By Tine Roycroft

Rock fans rejoice!  The band Clutch will be hitting up The Palladium in Worcester on December 31.  Not only will they be here just in time to celebrate the new year, but they bring tidings of rock and roll joy: the upcoming release of their tenth album, Earth Rocker, in March 2013.

Pulse grabbed bassist Dan Maines just as he was getting ready to hit the road with band members Neil Fallon (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Tim Sult (guitar) and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums) for Clutch’s annual tour.

Pulse:  Give us a taste of what’s in store with Earth Rocker…

Maines: It’s definitely more upbeat than the previous record.  I’d say at least half of the songs are faster than the songs we’ve recorded in other albums.  I don’t have an explanation for it; it’s just how it all came together.  This album is more intense than the last couple of albums we’ve done.  We’ve been playing the title track on the last couple of tours and it seems to go over pretty well. It’s a really fun song to play live.

Pulse:  Has the band’s creative process changed throughout the years?

Maines: We passed the 20 year mark at last year!  The songwriting process is more or less the same, as far as the four of us just getting together in a room and just presenting ideas that we’ve been working on on individually.  The best songs, I think, are the ones that really incorporate contributions from everyone. There are a couple of songs that I would say have more of a blues influence.  Those songs are worked out with Neil [Fallon], as he has a lot of experience in that genre.

Pulse:  And what about the excitement?  Do you still get that high when you step out on stage or hit the studio?

Maines: The excitement is still there.  It’s always there!  I think we’re all fortunate that we have the kind of audience that supports us and allows us to play.  When I go into the studio, I get excited about the song we going to record.  I listen to it quite a bit initially, but when you listen to something over and over again, after a while it wears thin.  When you’re going out on the stage, you have the great opportunity to play something a little different each night. 

Pulse:  What does the future hold for Clutch?

Maines: I’m excited to wrap up this record and other than that, we have a lot of touring ahead of us. After the new year, we’re heading to Europe, then more tours in the states.  Maybe Australia.  And we’re always hoping to go to new places too!

For more info, go to www.pro-rock.com ~

and welcome 2013 with Clutch when they play The Palladium on New Year’s Eve!

Special thanks to Jon Freeman