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Features, Tours and Festivals

Clutch Announces Spring Headline Dates

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What’s this!?! Another tour announcement? Why yes, yes it is. The guys in Clutch have just had their people tell our people and now its time to share it with you people. This is a short one so another announcement is likely. Check it out.

The Press Release:
Clutch has just announced a string of Spring headline tour dates starting on April 27th in Chattanooga, TN. Supporting the tour will be The Bronx, Red Fang and Fireball Ministry. Fan club pre-sale tickets will go on sale today, Tuesday, January 30th at 2:00 pm and will be available through Thursday, February 1st at 10:00 pm. Fan club tickets will be available at https://www.mt.cm/clutch Password: fans1. Tickets will go on sale to the general public Friday, February 2nd at 10:00 am at local outlets as well as at pro-rock.com and www.facebook.com/clutchband.

The band is currently in the studio working on their new record with producer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Old 97s, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, Red Fang) at Sputnik Sound in Nashville.

Clutch, The Bronx, Red Fang and Fireball Ministry Spring Tour Dates:
04-27-18: Chattanooga, TN @ The Signal
04-29-18: Jacksonville, FL @ Welcome To Rockville*
04-30-18: Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater
05-02-18: New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
05-03-18: Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
05-04-18: Memphis, TN @ Beale Street Music Fest*
05-05-18: Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall
05-06-18: Charlotte, NC @ Carolina Rebellion*
*Festival date
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Events, Reviews

Clutch @ Brooklyn Steel (5/15/2017)

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Artist: Clutch
Venue: Brooklyn Steel (Brooklyn, NY)
Opener: Lucero, The Sword
Date: 5/15/2017
Label: Weathermaker Records

I guess that it’s been a month or so since the new venue in East Williamsburg (aka Bushwick) called BROOKLYN STEEL had opened and I have been scanning their calendar since The Cult show for another chance to try and be one of the media flies on the wall to report on a show and give you my personal lay of the land. The chance for this would come with an appearance by the great band Clutch who were doing what appeared to be a quick run with support from the bands The Sword and Lucero. I think this show would mark my sixth or seventh time seeing Clutch in action but I had never seen The Sword and Lucero were new to me entirely so there would be some education with the event. Here we go.

The Sword: As I’ve mentioned already, I had never seen The Sword before despite having heard them for a few years already. Sadly my travel time to the new space would find me coming in on the tail end of the third song (which would mean minimal images from their set) and an abbreviated chance to absorb their crushing vibe. For those who are in the unaware, the band is signed to the Razor and Tie family of artists and are currently supporting and celebrating the release of their live album “Greetings From…..” – I loved the backdrop for their stage setup since it reminded me of the Bruce Springsteen album “Greetings From Asbury Park”

Lucero: Next up was the band Lucero who I had no idea about at all and was hoping to come away with more of a gauge on their vibe and presentation. I didn’t know a single song as result and all of my listing of the numbers would come later on from Setlist.fm and a better listen to their body of work care of Spotify; I liked their sound for sure but it was a whole lot more mellow and laid back than I had expected. That’s not bad to absorb at all but with the overpowering heat that was going on in the main venue space at this time I didn’t need to slow myself down as much as hydrate and I wasn’t meaning with alcohol since I was doing a personal non-drinking month. These guys were good though and as I talked to patrons between sets I found a strong amount of them were there for Lucero alone which is always interesting to find being the case. I didn’t notice many people leaving post set which was a good thing. Clutch was up next.
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Events, Reviews

Clutch @ Terminal 5 (12/29/2015)

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Logo - Clutch

Artist: Clutch
Venue: Terminal 5 (New York, NY)
Opener: Crobot, Valkyrie
Date: 12/29/2015
Label: Weathermaker Records

The cooler temperatures had finally begun to show their face in our neck of the woods and 2015 was getting closer to ending and for many it couldn’t come fast enough. I was very excited for the promise of a shiny New Year and all its concerts, good times and special musical memories. It was great that Clutch had decided to perform here in NYC as they had usually set their sights on NJ with Starland Ballroom for these end of year shows but in all honesty that venue doesn’t fit as many people as this place does. I decided to start my evening’s adventure at the American Retro Bar & Grill which is located on 51st street and 11th Avenue. It’s a short walk back to the venue and a good place to pre-game before shows here and at Stage 48 if you needed a suggestion. In the past I’ve found members of Dark Tranquility stopping in here to eat and even an out of costume Papa Emeritus II according to friends who saw a mysterious figure look inside while I wasn’t paying attention. Tonight amused me at the space for while I dined I wondered the set times and in walked Crobot for some supper. Clearly I had a little time before their set and they suggested that I give the lead band Valkyrie a chance. This was of course part of my night’s plan.
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Features, Tours and Festivals

Clutch’s “Holiday Tour Dates” Will Close Out 2015 In Style

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I’m speaking to our own music metropolis members here for a moment. Did you manage to catch Clutch when they performed at Central Park with Mastodon over the summer? If not how about during that recent Food Truck and Rock Carnival event that was held over in Clark, NJ a few weeks ago? Hopefully you said yes for the most part and if not then you still have time to catch them as the help close out the music year 2015 with a show at Terminal 5 in support of their new album “Psychic Warfare”. Check out the poster below along with the other dates for their “Holiday Tour”.

Poster - Clutch - Psychic Warfare 2015

PiercingMetal Thoughts: Even though I have only seen the band about a handful of times I am truly a fan of their output because its just so different from the other stuff that I go to see again and again around the region where I do coverage. I think its awesome that they will be playing Terminal 5 this time around as opposed to the Starland Ballroom since I have missed every single one of those shows based on the logistics of getting there and such. I have not yet listened to the whole new album “Psychic Warfare” but I like what I’ve heard so far and they are a kick ass act on the live stage so I am going to do my best to be right there when the tour run stops in NYC. To me this is a great way to close out a truly bountiful 2015. What about you readers, are you fans and have you seen the band before or will this new album find you digging into them for the very first time? Let me know in the comments because its always great to hear your thoughts on this stuff.

Official Website: http://www.pro-rock.com/

Music, Reviews

“Robot Hive/Exodus” by Clutch

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Artist: Clutch
Title: “Robot Hive/Exodus”
Label: DRT Nitrus
Release Date: 6/21/2005
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 8/10

With the release of “Robot Hive/Exodus” the band Clutch is on a path to Hard Rock dominance. On their third release the group truly stands apart from their peers and bring to the listener somewhat of a return to a more classic sound. When you begin playing this CD get ready for both something different and yet familiar at the very same time. There is such an amount of good stuff on this CD and I found it all a welcome change from the scores of Metal pieces that have been coming out. I love the genre and please don’t take this the wrong way, but so much of it of late has sounded exactly the same and if bands don’t take the chance to mix it up a little bit we stand to lose it as a valid form of music. The guys in Clutch are 100% in tune with this need and have served up an excellent piece of music with “Robot Hive/Exodus”. The entire CD holds a big and heavy sound that might be better envisioned in the 1970’s and I think a large amount of this lies in the guitar riffing of Tim Sult the stellar keyboard work of Mick Schauer. Schauer actually uses a Hammond on the album and even makes sure to bring it along for live performances. This is capable of making a world of difference on tracks like “Never Be Moved” and “Gullah” most specifically.
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