Interviews : Clutch Interview A Conversation With Vocalist Neil Fallon
Interviews : Clutch Interview A Conversation With Vocalist Neil Fallon
It has been nearly four years since the last Clutch studio album, making their latest effort Earth Rocker even more anticipated than usual. The band has delivered with another outstanding record. I spoke with the band’s vocalist Neil Fallon about the new album and other topics.
Chad Bowar: There has been a little longer gap between albums this time around. Any particular reason why?
Neil Fallon: We just didn’t stop touring. Every time we thought we would stop to write the record, another tour was offered that we thought we couldn’t turn down. The last two were Motorhead and Thin Lizzy. Then there was a Volbeat tour in Europe, which was really good for us. Finally we just had to put our foot down and say “enough, let’s just write a record.”
Do you do much writing while on tour, or do you need to be off the road to write effectively?
We write rough ideas and sketches on the road and try to record them so we don’t forget them. Speaking for myself, it’s easier for me to concentrate when I have a dedicated period of time and the terror of a deadline.
Was the songwriting and recording process for Earth Rocker similar to previous Clutch albums?
We did this record with Machine, who we did Blast Tyrant with. The big difference for us, which we did to some extent on Blast Tyrant, was a very extensive pre-production. For all intents and purposes, we recorded the record twice. We did the pre-production where we decided and committed to the compositions, the melodies, the tempos. So when we went in to record the album for real, we knew it frontwards and backwards. It allowed us to concentrate on performance, as opposed to trying to remember parts. It makes a lot of difference.
Did you make many changes to the songs between pre-production and the final recording?
It was pretty literal. If you were to hear the demo, it sounds like a low-fi version of the record. I did my best to write all the lyrics for pre-production. I did change some of them here and there, but it was pretty close.
Do you guys typically write a bunch of songs and pick the best 10 or 12 for the album, or write only the number of songs you’ll need?
We recorded 14, with the intent of picking 10. But prior to that, there were probably several dozen that we kicked around and they just died on the vine. Our process is pretty organic and democratic. It’s hard to say who wrote what. We might take two weak songs and maybe take the chorus from one and the verse from the other and make a Frankenstein and see if that works.
Will the pieces and parts you didn’t use for this album be used in the future, or do you throw them away?
Usually, if the past is any indication, we approach the next writing process with a tabula rosa. If you go back to these older ideas sometimes, it’s just not as fresh sounding.
You did your first lyric video for the title track. What do you think of the whole lyric video phenomenon that has been popular recently?
As the guy who writes lyrics, I like it. I do my best to enunciate, but people sometimes misunderstand what I’m saying. Videos don’t carry the weight they used to. They are really inexpensive, and for bands like us that don’t have an enormous budget to have helicopters and explosions in our videos, this is a good way to get our music out there.
Are there plans for a traditional video for that song or any others on the album?
We’re talking about it. We would love to do one for the next single “Crucial Velocity.” But to be honest, Clutch and videos have never really been the best of friends. It has always been a struggle for us. Why, I don’t know. I don’t really watch videos, so it makes me feel old.
You have been releasing Clutch material on your own label Weathermaker Music for a while now. What are the pros and cons of doing it that way?
The cons are that it’s more work, but that’s about it. But in life, more work reaps more reward. It has been a learning experience, just like any other small business. If something goes wrong, we can fix it. We don’t have our hands tied waiting for someone else to do their job. With this model, we can sell directly to our fans, and I think they appreciate that. Sure, we may not sell as many records as we might have on a major label, but it’s much more profitable. We’re not gagging to hang gold records on the wall, we just want to make a living doing this. The model of multi-album contracts is pretty archaic.
Bands that make those kind of deals usually end up owing the record company money.
True. The records we did on Atlantic and Sony, I resign myself to the fact that we’ll never see any money from that. Maybe my great-grandchildren will see a pittance from it, but the records we put out ourselves, that’s how I’m going to be paying for my retirement, whenever that day comes.
