Something Corporate, the Southern California pop-punk band, played at the Cook Campus Center last Tuesday night to a sold out crowd. The band is best known for their breakout album, Leaving Through The Window, and more recent album North. Inside Beat's Alicia Cocca had a most relaxing and casual conversation with Clutch, Josh Partington and Brian Ireland before they took the stage in front of the Rutgers crowd.
IB: Since you've been playing a lot of college shows recently - and you played them last year too - how do you like playing college shows as opposed to regular shows?
Clutch: It's BYOB.
Josh: Bring your own band?
Clutch: No, beer.
Josh: Oh ...
Clutch: Am I wrong?
IB: Does playing all of these college shows and seeing all the students everywhere ever make you feel like you missed out on the college experience?
Clutch: I don't think I missed out. I never went to college, so I never went to classes. I played shows, but I don't think I'm missing out on the fun aspects of college life.
Josh: You have to make choices in your life. I went to school for a year. But you know, you make a choice. Some people want to go out and be an astronaut, and if you want to be an astronaut you can't just go out and party every night, you know. Everything has its tradeoffs.
IB: Which campus did you like the best that you visited?
(Their manager coaxes them into saying Seattle, his favorite campus by far)
Josh: [laughing] Seattle!
Clutch: I've liked a lot of places we've been too.
Josh: I liked Adolphus Gustavus [Minn.]
Josh & Clutch: [laughing] Salve Regina! [Rhode Island]
Josh: There are a lot of cool colleges out there.
IB: When do you plan on coming out with a new album?
Josh: We would like to come out with a new album soon. We have to figure out exactly when it's going to be done. Hopefully, in the summer we'll get some things started.
Clutch: We're not exactly on the greatest terms with out record label right now, so we'll see.
IB: When do you guys get to sleep?
[All laugh and point over to a nearby couch where lead singer Andrew McMahon is asleep]
Clutch: Right now! Really, whenever we have the time. During this tour, I sleep from about 4 a.m. to maybe 1 p.m. [Their manager adds in, Clutch never wakes up before 2:30 p.m.] I've been up a decent hour on this tour!
Josh: I usually go to bed at like 3 or 4 a.m., but it's because we usually stay on West Coast time.
IB: Who has been most influential musically to you guys?
Brian: ME! I've been very influential to them. [points to Clutch and Josh]
Josh: Yeah, Brian has influenced me to change careers out of music.
Brian: I actually try and stay away from influences. I try to do my own thing, and listen to as much music as possible.
Clutch: I actually haven't been listening to a lot of music lately, and that's a shame.
Josh: You know who's a really good band? Days Away [The band they're currently touring with]. We should let them influence us right now. They recently got to a different drummer, and now they're a better band.
Brian: You guys are nothing without me.
IB: Specifically to Clutch, where did your nickname come from?
Clutch: [Guitarist] Will Tell gave it to me like three and a half years ago now. We were watching a movie on TV that was made by the local junior college. It was a spoof on Starsky & Hutch, called Sparky & Clutch. And I said to him, 'William, how cool would it be to have a friend named Clutch?' And he said, from now on, I was named Clutch, and it just stuck.
Josh: [To Brian] Remember the point when Clutch would only refer to himself in third person? 'The Clutch will not do that.'
Clutch: Guys, this is an interview, not reminiscence between us!
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