CLUTCH

Success for a rock and roll band can often peak and then all but disappear, particularly when the band themselves have had a career spanning decades. However, it is apparent when looking to Maryland riff-masters Clutch, they still maintain relevance after almost 24 years since their inception.

Neil Fallon, guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster have become something of a well-oiled machine, shifting focus from their early days of heady fame to a solid musical endeavour.

“I think at the very beginning we were much more musically, I don’t want to use the world naïve because that sounds too harsh, but speaking for myself I was closed-minded,” explains Fallon, lead vocalist and guitar player in the four-piece. “I mean we were a hard-core band and that’s all we ever thought we were and we didn’t really think about anything else.

“But then we kind of slowly got burnt out on that and ever since we have tried to educate ourselves to try new things.”

It’s a transition that leaves no doubt as to why their latest offering Earth Rocker has been well-received by their fans and critics alike. Yet, while trying new things has added to their success, some habits are not worth breaking.

“We’ve done it the same way since day one. That is, get four of us into a room and wait for someone to start playing a riff,” Fallon explains.

“Usually when we stumble upon something, everybody looks at each other and we play it over and over again. Then John Paul puts a beat to it and we try to come up with another riff. It’s a democracy.”

He continues, “When all is said and done, it’s hard to know who wrote what. Which I think is more interesting. Otherwise, I think the album would be dead on arrival.”

As the band gear up for this years Soundwave Festival marathon and their own sideshows, Fallon tells of his personal perception of our nation.

“Australia for me, in general terms, is so familiar in some ways and so different in others,” he explains. “It reminded me so much of California, with people’s demeanours and attitudes, that I felt immediately quite comfortable even though I was on the other side of planet Earth. It was a bit of a head-scratcher,” he says.

“But no matter where we are on the globe I find that, when you put a bunch of people in a dark room with beer and loud music it’s the most common denominator because everybody just starts acting the same.” (CD)

Feb 20, The Metro, 624 George St, Sydney, $50+bf, ticketek.com.au