You recently did a European tour. What were some of the highlights for you?
The tour was billed as a press promo tour, but I think it was the most successful Clutch headlining tour we have done in Europe. All the shows were sold out. Some of the venues were smaller than we usually play, but some were larger. I think continental Europe has finally warmed up to Clutch, for whatever reason, and it’s exciting. It has put a lot of wind back in our sails. We had a really great time over there.
As you get older and have more family obligations, do you try to schedule shorter tours?
Ideally we don’t like to go more than four weeks. But since we have a new record coming out, there’s a lot of touring, and that will slow down after a bit. The older you get, the deeper your roots go, and it’s harder to get up and go, especially when kids enter the picture. The flip side of that is, that when I’m home, I’m home 24/7. I don’t have to get up and sit in traffic and come home a grumpy bastard.
How difficult is it to put together a set list now that you have so much material?
We take turns writing set lists, in alphabetical order by first name. So the first night of the tour Dan will write the set list, Jean-Paul the second night, me the third night, then Tim, then repeat. That way we don’t have to sit around and bicker about it. If there’s a song we haven’t played in years we’ll give each other a heads up and maybe practice it during sound check. We try to vary it. Once you get into the habit of playing the same thing over and over again, that’s when we tend to daydream. And when we tend to daydream, that’s when mistakes start to happen and apathy sets in. It’s good to be a little bit scared on stage.
The experts say the economy is recovering. Have you seen that out on the road?
We haven’t done a big U.S. tour in quite some time. I do know people’s wallets are tighter, but one thing people always want to do, even in the worst time, is go out and get drunk and listen to music. It’s hard to sell records, but live music can make it through a recession.
Are there plans for another Bakerteam Group album in the future?
I’m sure that could happen. We haven’t really discussed it. As soon as this record was done we were off and running with shows. We’re always writing riffs and putting it in one box or the other. Speaking for myself, I’d love to keep this momentum going and make another Clutch record as soon as possible.
Contact About.com
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Contact Clutch
Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Sources : Clutch Photo | Clutch Interview A Conversation With Vocalist Neil Fallon Article
It has been nearly four years since the last Clutch studio album, making their latest effort Earth Rocker even more anticipated than usual. The band has delivered with another outstanding record. I spoke with the band’s vocalist Neil Fallon about the new album and other topics.
Chad Bowar: There has been a little longer gap between albums this time around. Any particular reason why?
Neil Fallon: We just didn’t stop touring. Every time we thought we would stop to write the record, another tour was offered that we thought we couldn’t turn down. The last two were Motorhead and Thin Lizzy. Then there was a Volbeat tour in Europe, which was really good for us. Finally we just had to put our foot down and say “enough, let’s just write a record.”
Do you do much writing while on tour, or do you need to be off the road to write effectively?
We write rough ideas and sketches on the road and try to record them so we don’t forget them. Speaking for myself, it’s easier for me to concentrate when I have a dedicated period of time and the terror of a deadline.
Was the songwriting and recording process for Earth Rocker similar to previous Clutch albums?
We did this record with Machine, who we did Blast Tyrant with. The big difference for us, which we did to some extent on Blast Tyrant, was a very extensive pre-production. For all intents and purposes, we recorded the record twice. We did the pre-production where we decided and committed to the compositions, the melodies, the tempos. So when we went in to record the album for real, we knew it frontwards and backwards. It allowed us to concentrate on performance, as opposed to trying to remember parts. It makes a lot of difference.
Did you make many changes to the songs between pre-production and the final recording?
It was pretty literal. If you were to hear the demo, it sounds like a low-fi version of the record. I did my best to write all the lyrics for pre-production. I did change some of them here and there, but it was pretty close.
Do you guys typically write a bunch of songs and pick the best 10 or 12 for the album, or write only the number of songs you’ll need?
We recorded 14, with the intent of picking 10. But prior to that, there were probably several dozen that we kicked around and they just died on the vine. Our process is pretty organic and democratic. It’s hard to say who wrote what. We might take two weak songs and maybe take the chorus from one and the verse from the other and make a Frankenstein and see if that works.
