NYS Music 20​16

Tag: Lamb of God

  • Five Finger Death Punch, Lamb of God, Clutch and Pop Evil Kick Off Inaugural Night at Rock ‘N Derby

    Last weekend, upstate New York hosted the first-ever Rock ‘N Derby, which kicked off May 20 at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds. The Capital Region has been buzzing for months with anticipation for the Rock on the Range style three-day festival. Along with thousands of local diehard rock enthusiasts, fans from across the northeast and Canada made the hike on a beautiful early spring evening.

    Day one of the inaugural affair saw the likes of Lamb of God, Clutch, Parkway Drive, Wolfmother, Pop Evil, Scott Stapp, Corrosion of Conformity, Red Sun Rising, Wild Throne and the first band to ever headline a Rock ‘N Derby festival, Fiver Finger Death Punch. Friday night also saw Tool cover band Schism play on the Upstate Concert Hall Arena Stage, during the after party for fans who wanted to rock on into the late night hours.

    From Grand Rapids, MI, Pop Evil, had the honor to be the first group to not only play the Derby main stage, but the first band ever to perform at Rock ‘N Derby period. To everyone’s amazement, Pop Evil is now sporting a blond female drummer behind the kit. It’s been news that current drummer, Josh “ChaChi” Marunde, was departing the band for new opportunities that would keep him closer to home. At show time, no one was sure who she was, or if she will end up being a permanent replacement for Marunde, all I can say is that the girl is a total badass behind the kit. However, it has now been reported that the band has welcomed Hayley Cramer as their new drummer.

    Pop Evil came out and set the mood for the day. Fans went wild once the band started the first song in the set “Deal With The Devil.” Before playing the band’s current single “Take It All,” frontman Leigh Kakaty shouted out to local rock radio station Q103 for playing the new single. Kakaty went on to say to the crowd, “For everybody who just wanted a little, but now you want the whole damn thing. This song is called ‘Take It All’.”

    Kakaty then picked up a guitar and asked if there was any old-school Pop Evil fans out there tonight. After cheers from the crowd, Kakaty said, “Well here’s one off our first record for you guys then.” He started off the song “100 in a 55.” After completing the first verse, Kakaty asked the crowd, “If you still believe in rock-and-roll bands, make some noise,” which made the crowd roar with cheers.

    Kakaty gave a small heartfelt speech before moving into the next song, “Trenches.” He said, “I just wanna say, what an honor it is to be amongst real people who come to rock shows early. All these little kids I see, I wanna thank you parents for not raising them on any of that Justin Bieber bullshit. I didn’t know it was so fucking complicated. We are a rock band, we play rock music for brothers and sisters like you.” He went on to say that the band is currently on tour with two of the greatest icons, Rob Zombie and Disturbed. He then relayed a message on behalf of them, telling fans Zombie and Disturbed said to “fucking rock and roll tonight.” Kakaty’s speech went on to thank another band who was playing that night: ” There is one more band on this bill that I have to give a special shout out to, cause back in the day, they were one of the first bands to take a chance on us. You guys know them as Ivan and Zoltan and everybody at Five Finger Death Punch.”

    Fans sang along with the frontman during the last song in the set, “Footsteps.” Kakaty was so impressed it prompted him to sincerely say to the crowd, “Are you fucking kidding me? Wow, there’s no greater feeling on this planet than when your fans, excuse me, your friends, sing your songs back to you, God bless you. God bless you, New York, we love you.” Pop Evil showed a lot of fire and Kakaty was pretty good on vocals. Set Time 5:50–6:30 p.m.

    Neil, Jean-Paul, Dan and Tim, better known as Clutch also rocked the Derby Main Stage. Going into this show, I knew about the band, but never really followed them until recently. I was really impressed by how good this band performed. These guys are talented live musicians that anybody could go and see and enjoy themselves.

    Early in their set, singer Neil Fallon lightly slipped walking onstage. This made Fallon say, “I will tell you right now, at some point in the next 45 minutes, I will fall on my ass on this stage. It’s gonna be legendary. Did you spray this thing with WD-40 before we got up here? Set Time 6:50–7:45 p.m.

