CLUTCH, KELLY CHARMICHAEL

Exit/In in Nashville, TN has hosted some of rock and metal’s most notorious acts including everything from “Death” (Chuck Schuldiner R.I.P.) in the early 90s to this week’s “Hatebreed“ show. This venue is a standard southern drop for much of metal’s national acts and a haven for local appreciators of heavy music. We pulled up at 9 PM to a line winding from the door of the venue over a block long in anticipation of the arrival of southern metal shoguns “Clutch.”

Although Clutch’s groove laden lambasting has become the thing of legends in a live setting, they are also notorious for making you earn it (so speak) with their choice of openers. Tonight would be no different with the extremely talented (yet unbefitting) set by Kelly Charmichael. Charmichael with his dobro and acoustic guitar driven blues covers just didn’t seem the proper introduction for the southern, sonic ferocity of Falon and company. I was hoping that Charmichael’s set would be brief and yield to an unannounced opening set by “Bakerton Group” (Clutch minus front man Neil Falon). Although this has been the case in previous Clutch shows it was not to be this evening. The crowd in my immediate vicinity appeared to share the sentiment as shouts of “write your own material” and “get off the stage” echoed from the back of the room. Charmichael would undoubtedly pack any coffee house or street corner with rabid blues fans but simply was not booked appropriately for this spot.

By the time Clutch (Falon with a beard that could easily burn for days) took the stage Exit/In was packed to fire capacity. Finding a place to stand was difficult and getting to the bar and back with a beer was about as likely as finding the “body of John-Wilkes Booth.“ The self proclaimed Blast Tyrants opened their set with “10-0011” and threw out other tracks from “Robot Hive Exodus” and “Blast Tyrant.” The audience was later treated to an instrumental jam leading into ‘The Elephant Riders’ with Falon on rhythm guitar. I was a bit curious how the addition of Mick on the Hammond B2 organ was going go live but it was virtually seamless. The new 5th member flawlessly added studio quality keys to their live performance. Near the end of the first set drummer Jean Paul Gaster suffered a broken a bass pedal, which was quickly replaced and the set closed with “The Regulator” from the 2004 “Blast Tyrant” CD. Falon and company exited the stage for a 15-minute break, before performing a 2nd set, during which we left to make the 3-hour trek home.

Disappointedly we missed such Clutch classics as “Impetus” and “Binge and Purge” which are usually included in the 2nd set. This was probably the most subdued Clutch show I have attended over the years.. The venue was far to packed to allow moshing and front man Neal Falon did not display his usual “southern-Baptist preacher sent by aliens to assimilate you” demeanor. Although lacking their trademark welding, southern furry, the band was extremely tight. Overall an enjoyable evening with Clutch.

Clutch website: www.pro-rock.com
Venue website: www.exitin.com