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:59.500 really, we never really adhere any type of standard 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:03.279 musically when it came to, you know, like Columbia 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:06.880 Records wants an album from us, you know, we're 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:10.619 going to have to deliver something, you know, 00:27:10.880 --> 00:27:14.160 potentially mainstream, but that thought, for 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:17.019 whatever reason didn't cross our minds, which 00:27:17.019 --> 00:27:20.819 is I guess why we'd never made a second record 00:27:20.819 --> 00:27:27.880 on Columbia. But as far as the creativity, it 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:33.940 frees us up to create our own schedule. And you 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:38.480 don't have somebody else telling you, okay, well, 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:43.220 we're gonna need an album from you. at this time 00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:45.920 and then you're gonna have to tour on it, you 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:49.400 know, for X amount of months and so on. It's 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:51.579 like, you know, those kinds of decisions are 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:58.660 now ours to make and that frees us up to do more 00:27:58.660 --> 00:28:03.420 creative things on the album, on the songwriting 00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:08.099 side of things. So it's a win -win for us and 00:28:08.099 --> 00:28:11.799 I think for our fans because A Clutch fan, I 00:28:11.799 --> 00:28:16.920 think, is a very unique music fan. And I think 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:20.240 they don't expect to hear the same thing from 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:22.640 us that they heard from us the previous album, 00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:29.980 which is a very nice position to be in. And we 00:28:29.980 --> 00:28:32.920 really appreciate that and try to take advantage 00:28:32.920 --> 00:28:36.319 of that. Yeah, I would agree. I think that most 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:40.329 Clutch fans Probably have a diverse catalog themselves 00:28:40.329 --> 00:28:44.549 of music like you said they're not Hanging on 00:28:44.549 --> 00:28:47.809 the next record and you know, man if this thing's 00:28:47.809 --> 00:28:51.069 not Doesn't sound like elephant riders. I'm out 00:28:51.069 --> 00:28:54.069 if they don't get a little heavier I'm out if 00:28:54.069 --> 00:28:57.109 they don't go back to the Beale Street sound 00:28:57.109 --> 00:28:59.589 I'm gonna be so disappointed I mean, I'm sure 00:28:59.589 --> 00:29:03.309 there's every band has some of that element that 00:29:03.309 --> 00:29:05.970 you can't please everybody but I would say the 00:29:05.970 --> 00:29:10.000 clutch is unique in that Especially with your 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:13.660 set lists and live performances You don't have 00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:16.279 like the big five or the big eight songs that 00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:19.460 all right Well, we we have to play we've got 00:29:19.460 --> 00:29:22.480 to fill up half the set with these songs So and 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:24.119 we're promoting the new record. We'd like to 00:29:24.119 --> 00:29:26.759 play three, but I guess we'll just play one and 00:29:26.759 --> 00:29:30.799 so Exactly. Yeah like on this tour this tour 00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:36.819 were we're trying to promote the rerelease the 00:29:36.819 --> 00:29:40.859 very first album that we did for East West Transnational 00:29:40.859 --> 00:29:44.299 Speedway League, we were able to make a licensing 00:29:44.299 --> 00:29:48.920 deal with them to press up our own version of 00:29:48.920 --> 00:29:54.660 the album on vinyl. It's part of the Clutch Collector 00:29:54.660 --> 00:30:01.119 series. And that just came out earlier this month. 