    Red Sun Rising performed over on the Rock ‘N Stage. Before the band played “My Muse,” frontman Mike Protich, who was not sure how to pronounce Schaghticoke, asked the crowd, “So what should I call you cause I can’t pronounce the city I’m in right now….. Albany?” (This became an eventual theme for all of the bands on the bill throughout the weekend.) As Protich looked to the crowd for answers he said, “I love all these New Yorkers. People here just shouting shit. We’re red Sun Rising from Akron, Ohio. It’s a pleasure to be here with you today.” Set Time 6:55–7:35 p.m.

    Lamb of God performed while the sun went down on the Derby Stage, and brought fans into the night. Frontman Randy Blythe was super pumped up during Lamb of God’s set, as he was constantly jumping around and moving. I swear, Monster Energy drink has to run through his veins.

    Blythe was next in line to ask the crowd how to pronounce the village Schaghticoke. Blythe said, “What the fuck is up upstate New York? Look at all you motherfuckers out there. Let me get a big Ric Flair Wooooooo.” The crowd “wooooooooed” back at Blythe, which made him say, “Fuck Yeah. Holy Shit. For those of you who do not know, and for those of you who drank too fucking much before you got here and don’t know where the fuck you are….We are Lamb of God. We come from Richmond motherfucking Virginia. I know we are in upstate New York, but I’m not going to attempt to pronounce the name of this fucking town. I fucked it up like 50 times.” Blythe then went on and tried to say the name of the town, even calling it Shaggy 2 Dope ( from Insane Clown Posse), which made the crowd laugh. He then asked the audience to pronounce the name the town on the count of three. The crowd shouted “Schaghticoke” in unison.

    About midway through the band’s set, Blythe acknowledged what would become another theme over the weekend.  There was a five-year-old girl celebrating her birthday during the three-day festival down in the front row. After asking the crowd if they were having a good time, Blythe said to the crowd, “Somebody down there has a fifth birthday.” He pointed at the girl and said,  “Don’t get squished sweetheart.”

    The frontman then turned his attention to the next song in the set list. He dedicated the next song to the little girl in the crowd and all the armed forces in the United States. He stated, “This song goes out to some people who don’t get the recognition I feel they deserve most of the time. These people do a hard, fucked-up job. They do it from a long ways from home. Most of the time they don’t even get a fucking thank you for this. I speak of the men and women in the United States armed services. This next song is for them.” The band then played “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For.” The crowd was insane for Lamb of God. Set Time 8:15–9:15 p.m.

    Parkway Drive was one of, if not the best, performers of the night. Parkway Drive headlined the Rock ‘N Stage Friday. Singer Winston McCall was going so insane onstage, I thought he was going to give himself a heart attack. He was jumping, bouncing and waving his arms so much, it was like he was teaching an aerobics class, while putting on a kick-ass rock show.

    Winston asked fans if they picked up the band’s new album, Ire. He then told the crowd that they are going to play a song off that album. Winston then said to the crowd, “You guys are doing great. One thing, one thing only. Just keep that vibe up here [raises hand above head]. Don’t let that energy drop. Keep it coming, keep it coming. If you haven’t crowd surfed yet today, you’re obliged to on the rest of this set. This one’s called ‘Vice Grip;’ step it up another notch.”

    Before the next song in the set, Winston screamed to the crowd, “That’s it. Keep it up here [motioning his hand above his head], keep your energy up here. Bring it in, sing with me. This one’s called ‘Idols and Anchors.’”

    Impressed with the fans’ reactions toward the band, Winston had to ask the crowd something before he continued: “Has anyone seen us before?” After minimal cheers, he replied, “A couple. Hi again.” He then asked for the first-timers to many cheers. Winston then welcomed everyone and said that he was just checking out the stats of the crowd, then thanked everyone for their time. Winston said, time is a precious thing, and that he appreciated fans spending some of it on them tonight.