Will the pieces and parts you didn’t use for this album be used in the future, or do you throw them away?
Usually, if the past is any indication, we approach the next writing process with a tabula rosa. If you go back to these older ideas sometimes, it’s just not as fresh sounding.
You did your first lyric video for the title track. What do you think of the whole lyric video phenomenon that has been popular recently?
As the guy who writes lyrics, I like it. I do my best to enunciate, but people sometimes misunderstand what I’m saying. Videos don’t carry the weight they used to. They are really inexpensive, and for bands like us that don’t have an enormous budget to have helicopters and explosions in our videos, this is a good way to get our music out there.
Are there plans for a traditional video for that song or any others on the album?
We’re talking about it. We would love to do one for the next single “Crucial Velocity.” But to be honest, Clutch and videos have never really been the best of friends. It has always been a struggle for us. Why, I don’t know. I don’t really watch videos, so it makes me feel old.
You have been releasing Clutch material on your own label Weathermaker Music for a while now. What are the pros and cons of doing it that way?
The cons are that it’s more work, but that’s about it. But in life, more work reaps more reward. It has been a learning experience, just like any other small business. If something goes wrong, we can fix it. We don’t have our hands tied waiting for someone else to do their job. With this model, we can sell directly to our fans, and I think they appreciate that. Sure, we may not sell as many records as we might have on a major label, but it’s much more profitable. We’re not gagging to hang gold records on the wall, we just want to make a living doing this. The model of multi-album contracts is pretty archaic.
Bands that make those kind of deals usually end up owing the record company money.
True. The records we did on Atlantic and Sony, I resign myself to the fact that we’ll never see any money from that. Maybe my great-grandchildren will see a pittance from it, but the records we put out ourselves, that’s how I’m going to be paying for my retirement, whenever that day comes.
You recently did a European tour. What were some of the highlights for you?
The tour was billed as a press promo tour, but I think it was the most successful Clutch headlining tour we have done in Europe. All the shows were sold out. Some of the venues were smaller than we usually play, but some were larger. I think continental Europe has finally warmed up to Clutch, for whatever reason, and it’s exciting. It has put a lot of wind back in our sails. We had a really great time over there.
As you get older and have more family obligations, do you try to schedule shorter tours?
Ideally we don’t like to go more than four weeks. But since we have a new record coming out, there’s a lot of touring, and that will slow down after a bit. The older you get, the deeper your roots go, and it’s harder to get up and go, especially when kids enter the picture. The flip side of that is, that when I’m home, I’m home 24/7. I don’t have to get up and sit in traffic and come home a grumpy bastard.
How difficult is it to put together a set list now that you have so much material?
We take turns writing set lists, in alphabetical order by first name. So the first night of the tour Dan will write the set list, Jean-Paul the second night, me the third night, then Tim, then repeat. That way we don’t have to sit around and bicker about it. If there’s a song we haven’t played in years we’ll give each other a heads up and maybe practice it during sound check. We try to vary it. Once you get into the habit of playing the same thing over and over again, that’s when we tend to daydream. And when we tend to daydream, that’s when mistakes start to happen and apathy sets in. It’s good to be a little bit scared on stage.
The experts say the economy is recovering. Have you seen that out on the road?
We haven’t done a big U.S. tour in quite some time. I do know people’s wallets are tighter, but one thing people always want to do, even in the worst time, is go out and get drunk and listen to music. It’s hard to sell records, but live music can make it through a recession.
Are there plans for another Bakerteam Group album in the future?
I’m sure that could happen. We haven’t really discussed it. As soon as this record was done we were off and running with shows. We’re always writing riffs and putting it in one box or the other. Speaking for myself, I’d love to keep this momentum going and make another Clutch record as soon as possible.
Contact About.com
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Contact Clutch
Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Sources : Clutch Photo | Clutch Interview A Conversation With Vocalist Neil Fallon Article
0 comments: