CLUTCH. The band. Yes, there is a BAND named “Clutch.” I got into this band so hard in the 90’s that my nickname became “Clutch.” You see, a lot of people didn’t know that “Clutch” was a band. What I was doing was buying and wearing a lot of Clutch t-shirts. Clutch t-shirts at the time were atypical band t-shirts because they were making them in a variety of colors – not just black. In fact, a black Clutch t-shirt was hard to come by. And they didn’t have any real indicators that the shirt you were wearing was a band t-shirt. In fact, if you had a job with a business-casual dress code, you could wear Clutch t-shirts at your job and nobody would be the wiser.

So what happened to me is at first people at work called me “Clutch” and it was kind of funny. The 90’s was also a time when I occasionally went to strip clubs to foolishly part with some of my money. I noticed all of these dancing women gave themselves nicknames like: “Butterfly” or “Porsche” or “Syn” or “Diamond” or “Kitty” or “Fantasia,” etc. So when these dancers would come along to see if you’d like a “private dance,” of course they’d ask you, “What’s your name, baby?” So I figured, “fuckit.” I can play this silly nickname game too. So, I’d say, “Clutch.” They instantly accepted it. I figured it must because they all had stage names they didn’t want questioned and therefore they weren’t in the business of asking: “Is that your real name?” I was amused that any girl was calling me “Clutch.”

The nickname didn’t really take off until 1998 at a very large goth night in Los Angeles called Coven 13. There was a cute girl I was hanging out with who introduced me to everyone there as “Clutch.” And that cemented it. Mind you, the band Clutch has 0.00% to do with goth. Although, once they did some shows opening for Marilyn Manson but according to the band it was not a good match-up.

How I got into Clutch was probably how most guys in the 90’s got into Clutch. Clutch kept opening for cool bands and they were interesting enough to where we eventually bought their albums. For example, I have seen Clutch open for Prong. I have seen them open for Sepultura. I have seen them open for Pantera. Clutch headline shows were rare. One of the few Clutch-headline tours I’ve seen was Clutch and Fu Manchu in Portland Oregon. Tuesday August 6, 1996, at the Roseland Theater, to be exact. That mosh pit was huge and pretty insane. I am guessing I have probably seen Clutch about 15 times.

Clutch was the next big band for me after Coroner. And they are on kind of opposite ends of the musical spectrum, as Coroner is lightning fast, sophisticated, and has millions of notes in each song. I have to admit it was a strange jump I wouldn’t have predicted for Clutch to become a band I was so passionate about. I was a very dedicated Clutch fan from 1995 to about 2001. To this day in 2022 the band is still going strong, so I feel it’s important to highlight the dates that I was most into them. For example, I think people have a right to ask whether they like the older material or newer material or what “phase” of the band they liked the best.

The section of the Clutch discography I’m talking about:

1992 – Passive Restraints EP
1993 – Transnational Speedway League LP
1995 – Clutch (self titled) LP
1998 – The Elephant Riders LP
1999 – Jam Room LP
2001 – Pure Rock Fury LP

I kind of missed 2004’s Blast Tyrant LP. And then in 2005 I caught up with them on YouTube for a video from their 2005 Robot Hive/Exodus LP called: Burning Beard. That video is fucking sweet. But to be honest I (still) haven’t given the Robot Hive/Exodus album a serious listen yet. (Hey, I’m a busy guy.) I hate to say this, but I’m technically 8 albums behind on the Clutch Discography. I guess that’s how life goes sometimes, eh?

For those that don’t know who or what Clutch are, stylistically, here’s my opinion on the matter. They started out as aggressive punk rock. Then by 1995 they were a hybrid of “stoner rock” and aggressive punk. 1998 forward put them squarely into the stoner rock camp. And now… I guess they’re a “rock ‘n roll” band that sometimes plays their older stuff. Hard to say. They’re not heavy metal, but they are also not not-heavy metal. Sometimes I’ve wondered if they have really understood that they were touring with aggressive thrash metal bands in their early part of their career. They still play shows and festivals with other heavy metal bands, so it’s not totally out-of-line to lump them into the category of “heavy metal.”

(I used the category “stoner rock,” but I should tell you I am not a “stoner.” I don’t smoke pot, I don’t like pot. And I don’t think you have to in order to enjoy things like “stoner rock” or “stoner humor.”)

For me, I think part of the appeal of Clutch was that I was also cutting my teeth as a musician. As everybody should be aware, punk rock is kind of the kindergarten of music. I think maybe a lot of new musicians like punk rock simply because they can relate to it, and they feel they can write and perform that same kind of music too. While Clutch was touring with a lot of heavy metal bands, their music was certainly easier for an average new musician to play compared to the metal bands they were touring with.

Clutch lyrics were incredibly impressive as they were inspiring. Neil Fallon opened up a lot of doors about what people can expect from rock ‘n roll lyrics, punk rock lyrics, and heavy metal lyrics. There is a whole lot more territory than what songwriters think there is.

Of course there is plenty of humor in anything in a “stoner” category. And Clutch lyrics have plenty of humor. For anyone who hasn’t heard Clutch before, I think Clutch’s most mandatory album is their self-titled album.

One of the funnest things about being in a Clutch mosh pit, is many of the fans are singing the lyrics while moshing. Clutch fans love Clutch lyrics. Everyone loves to “Yabba-dabba-doo all the way to Shangri-La.”

Good chance I’ll probably edit and add to this article later.