    The frontman asked the crowd if they still had enough energy left in them, because he knows they must be fucked after Lamb of God’s set. He then asked if they had a little bit of energy left, because they were going to play another heavy track. Winston then said, “If you can hear my voice, get your hands up. Here’s the deal. If you have the energy to get your hand in the air, when this one drops, I need to see you get your feet up as well. That includes you guys in the stands.” The band then played “Bottom Feeder.” Parkway Drive will head back to the their native country of Australia for a tour after their RotR performance on Saturday. Set Time 9–9:45 p.m.

    Five Finger Death Punch was ready to close out the inaugural first night on the Derby Stage. FFDP got fans pumped with the first song in the setlist, “Lift Me Up.” After the second song in the set, “Hard to See,” Ivan Moody said, “Holy shit,” and called the crowd “motherfucking crazy.” Moody then asked the crowd to do him an honest favor and protect all the kids that were there enjoying the show. On that note, Moody then said to the crowd, “Front to back, side to side. When I jump up, you jump up. Now you know what to do.” FFDP then played “Burn it Down.”

    After bassist Chris Kael took over the vocal duties for the song “Got Your Six,” next on the setlist was the band’s cover of “Bad Company.” Moody asked the crowd, how many men and women have served, or are still serving for the United States military, and asked them to put their hands up. He then said to the fans with their hands down, “You guys see those fucking hands… you shake them, you thank them and you buy them a beer for our fucking freedoms. Thank you so much.” This of course prompted a big U.S.A chant from fans. Moody then brought the song in by saying, “I don’t know if you guys heard, but there were a couple of, um, I’ll call them corporations, that were talking shit about us online. What they didn’t understand is that we’ve got Bad Company [points to the crowd].”

    FFDP did their usual routine and brought up various kids onstage to join them for the song “Burn MF.” Moody pointed to the kids and told the crowd to make some noise for the next generation of heavy metal. Moody went on to say, “You guys wanna show them how the big kids do this? Then give me the biggest circle you’ve got right now. If you don’t wanna get hurt, now is the perfect time to get the fuck out of the way.”

    Guitarist Jason Hook and Moody did an acoustic medley of “Wrong Side of Heaven” and “Battle Born.” Moody then stated to the crowd that there are strict curfew rules here and that the band could only play one more song. Five Finger Death Punch then closed out the night with “The Bleeding.”

    I felt a small letdown here, and expected way more from these guys. If this was your first time ever seeing the band, you may have a slightly different opinion of the band’s set. It seemed the boys were a little off the mark onstage, and frontman Moody sang out of key and didn’t have his usual intensity. The thing that was most noticeable was the band’s set list. Fan-favorite track “Burn it Down” seems to always b one the band’s setlists, but it was missing along with the two current singles off their current studio album. Overall, everything seemed repetitive and overly rehearsed. Set Time 9:45–11 p.m.

  • Show Review: Lamb of God, Clutch and C.O.C. Magic City Music Hall

    The deep rumblings of bass notes, screams and the rhythmic pounding of drums that were heard resounding from the Magic City Music Hall on May 16 were the sweet sounds of what I am calling the best metal lineup of 2016. From the moment opener Corrosion of Conformity took the stage to the final note of headliner Lamb of God, this show was incredible.

    Up first was Raleigh, NC’s own Corrosion Of Conformity. They blasted out a perfect selection of songs from their 30-plus year career with such precision and ferocity that they set the tone as an opener. They kicked off their set with “Paranoid Opioid” off of their 2005 album In The Arms Of God. It wasn’t long before they tore right into one of the songs that got me hooked on them, “Broken Man.” Pepper took time to thank the fans who continue to support the band. He let the fans know that they keep doing what they do because of them. The crowd went crazy as they played an incredible version of “Vote with a Bullet.” They wrapped up their set with the hit that launched them into “metal legend status,” “Clean My Wounds.” After their performance, Pepper came out to hang and chat with fans.

