Clutch (band)
American rock band and stoner rock pioneer from Maryland.
Clutch is an American rock band formed in Germantown, Maryland, in 1991. The lineup has consistently included Tim Sult, Dan Maines, Jean-Paul Gaster, and Neil Fallon. The band is recognized as a pioneer of stoner rock and has released thirteen studio albums.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Germantown, Maryland, U.S.
- Genre
- Hard rock
- stoner rock
- blues rock
- alternative metal
- Years active
- 1991–present
- Label
- Atlantic
- Columbia
- DRT
- Earache
- Eastwest
- Inner Journey
- Megaforce
- River Road
- Weathermaker
- Spinoffs
- The Bakerton Group
- Current members
- Tim Sult
- Dan Maines
- Jean-Paul Gaster
- Neil Fallon
- Past members
- Mick Schauer; Roger Smalls
Facts from the source article.
History
Clutch got its start in 1991 in Germantown, Maryland, with Dan Maines on bass, Jean-Paul Gaster on drums, Tim Sult on lead guitar, and Neil Fallon as lead vocalist. Before landing on Clutch, the group tried out the names Glut Trip and Moral Minority. The final name came from their shared interest in cars and a preference for a single-syllable title, similar to Prong, a band they liked. They built a following by touring heavily. Their first official release was the 12-inch single Passive Restraints on Earache Records, which caught the attention of other labels. In 1993, EastWest Records put out their debut album, Transnational Speedway League. A self-titled album followed in May 1995 and gave them wider recognition, but soon after, their A&R representative lost his job at EastWest, and the band was dropped along with his other acts. They signed with Columbia for 1998’s The Elephant Riders, then self-released the groove-heavy Jam Room in 1999. Atlantic Records issued Pure Rock Fury in 2001. After a radio programmer in North Carolina suggested swapping the lead single, “Careful with That Mic” became an unexpected hit. The later tracks “Immortal” and “Open Up the Border” also did well on rock radio. In 2003, they put out Live at the Googolplex and the rarities collection Slow Hole to China.
Other projects
Clutch and their side project, The Bakerton Group, started their own label, River Road Records, in the late 1990s to put out their music, and it doesn't sign other acts. The Bakerton Group put out a three-track EP called Space Guitars and two LPs, The Bakerton Group and El Rojo. In 2007, Neil Fallon, James A. Rota, Brad Davis, Jess Margera, and Dave Bone formed The Company Band, with Jason Diamond on bass at first. Dunsmuir, a group with Fallon, Bone, Davis, and Vinny Appice, released a self-titled album in 2016.
Weathermaker Music
Weathermaker Music was founded in June 2008 by the American rock band Clutch and their manager Jack Flanagan. The label initially focused on releasing material by Clutch and their side project, The Bakerton Group. In 2012, Weathermaker signed and put out records by The Company Band and The Mob, both of which include principal owners of the label. Clutch’s album Earth Rocker arrived on CD and vinyl on March 19, 2013, followed later that year by Earth Rocker Live, a double 12-inch vinyl picture disc. Also in 2013, Weathermaker signed Deep Swell, a band featuring Clutch guitarist Tim Sult, and released their album Lore of the Angler on October 15. The label signed Maryland’s Lionize that same year, issuing Jetpack Soundtrack in North America on February 18, 2014, in Europe on April 11, and in the UK on February 14; this was Weathermaker’s first signing of an independent artist. In summer 2014, the label wrapped up the Earth Rocker cycle with a collector’s double vinyl picture disc and Earth Rocker Deluxe, a 2xCD/DVD set. Clutch’s 11th studio album, Psychic Warfare, came out on October 2, 2015, through Weathermaker. It hit No. 11 on the Billboard Top 100 and No. 1 on both the Hard Rock and Rock charts. Clutch also took part in the “10 Bands 1 Cause” breast cancer campaign, releasing a limited pink vinyl edition on September 18, 2015, which Weathermaker later reissued on black vinyl on October 7, 2016.
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