00:30:01.559 --> 00:30:04.980 So we're trying to play a lot of songs from that 00:30:04.980 --> 00:30:07.890 record. which is nice because those are songs 00:30:07.890 --> 00:30:10.710 that we really haven't been playing much in the 00:30:10.710 --> 00:30:15.549 past few years. And then also we change up our 00:30:15.549 --> 00:30:19.269 set lists every night. We have a system where 00:30:19.269 --> 00:30:22.509 a different band member is responsible for writing 00:30:22.509 --> 00:30:26.069 the set for each night. And it just rotates. 00:30:26.849 --> 00:30:30.769 How awesome is that? It's fun. It really is. 00:30:30.950 --> 00:30:38.599 It keeps us On our toes and like tonight is JP's 00:30:38.599 --> 00:30:42.619 list I think and He just said that we're gonna 00:30:42.619 --> 00:30:45.000 try a song or a sound check that we haven't played 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:51.099 in a while so it's you know, it's nice to Like 00:30:51.099 --> 00:30:54.220 you say, you know, we we don't have you know, 00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:57.019 there's six or seven songs are just kind of like 00:30:57.019 --> 00:31:01.599 our obvious hits that need to be in a set and 00:31:02.029 --> 00:31:05.589 The fans really enjoy the idea of mixing things 00:31:05.589 --> 00:31:10.630 up and it I mean what at this point I think in 00:31:10.630 --> 00:31:13.650 large part because of that we get a lot of people 00:31:13.650 --> 00:31:18.549 who come out to Two three or four shows at a 00:31:18.549 --> 00:31:20.910 time Knowing that you know, there's not gonna 00:31:20.910 --> 00:31:25.190 get the same show each time and that's cool to 00:31:25.190 --> 00:31:28.470 watch too Yeah, there's some some great bands. 00:31:28.470 --> 00:31:31.329 I know you guys just played welcome to Rockville 00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:34.380 By the way, what was did you get a chance to 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:38.519 take in Primus's set or helmet or? Drain. Oh, 00:31:38.660 --> 00:31:42.460 it was it was One frustrating thing about playing 00:31:42.460 --> 00:31:45.960 festivals like that is that there's so much overlap 00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:49.579 You know, it's like the same time that we were 00:31:49.579 --> 00:31:51.819 playing Queens of the Stone Age was playing it's 00:31:51.819 --> 00:31:54.200 like well It would have been nice to be able 00:31:54.200 --> 00:31:58.579 to see them Yeah, I did I was able to catch a 00:31:58.579 --> 00:32:01.450 couple of bands yesterday that I hadn't seen 00:32:01.450 --> 00:32:07.430 before and some that I have and it's always fun 00:32:07.430 --> 00:32:10.230 to play festivals. We played some interesting 00:32:10.230 --> 00:32:15.329 venues on this run so far. We played a cave three 00:32:15.329 --> 00:32:19.170 days ago in Pelham, Tennessee. There's a venue 00:32:19.170 --> 00:32:22.589 called the Caverns and it's just this massive 00:32:22.589 --> 00:32:30.109 cave that stretches like two or 300 yards deep. 00:32:30.250 --> 00:32:35.490 Yeah, it was pretty amazing. I was a little anxious 00:32:35.490 --> 00:32:43.009 going into it, but that was a fun experience. 00:32:43.809 --> 00:32:47.750 I can only imagine what you've seen out there. 00:32:48.210 --> 00:32:54.710 Am I in your hometown? Yes, Pensacola. I'll be 00:32:54.710 --> 00:32:57.809 at the gig tonight. And I had an interesting 00:32:57.809 --> 00:33:03.180 story about think it's been since 2017 that I've 00:33:03.180 --> 00:33:05.460 seen you guys because with the kids it's I see 00:33:05.460 --> 00:33:09.500 some shows I missed some shows but I was at the 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:12.339 the concert on December 7th 2017 I had to look 00:33:12.339 --> 00:33:17.140 this up and confirm which was a great show it 00:33:17.140 --> 00:33:22.000 was my oldest son who's six and a half his due 00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:25.200 date was December 8th I think or it may have 00:33:25.200 --> 00:33:28.609 been on the 7th And I was thinking oh man, I 00:33:28.609 --> 00:33:32.430 just I can't make the show now and he came He 00:33:32.430 --> 00:33:37.509 came three weeks early November 18th, so we get 00:33:37.509 --> 00:33:40.849 home. He's fine I waited about a week a little 00:33:40.849 --> 00:33:42.869 closer to the show when I asked my wife. Hey, 00:33:42.890 --> 00:33:45.789 you know You mind if I go this clutch show now 00:33:45.789 --> 00:33:48.269 since we're good. Everything's good. So I that 00:33:48.269 --> 00:33:51.589 was very memorable for me that She said sure 00:33:51.589 --> 00:33:54.140 you go ahead And I was just, I remember watching 00:33:54.140 --> 00:33:56.279 you guys play that night. It's like watching 00:33:56.279 --> 00:33:59.160 the Wolfman kindly request. And I'm thinking, 00:33:59.160 --> 00:34:02.099 man, I was almost not going to be here, which 00:34:02.099 --> 00:34:06.519 would have been great as well. But watching my 00:34:06.519 --> 00:34:10.380 son being born, but he's already here. That's 00:34:10.380 --> 00:34:14.619 great. Well, was that with, uh, uh, that was 00:34:14.619 --> 00:34:18.199 on the psychic warfare, the psychic warfare. 00:34:18.420 --> 00:34:23.769 Yeah. That's great. So now he is seven now. First 00:34:23.769 --> 00:34:26.090 year of kindergarten, just about in the books. 00:34:27.070 --> 00:34:33.010 Wow. Congratulations. It's no better experience 00:34:33.010 --> 00:34:37.590 than watching the kids grow up. Yeah, it's good. 00:34:37.869 --> 00:34:40.710 And like you said earlier in the call, if one 00:34:40.710 --> 00:34:43.469 of them likes some of the music that I like and 00:34:43.469 --> 00:34:47.269 we can go to a concert together, I kind of... 00:34:47.309 --> 00:34:50.150 Daydream about that day that night and when I 00:34:50.150 --> 00:34:53.730 go to shows and you can clearly see the dad and 00:34:53.730 --> 00:34:58.269 his son I just kind of sit back and get a little 00:34:58.269 --> 00:35:01.050 gleam in the eye. It's like all that's so cool 00:35:01.050 --> 00:35:07.110 I don't know where we left off. But yeah the 00:35:07.110 --> 00:35:09.449 Festival yesterday in the set list and some great 00:35:09.449 --> 00:35:12.010 bands like I was saying kind of have to stick 00:35:12.010 --> 00:35:17.300 to an exact set with JP presents his set to you 00:35:17.300 --> 00:35:20.460 guys or you present yours. Does anybody take 00:35:20.460 --> 00:35:22.880 a step back and say, Dan, really? We haven't 00:35:22.880 --> 00:35:25.260 played that in 17 years. We're going to bring 00:35:25.260 --> 00:35:29.340 it out tonight. No, not really. I mean, it's 00:35:29.340 --> 00:35:31.840 amazing. The amount of muscle memory at this 00:35:31.840 --> 00:35:36.920 point is pretty, it's very helpful. And you know, 00:35:36.920 --> 00:35:40.679 honestly, if I listened to a song once or twice 00:35:40.679 --> 00:35:45.880 on my headphones, I'll be able to plow myself. 00:35:46.059 --> 00:35:48.320 through the song, you know, and there's three 00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:51.960 other guys to cover up my mistakes. So it's not 00:35:51.960 --> 00:35:55.179 a, you know, it's not anything that we're afraid 00:35:55.179 --> 00:35:59.559 of. And, you know, it's just, it makes, it makes 00:35:59.559 --> 00:36:02.559 it more exciting for everybody, you know, not 00:36:02.559 --> 00:36:06.699 to be up on stage and like thinking about what 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:10.079 you had for lunch or thinking about, you know, 00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:12.239 what you're going to do in the next day is that 00:36:12.239 --> 00:36:15.760 that's going to make a terrible show. You know, 00:36:15.760 --> 00:36:18.239 you need to be in the moment. You need to be, 00:36:18.260 --> 00:36:21.719 you know, excited about what you're doing. And, 00:36:21.719 --> 00:36:24.039 uh, this is, this is one of those ways that we 00:36:24.039 --> 00:36:28.219 do it. We just try to keep it as fresh as possible. 