    The lights dimmed and Chuck Brown’s “We Need Some Money” filled the PA system. The crowd was already excited, warmed up and feeling good, and then Clutch took the stage and began tearing through “Who Wants to Rock,” which they haven’t played live since 2013 Honestly, this was the perfect song to start their set, because their diehard fans went wild. Clutch played a flawless mix of old and new tracks that included “Cypress Grove,” “A Quick Death in Texas” and the crowd truly appreciated them breaking out “Sucker For the Witch” from the classic album Psychic Warfare. If you haven’t seen them live, I don’t know what the hell you are waiting for. Seriously, this band has been around since the early ’90s and they are remarkable. They bring together a unique blend of rock and metal and throw in a fun-loving blast of funk that creates a very satisfying, heavy-groove metal sound. I can’t do them justice with any description. You just need to get out and hear it for yourselves.

    The Magic City Music Hall went dark; the video screens on the stage began to flicker and came to life. Images of destruction, including buildings crumbling, explosions, war and fire, set the stage for the heavy-metal onslaught about to be experienced. The first chords rang out as the drums pounded and Randy Blythe exploded out onto the stage as the band ripped into “Walk With Me In Hell.” The crowd erupted into a mass of bodies moving, flying and crowd surfing.  Lamb of God also played a pleasing mix of old and new, obscure tracks and well-known hits. They slashed through songs like a well-oiled machine, with a set list that featured “Ruin,” the heart-pounding shred fest “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For,” “Still Echos,” “Desolation,” “Laid To Rest” and “Redneck.”

    If the combination of a capacity crowd and more than three hours of metal music wasn’t enough to get your heart pumping, then you probably should have checked your pulse to make certain you were alive. As the lights came back on and the smoke cleared, the fans I saw slowly making their way toward the bar, merch booths or the exits, all looked totally satisfied.

  • Jean-Paul Gaster, the Foot on the Clutch

    Clutch is one of the headliners for the Rock ‘N Derby Festival, taking place in Schaghticoke May 20-22 and is currently on tour with Lamb of God and Corrosion of Conformity. NYS Music recently had a chance to sit down with the man who keeps the beat for the venerable Clutch, Jean-Paul Gaster.

    When you’re in high school, you probably have a group of friends that you swear you’ll be tight with until the end of days. Perhaps that group of friends forms a band in someone’s garage or your parents’ basement. An oath is taken among yourselves that you’ll always be a band, no matter what.

    Odds are, that high school band probably doesn’t make it through graduation. Sometimes though, it does. All of a sudden, 25-26 years later, you look out in front of you during a show at say, Upstate Concert Hall, and see one of the guys you made that pact with oh-so-long ago, accompanying you in the rhythm section of one of rock’s longest running lineups.

    If your name is Jean-Paul Gaster, and you play drums in the Frederick, MD based band Clutch, that buddy you’re looking at is your high school pal and band mate, bassist Dan Maines.

    Clutch’s foundation can be traced back to the halls of Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, MD, where the members of the band met. Gaster, Maines and guitarist Tim Sult got together to form Clutch in 1991. Original vocalist Roger Smalls left the band shortly after formation and was replaced by another friend, Neil Fallon. The band has been going strong ever since.

    Gaster is a drummer’s drummer and a student of the instrument. We spoke at length about Clutch’s longevity and influence; the value of side projects; the festival scene and drumming as a mental exercise.

    Mike Kohli: One of the things I’ve noticed with you guys – I’ve seen you perform a few times over the past couple years –  is the way you interact with each other. I know you’re all friends from high school. Is that something that comes naturally? Do you just kind of give each other a look onstage and go with it? How’s the onstage chemistry work?

    Jean-Paul Gaster: Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of unspoken dialog going on up there. I think it just comes with playing with the same guys for so long. I think musicians do that in general . I think we’re in a unique situation because we’ve been doing it for so long. Even in the writing process, we might play for 45 minutes and there might not be a whole lot of verbal communication, sometimes none at all. But we manage to put these ideas together with sort of pointing and grunts.

    MK:  Kind of a universal language…

    MK: When I go to shows – I’m into a lot of different types of music- but typically when I go to a show, I watch the drummer. Now, I’m by no stretch of the imagination, a drummer. I do play a mean steering wheel though.

