Clutch has been going strong since 1991 with the very same lineup throughout its entire career, and the band only seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Clutch obviously came up in a time where the record industry was a little more stable and social media wasn't a thing, which vocalist Neil Fallon tells Team Rock he's grateful for.
Fallon says he's glad Clutch didn't have to try to come up in modern times because he feels like there are just way too many bands to compete with nowadays. He also thinks it's a shame that bands have to rely so much on wacky social media tactics in order to get recognized.
"Clutch is in a unique position. When we started we played the very traditional game with record labels, advances and album cycles, which is a very old business model that dates back to the '60s. Then we switched gears and started releasing stuff on our own after having established a fanbase. I do not envy any band that's looking to start out now and compete with the tens of thousands of bands you can get on your phone and on your desktop; it's an embarrassment of riches. I think it sucks that a band has to be compelled to do wacky social media to be recognised. It should just be about the music but it's got to be so damn hard to be heard when there's so much static out there.
"Maybe it's easy for us to say, 'Well just start your own label'. But if any band is in the position to get music to their fans without all the middlemen they really should, it makes it more accessible for them and in the long run, from a financial view, it's good for the band."
The solution to this problem is very obvious – get a time machine and go start your band back in 1991. This way you don't have to do any of this!