00:36:28.900 --> 00:36:31.420 How has it been speaking of the first record 00:36:31.420 --> 00:36:33.440 and dusting off some of those songs when you. 00:36:33.800 --> 00:36:36.099 You're on stage, you know, you're about to launch 00:36:36.099 --> 00:36:39.000 into rats or heirloom and you're looking at the 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:41.159 front row. They don't know what's coming. And 00:36:41.159 --> 00:36:43.480 what's it like when you see those, you know, 00:36:43.480 --> 00:36:47.190 that hardcore. clutch group and they realize 00:36:47.190 --> 00:36:52.750 the opening notes. It's a great feeling and you 00:36:52.750 --> 00:36:54.809 know I just kind of like trans you know when 00:36:54.809 --> 00:36:57.730 we play some of these songs that we haven't played 00:36:57.730 --> 00:37:00.989 in a while it just kind of transports me back 00:37:00.989 --> 00:37:05.630 to that time period also and you know I feel 00:37:05.630 --> 00:37:10.510 like the energy that and excitement that that 00:37:10.510 --> 00:37:15.420 I had when we first wrote those songs kind of 00:37:15.420 --> 00:37:21.780 floods back and it's a good feeling and You know, 00:37:21.900 --> 00:37:25.599 I think that uh, you know, I bless, you know 00:37:25.599 --> 00:37:29.280 these older fans that have been with us long 00:37:29.280 --> 00:37:33.119 enough to to hang in there and wait for the day 00:37:33.119 --> 00:37:37.619 that we Dust off some of these older songs and 00:37:37.619 --> 00:37:41.110 you know, they didn't give up on us And for that, 00:37:41.110 --> 00:37:44.489 you know, we will gladly play, uh, binge and 00:37:44.489 --> 00:37:48.670 purge for them again. I was going to ask you 00:37:48.670 --> 00:37:50.409 what, you know, that was one of the songs that 00:37:50.409 --> 00:37:53.429 came to mind when one of the record label execs 00:37:53.429 --> 00:37:56.489 is, is listening to the demo and thinking, what 00:37:56.489 --> 00:37:58.829 we didn't, we weren't expecting this. They just 00:37:58.829 --> 00:38:01.230 looked the part of the bands that we were trying 00:38:01.230 --> 00:38:06.489 to gobble up the numbers and what is this? Yeah. 00:38:07.670 --> 00:38:12.469 Um, that, uh, Yep. That song got a sticker on 00:38:12.469 --> 00:38:17.650 our album. Our first and only sticker, I believe. 00:38:19.690 --> 00:38:22.530 But I mean, that song was just like, you know, 00:38:23.210 --> 00:38:25.630 the mythology behind it was just so blown out 00:38:25.630 --> 00:38:29.210 of proportion that we, you know, at some point 00:38:29.210 --> 00:38:31.489 it felt like it was just going to be a big disappointment 00:38:31.489 --> 00:38:38.440 when we did decide to play it again. But You 00:38:38.440 --> 00:38:44.280 know, I think that there's enough respect for 00:38:44.280 --> 00:38:48.139 the younger kids in our crowd nowadays for people 00:38:48.139 --> 00:38:53.360 to not go absolutely nuts like they may used 00:38:53.360 --> 00:38:55.900 to do back in the early 90s. And, you know, of 00:38:55.900 --> 00:38:57.920 course our bodies don't all move in the same 00:38:57.920 --> 00:39:02.019 directions as they used to also. So the danger 00:39:02.019 --> 00:39:05.400 posed by playing that song doesn't seem to be 00:39:05.400 --> 00:39:12.480 as. as strong as, uh, once thought. But, uh, 00:39:12.579 --> 00:39:17.139 the tour is just wrapping up and I hate to say 00:39:17.139 --> 00:39:20.659 it, but I just got to wrap up here as well because 00:39:20.659 --> 00:39:23.960 I hear the other guys downstairs plucking their 00:39:23.960 --> 00:39:26.260 instruments. So I got to hit the stage for a 00:39:26.260 --> 00:39:29.960 sound check. Absolutely. Dan. Well, I did want 00:39:29.960 --> 00:39:32.820 to say, I know you're about to start the South 00:39:32.820 --> 00:39:35.170 American Trek. This is very exciting for you 00:39:35.170 --> 00:39:38.730 guys. I think these days were planned for several 00:39:38.730 --> 00:39:42.389 years and wish you all the best there and can't 00:39:42.389 --> 00:39:45.550 wait to see you tonight. And folks listening 00:39:45.550 --> 00:39:47.650 to this show, if