    When I caught your show with Corrosion of Conformity in Clifton Park a few months ago, watching your style, it’s got a jazzy feel to it, kind of like Bill Ward of Sabbath, Ginger Baker of Cream. You mentioned them before as big influences on you. Have you had any formal jazz training or did you teach yourself how to play?

    JPG: Early on, I took a few lessons, but I never really practiced. It wasn’t until I was about 23 when I started studying with a man named Walter Salb (Click the link for a short documentary on Salb). He was a professional teacher/instructor/player in and around Washington, D.C. for many many years. He actually started playing professionally in 1946, so he was definitely from the big band/swing era.

    jean-paul gaster clutch

    I learned a tremendous amount of stuff from him. A lot of it was thinking about jazz and what it means to play jazz. But i think more than that, he really taught me to be a musician and to be prepared for any musical situation. He wanted his students to be able to do any kind of gig and to play that music with authority and confidence. Those kinds of lessons had a really lasting impact on me. I miss that guy. He passed away about ten years ago.

    MK: I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like he was a really big influence on you.

    JPG: Yeah, he definitely was. He lived life to the fullest all the way to the end; I will say that.

    MK: I’m kind of into the jamband scene, stuff like Phish and moe., those types of groups. Sometimes I’ll come across people who for whatever reason, still don’t know who Clutch is. Why that is, I don’t know. You guys have been around for such a long time and have been a big influence on a lot of bands. You’re solid, a solid rock and roll band.

    However, one thing I’ve noticed about you guys, you don’t fit neatly into any one mold. You’re not a metal band. You’re not a classic rock band. You came about during the grunge era, but you don’t fit into that category. You’re kind of in-categorizable. So when I try to describe Clutch to people who haven’t heard of you guys, I tell them you’re kind of a jamband. Your setlists aren’t always the same. You do stretch stuff out. You throw some improv in there. Have you ever been involved with any of the bands in the jamband scene? Say Warren Haynes or Govt Mule…

    JPG: We like those bands a lot. I’m a huge fan of the Allman Brothers, Govt Mule. Warren Haynes’ playing, I think, is just incredible. You know, a few years ago we spent a lot of time trying to break into that scene a little bit. In retrospect, I think we were still, for those folks, I think there was a little too much for them. Maybe a little too much music coming at them.  So, yeah, definitely familiar with that scene. Would love to play with some bands in that scene.  I think that maybe that they weren’t really ready for us at the time. But stuff changes. And hopefully we’ll be able to get our music out to some of that scene.

    I think the coolest part of being in this band is that we’re able to pull from so many different genres.  We’ve played with so many different kinds of bands through the years. When you come to a Clutch show, it’s really a mishmash of different kinds of music fans. And I’m very proud of that. And I think that has a lot to do with the longevity of the band and the band’s ability to draw like we do. These days, pretty much all over the world.

    MK: That’s exactly what I see when I go to the shows. There are guys who look like me, just a regular everyday joe, there’s college-aged people, there’s the stereotypical headbanger looking guys…It’s really a testament to what you guys do. You can draw all different types of people.

    JPG:  It’s a beautiful thing.

    MK: Working with Neil…when I listen to Clutch, I envision Neil’s voice, his vocal style, as another instrument in the band. But also, his lyrical style, it’s almost percussive, the way he delivers the lyrics. So he’s almost like a multi-instrumentalist in that way.  How does it play with you? Do you guys get together and work lyrics out so that they have that percussive style?

    JPG: I’ll say this. Neil writes all of the lyrics, which in this band is a great thing. Because, speaking for myself, my lyrics would suck (laughter). I think the last time I tried to write lyrics it was sometime in high school and it wasn’t good.

