Since its formation in 1991, the band line-up has included Neil Fallon (vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards), Tim Sult (lead guitar, backing vocals), Dan Maines (bass, backing vocals) and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums and percussion). To date, Clutch has released thirteen studio albums, and several rarities and live albums. Since 2008 the band have been signed to their own record label, Weathermaker.
Clutch (originally called “Glut Trip” and stemmed from “Moral Minority”) was formed in 1991 by Dan Maines (bass), Jean-Paul Gaster (drums), Tim Sult (guitar), and Roger Smalls (vocals) in Germantown, Maryland. Smalls soon departed and was replaced by Neil Fallon, a longtime schoolmate of the other members at Seneca Valley High School. The band quickly gained notice through constant touring. The 12" single “Passive Restraints” on the Earache label was Clutch’s first commercial release, garnering attention from other labels. Their debut LP, Transnational Speedway League, was released in 1993. It was followed by a self-titled album two years later that gained Clutch mainstream exposure. The band moved to the larger Columbia label for the 1998 album The Elephant Riders. They followed it in 1999 with a self-released groove-based album Jam Room.
On April 28, 2009 Clutch released Slow Hole to China, a collection of unreleased tracks.
On June 10, 2012, the band released a new single, “Pigtown Blues”, on iTunes, backed with an acoustic version of “Motherless Child” from Strange Cousins from the West.
On March 16, 2013 Clutch released their tenth album Earth Rocker which entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #15 giving Clutch their highest chart position to date. It would remain on the chart for a total of 5 weeks. The album also reached #4 on iTunes’ overall Top 100 album charts and was #1 in their rock chart. Earthrocker won “Album of the Year” 2013 from British publication Metalhammer, and was rated highly on many rock/metal magazines’ and websites’ end-of-the-year “Top Tens”.
In an interview on January 7, 2015 with music and entertainment company 88 Miles West, Fallon stated that the band was heading to Dripping Springs, Texas, to record their upcoming eleventh album. Fallon states the venture to Texas was due to the relocation of record producer Machine, with whom they worked on Blast Tyrant and Earth Rocker, and who recently opened a new studio there. He stated in the interview that “Septemberish, give or take a couple of months” is when they hope to release the new album.
Their eleventh studio album is titled Psychic Warfare, and was released October 2, 2015. Fallon said the concept is influenced by science fiction author Philip K. Dick. “His general philosophy and questions have always crept into my lyrics, because I share an interest in it,” he adds. “On Earth Rocker, ‘Crucial Velocity’ was definitely a Philip Dick song for me. On this record, ‘X-Ray Visions’ certainly is.”. Gaster described the new material as more diverse than ever.
In April 2018, Neil Fallon announced through the radio station The Eagle Rocks that the band's twelfth studio album would be titled Book of Bad Decisions. The album will be released on September 7, 2018. The album was recorded at Sputnik Sound Studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer and engineer Vance Powell.
On November 13, 2020 Released The Weathermaker Studios Vol. 1. A collection of re-recorded hits and 4 unreleased covers and songs.
On September 16,2022 Clutch released their 13th Studio album: Sunrise on Slaughter Beach.
Between 2004-2018 Clutch created seven straight top 10 releases on Billboard’s Independent Album Chart.
Neil Fallon – vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, keyboards, percussion
Tim Sult – lead guitar
Dan Maines – bass guitar
Jean-Paul Gaster – drums, percussion
Pulaski Skyway
Clutch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By the fires of Elizabeth, never cease to amaze.
So hats off to the industry's casualties
Tra loo tray lay.
Oh that swamp full of grabbing hands.
Pull you under New Amsterdam.
Chinese boxes hold their secrets well.
How many are there one can never tell.
Got to get religion, they gonna join that underground church
Even the mole people got to get religion.
They gonna join that underground church.
Art class for the bourgeoisies, lab rats for the cat.
Real estate moguls, Chump Towers,
When the wind blows you can hear the windows go rat a tat rat a tat tat tat.
Jimmy Hoffa in the Meadowlands, weighing down that union man.
Grab his ankles, stevedores,
Oh how those Jets do roar.
Got to get religion, they gonna join that underground church
Even the mole people got to get religion.
They gonna join that underground church.
Oh but to just dine on sewage, cold seagull pie.
Wrestle albino alligators and spin the good lie.
Oh that swamp full of grabbing hands.
Pull you under New Amsterdam.
Chinese boxes hold their secrets well.
How many are there one can never tell.
Got to get religion, they gonna join that underground church
Even the mole people got to get religion.
They gonna join that underground church
The song "Pulaski Skyway" by Clutch depicts the grittiness and industrial nature of New Jersey. The first lines describe a desire to dance on the Pulaski Skyway, a large steel bridge that connects Newark and Jersey City. The fires of Elizabeth, a city in New Jersey, are said to never cease to amaze. The song goes on to mention casualties of the industry, possibly referring to the numerous factory workers and laborers who have suffered due to the industrialization of the area. The repetitive phrase "Tra loo tray lay" can be interpreted as a sort of chant, perhaps emphasizing the loss and chaos caused by the industry.
The lyrics describe a swamp full of grabbing hands that can pull you under, possibly referencing the danger and darkness of the area. The line "Chinese boxes hold their secrets well" suggests that there are many hidden and unknown parts of the area. The song also references the underground church that many people in the area have turned to, including the mole people who live in the tunnels under the city.
The song then takes a sharp turn to mention Jimmy Hoffa, a famous union leader who disappeared in New Jersey. The Jets were a football team based in New Jersey, possibly adding to the local references in the song. The last verse describes a desire to "dine on sewage" and "wrestle albino alligators," further emphasizing the dangerous and dirty nature of the area.
Overall, "Pulaski Skyway" portrays a dark and gritty image of New Jersey and the toll that industry and urbanization have taken on the area.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, but to just dance on steel, the Sky Pulaski way.
To experience the thrill of walking on the steel beams of the Pulaski Skyway bridge in New Jersey.
By the fires of Elizabeth, never cease to amaze.
The city of Elizabeth, which is home to a number of industrial plants and factories, is always impressive.
So hats off to the industry's casualties Tra loo tray lay.
Acknowledging those who have been harmed or exploited by the industrial system.
Oh that swamp full of grabbing hands. Pull you under New Amsterdam.
The dangers of the Hudson County Meadows, which is like a swamp where one can easily get lost or hurt.
Chinese boxes hold their secrets well. How many are there one can never tell.
The enigmatic nature of the Chinese-made shipping containers that are often seen in the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Got to get religion, they gonna join that underground church. Even the mole people got to get religion. They gonna join that underground church.
No matter how difficult life may be, people always seek meaning and purpose, even those who are living in extreme poverty or difficult circumstances.
Art class for the bourgeoisies, lab rats for the cat.
While the rich attend art classes and pursue their hobbies, the poor are treated like lab rats who are experimented on.
Real estate moguls, Chump Towers, When the wind blows you can hear the windows go rat a tat rat a tat tat tat.
Even in the luxurious Chump Towers, one can hear the sounds of the wind rattling the windows.
Jimmy Hoffa in the Meadowlands, weighing down that union man. Grab his ankles, stevedores, Oh how those Jets do roar.
The unresolved mystery of Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance, which is rumored to have taken place in the Meadowlands, and how it impacts the labor movement and its workers.
Oh but to just dine on sewage, cold seagull pie. Wrestle albino alligators and spin the good lie.
The absurd and grotesque scenarios that are possible in the harsh realities of life.
Contributed by Aaliyah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.