you haven't heard clutch or 00:39:47.650 --> 00:39:50.409 you haven't seen them in a long time, visit their 00:39:50.409 --> 00:39:53.110 website. I'll post it in the show notes here. 00:39:53.610 --> 00:39:56.469 Dan really appreciate you appearing on the Dan 00:39:56.469 --> 00:39:59.590 Time podcast today. Well, thank you, Dan. Thanks 00:39:59.590 --> 00:40:07.289 for having me. This fall, Clutch teams up with 00:40:07.289 --> 00:40:10.250 rival Suns for a co -headlining North American 00:40:10.250 --> 00:40:13.449 tour titled The Two -Headed Beast. This tour 00:40:13.449 --> 00:40:16.389 kicks off on September 5th in Brooklyn, New York. 00:40:16.789 --> 00:40:19.789 On this tour, expect Clutch to mostly focus on 00:40:19.789 --> 00:40:23.650 the songs from 2004's Blast Tyrant. Okay, my 00:40:23.650 --> 00:40:27.030 story with Clutch is a little unusual, but maybe 00:40:27.030 --> 00:40:30.650 not unprecedented. In the summer of 96, I first 00:40:30.650 --> 00:40:34.090 learned of Clutch when I saw a friend's copy 00:40:34.090 --> 00:40:38.010 of the self -titled 1995 release in a case logic. 00:40:38.590 --> 00:40:41.090 Just saw the artwork. But I never listened to 00:40:41.090 --> 00:40:44.989 the CD. A year or two later, I bought that CD 00:40:44.989 --> 00:40:48.510 for my brother Travis on his birthday. It didn't 00:40:48.510 --> 00:40:51.130 connect with him. It was a bust. I think he'll 00:40:51.130 --> 00:40:54.329 admit that he didn't give it enough time. Or 00:40:54.329 --> 00:40:59.570 at 16, 17 years old, in 97, 98, that sound just 00:40:59.570 --> 00:41:02.429 wasn't quite what the doctor ordered. But he 00:41:02.429 --> 00:41:05.510 reconnected with Clutch for Pure Rock Fury and 00:41:05.510 --> 00:41:08.670 Blast Tyrant and turned around and spread the 00:41:08.670 --> 00:41:11.289 word back to me. He said, hey, remember that 00:41:11.289 --> 00:41:13.510 band? Remember that CD that you got me that I 00:41:13.510 --> 00:41:17.789 said, why did you waste your time guessing on 00:41:17.789 --> 00:41:19.429 a gift for me when you could have just given 00:41:19.429 --> 00:41:24.389 me a gift card? Well, I love the band and you 00:41:24.389 --> 00:41:29.269 got to hear Blast Tyrant. So since then, for 00:41:29.269 --> 00:41:32.360 nearly 20 years, My brother and I have each put 00:41:32.360 --> 00:41:35.440 this band in our top tiers of favorite acts. 00:41:35.800 --> 00:41:39.280 He loves them for certain songs and I love Clutch 00:41:39.280 --> 00:41:45.159 for other songs and we unite in our admiration 00:41:45.159 --> 00:41:48.460 for this band. Now let me tell you what Clutch 00:41:48.460 --> 00:41:53.159 means to me. It's the unbreakable unit. It's 00:41:53.159 --> 00:41:57.000 the power groove. It's regular guys sticking 00:41:57.000 --> 00:42:01.190 to and honing their craft. It's the album covers, 00:42:01.550 --> 00:42:05.670 the artwork. It's the irreverence, the metaphors, 00:42:06.389 --> 00:42:09.849 Neil Fallon's rich and varied vocabulary and 00:42:09.849 --> 00:42:13.329 subjects, song titles, lyrical themes you'll 00:42:13.329 --> 00:42:16.349 never see anywhere else. I've carried Clutch's 00:42:16.349 --> 00:42:19.130 music through so many stages of my life, through 00:42:19.130 --> 00:42:23.489 my 20s, my 30s, and now my 40s, through multiple 00:42:23.489 --> 00:42:29.130 vehicles and times of triumph. Uncertainty, Despair, 00:42:29.650 --> 00:42:32.849 Transition, and Reemergence. Played Clutch on 00:42:32.849 --> 00:42:36.170 Jukeboxes. One thing is you can let it all hang 00:42:36.170 --> 00:42:38.690 out when you're singing along with Neil. You 00:42:38.690 --> 00:42:41.530 can beat your chest a little bit. You can just 00:42:41.530 --> 00:42:44.710 get lost in a riff, in a story. It's not for 00:42:44.710 --> 00:42:47.550 everybody and that's okay. But Clutch is the 00:42:47.550 --> 00:42:49.710 type of band that I think some of us feel was 00:42:49.710 --> 00:42:53.150 assembled just for us. I want to hear from you. 00:42:53.340 --> 00:42:56.519 Share with me your clutch story in the comments 00:42:56.519 --> 00:42:59.619 of any Dan Time post for this episode.