    So, we are well aware of Neil’s virtuosity and talent.  I think he’s probably the most talented lyricist in rock and roll today. It has to do with being able to pull from so many different sources. Much like the way we put together our music. I think a lot of bands spend a lot of time asking, “Is this our band? Is this the kind of music our band can play?” The great thing about Clutch, you can literally go up there and play whatever you want whether it’s in a live situation or getting together to write new songs. There are no rules. So in that respect, I think we’re very fortunate.

    neil fallon clutch jean-paul gaster clutch
    Neil Fallon of Clutch

    Speaking directly to the rhythmical feel of Neil’s lyrics, I think a lot of it has come directly from hip hop. Early on, Chuck D from Public Enemy was a big influence on him. We listened to a lot of hip hop as a band in the early and mid 90s. That had a lot to do with it for sure. And as a drummer, I react to whatever is happening rhythmically within the band more so than in a melodic sense so I’m listening for those things. On Psychic Warfare for instance,  I paid particularly close attention to the way Neil syncopated his lyrics and how they were swung. That gave me a lot of inspiration as to how to play that part, how to best support that vocal.

    MK: That whole hip hop thing, that’s really what came across to me. His vocal style is hard driving as well as hip hop. You summed it up perfectly.

    MK: Any plans for anymore Bakerton Group stuff? (The Bakerton Group is a Clutch side project that works primarily as an instrumental outfit, incorporating elements of blues and other sounds outside the typical Clutch sound.)

    JPG: No immediate plans. I will say, we did have a request from someone to record one of the Bakerton Group songs. We certainly said, “Of course. Go for it!” That was an interesting request. We haven’t had that in a while.  The Bakerton Group project gives us the opportunity to play a little bit differently than we do in Clutch. Mainly because it’s mostly instrumental stuff. It’s sort of a laboratory for us.

    Having said that, we’ve been so busy with Clutch stuff, we really haven’t had much time to do it. We did Earth Rocker, and there was a tremendous amount of momentum that came off of that record and that’s really flowed right into Psychic Warfare. And I know we’re going to be really busy on Psychic Warfare for at least another year.

    MK: That’s terrific. You guys deserve to be busy. I pre-ordered Psychic Warfare on vinyl and when it was delayed and delayed, I ran out to the nearest  store and bought the CD on release day. I had it on repeat for like four days straight.  I really soaked it up.  It’s definitely my favorite album of 2015, to say the least.

    JPG: Wow, thank you.

    MK: Festival season is heating  up. Do you enjoy the festival circuit?

    JPG:   Festivals are fun because you get to play with a lot of bands that you normally wouldn’t play with. And more importantly, there are lot of folks there who don’t necessarily know about Clutch who will be given the opportunity to check us out.

    MK: Do you get to mingle a lot with other bands when you play festivals?

    JPG: Sure. Sometimes you run into old friends. Sometimes you make new friends. It’s always a good time. And it’s nice to be outside and not so much in a rock venue. It’s a different kind of environment, when you spend 6 or 7 nights a week in the dark theaters and clubs, it’s nice to get outdoors.

    MK:  Is King Hobo (another Gaster side project with the motto: “Get funky or get out.”) still a thing? I know it has to be tough to get together with Per Wiberg (keyboardist) from Opeth and Thomas Andersson from Kamchatka.  Do you still work on stuff with those guys?

    JPG:  Sure. There’s some new stuff in the works with those guys. That was an incredible time to be able to go over there (The band recorded at Wiberg’s home in Sweden in 2005.) and record with Thomas and Per. I try to do as much of that as I can.

    You know, with every side project, at the end of the day, all that energy ultimately comes back and makes Clutch a better thing. Every time you play with somebody new you’re going to learn something. There’s gonna be some energy there that you pick up on that’s gonna eventually translate back to your day gig, which for us, is Clutch.

    MK: Do you do stuff over the Internet? Throw a few tracks in Dropbox and go back and forth with it?

    JPG: Yeah, we definitely do that kind of thing. It’s great to be able to take advantage of the technology available to us. We weren’t able to do that 10-15 years ago.

    MK: What do you listen to when you’re just going about your day?

    JPG: I listen to all kinds of stuff. I’ve been listening a lot recently to Miles Davis’ Live at the Cellar Door. It’s the complete recordings that he eventually edited down to make Bitches Brew. Jack DeJohnette is on that record. Dave Holland is on that record. Just last night I was listening to Robert Palmer’s Sneaking Sally Through the Alley. That’s an incredibly funky record. He’s got the Meters as his backing band on that record.

    MK: Yeah, yeah, that’s quite different than the Palmer who became a hit in the 80s.

    JPG:  I very much enjoy that recording. Really I listen to pretty much anything. The blues – Muddy Waters, B.B. King. Reggae stuff. Bob Marley and Augustus Pablo. I like dub a lot. I will say these days, I don’t listen to a lot of loud rock and roll. I do on occasion. I find myself always trying to pull influence from other stuff.  And I think that’s what makes the rock and roll better.

    MK: Your drum kit, I’ve noticed, is a lot of vintage equipment. Is that all you play?

    JPG: I have vintage kits. I have newer kits as well. But I will say, the newer kits I have, and I’m speaking specifically about my Gretsch USA Custom kit. Really, it’s the same drum and the same design that they’ve been making for 50-60 years. There’s a lot of modern stuff out there that’s great, that sounds good.

    I prefer to go with that older style tone. I don’t muffle my drums much at all. Playing a drum that’s wide open, that’s not muffled in anyway is much more difficult than playing one that’s muffled or has pillows in the bass drum. And the sound that you get out of a drum that’s wide open like that has a lot of possibility. You can get to a lot of different sounds, a lot of different dynamics depending how you hit that drum, how you address that drum in the context of what the music is.

    I find that vintage drums or drums in the style of vintage drums, give me a little bit more tonal color to work with. I don’t play a big kit. I have a bass drum, two tom toms, a snare drum and a couple cymbals and that’s about it. I look to my drums to give me a lot of options. And I feel like with drums like that, they really respond to how you tune them and how you play them ultimately.

    MK: Rumor has it, you’ve been known to practice on your drum pad for eight hours at a time while on the bus…

    JPG: (laughter) Eight hours may be a little bit more than what really happens. I will say that when I’m out on the road, i have a practice kit and a couple of drum pads. And when you’re out there, that’s what you do 24 hours a day.

    So when I wake up i think, “What do i need to do to make this the best show it can be?” I think about the drums all day long. Before sound check I try to warm up. After sound check I’ll typically get something to eat and then I’ll hit that practice kit until showtime.  I’m there sometimes for three or four hours, but the time moves quickly.

    Practice for me is not a tedious thing. I had an interviewer say to me one time, “I hear that you practice very often.” And i explained to him, “Sure, I’ll practice three or four hours a day sometimes.” He says, “Well, doesn’t that get boring?” (laughs) I said, “Only if you find practice boring.” I don’t. I find it to be very meditative.

    There are points in the practice routine where you really reach a mental state in which time is irrelevant and you’re only considering the concept in front of you and how it relates to other stuff that you’re doing. I get a lot of enjoyment out of that. A lot of relaxation. So much of what we do now is mental.  What I mean by that is, drumming has become more mental than physical for me. So, many of the exercises I’m working on are not really how fast can you hit the pad or how quickly can you play paradiddles. I’m really trying to deconstruct stuff. I’m trying to get inside the drums, subdivide things into what I haven’t done before. It’s a very mental thing for me.

    MK: Well, that’s good to know. I get tired just watching you.

    (laughter)

    MK:  I don’t want to take up too much more of your time, just one more thing: A buddy of mine, who went to the show with me back in October, wanted me to mention something to you.  He’s been home brewing for a while and is on the verge of opening a brewery here in our town. He said, “If Clutch plays opening night of the brewery, I will close the doors the next day. It cannot be topped.”

    (laughter)

    You guys wanna call his bluff?

    JPG: (laughter) Ha ha, no. But we’ll take some of his beer.

    MK: Nice. OK, I’ll let him know.

    MK:  Thanks for taking time to speak with NYS Music. Good luck with the rest of the tour and keep on rockin’.

    JPG: Thank you, sir. Talk soon.