Author Archives: mattcluthe

You Can Stay Below

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Stay Below LyricsThere are several “older” songs of mine that I’ve been wanting to properly re-record with Chris since we started Cluthe/Lee. This is the main song that I was itching to re-record. It was written back in 2005 & we tried rehearsing it with my old band, End Result; but it just didn’t fit our sound. This is easily one of my favorite songs to play & sing and I’m really excited with how it turned out. I have to give Chris credit…he keeps asking me to look back & find older songs that I’d like to work on. Take a listen & enjoy!

-Matt

You Can Stay Below Cluthe (words/music): vocals, guitar, bass Lee: drums, guitar "You Can Stay Below"

Where It Began: Track-by-Track

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©Maura Cluthe

A lot of people ask me what my lyrics are about. They’re open to interpretation, but I decided to reveal the album track-by-track once it was finished. This led me to examine the meaning/inspiration of each one of these songs. Enjoy!

1. COMING THROUGH: Where It Began starts off with a song that almost made it onto our last album, Life Can Go. It was finished shortly after we’d tracked that album, so we decided to save it for the next album. We also knew that it should open the album from the get-go. Lyrically, it serves as a warning of sorts. When people count you out, this is the reminder that you’re still here…still viable…still beating & ready to break through any walls that have held you back.

2. THE GHOST:Chris: The Ghost is the second song on Where It Began. It was an 11th hour addition to the track list and one that Matt wrote earlier this year. Huge chorus in this song – and one you may find yourself easily swept up in.

Matt: Like Chris said, this one was added at the last minute. It just seemed to really fit the tone of the record. The lyrics date back to 2003. I found them in an old notebook & re-worked the chord structure. The “ghost” is within all of us.
3. LONDON DREAM:

London Dream is one of my favorite songs that I’ve written, but it’s also one that 
I wish I’d never had to write. Life is funny like that. I had forgotten my Dad’s voice…
I couldn’t retrieve it in my mind. This scared & saddened me a great deal. I remember talking to my wife about it & she calmed me down…by telling me that his voice would return. She was right. I had the most vivid dream. When I woke up the next day, I quickly jotted down the lyrics & didn’t leave anything out from the dream.This song is a gift from my Dad. I hear his voice loud & clear every single time I play it. Laurel adds some truly amazing vocals on this track. Chris’ drums are fantastic.                                        
Thanks for the gift, Dad.
4. STATE OF FLUX:

Chris wrote the music to this one & I was immediately hooked. For having such catchy music, it really opened the door for me to write the lyrics in a different way. The music seems light-hearted, but the lyrics are the opposite. To me, it represents just how naive we all are to the world around us. We turn away from reality more often than we should.
“Take a seat on city bus. Close your eyes you’ve seen enough.”
5. HOLD ME DOWN:
This song came together very quickly. I was recording some lead lines for a different song in an alternate tuning. Once I finished recording my parts, I dirtied up the guitar sound a bit & had some fun. It was recorded & written at the end of a long day. I think some of my exhaustion spilled over into the lyrics while thinking about work. This is probably the first song that I wrote while using a slide for the whole song. Chris has some amazing leads on this song with great tones.
6. RECOLLECTION:

Chris wrote the music for this song. When he sent it to me, it was clear to me that all I
had to do was sing on this one. I was floored by it. The music is beautiful. My Mom is a retired nurse. She worked with critical care patients most of her life. As I got older, I wondered what the patients were thinking. “Dear time, I need more time.”
7. LIFE ANEW:

Life Anew was one of the last songs to make the final track listing for Where It Began. 
I started writing it late one night while taking a study break. It was raining & I 
had tried going to sleep, but had no luck. By the next morning, the storms had passed & I finished writing the song.After I wrote it, I rarely found myself playing it. Now I strum it on my acoustic quite a bit. Songs are funny like that.
8. CHAOS ENSUES:
This song is a trip. When I started writing it, I decided to really let loose & experiment.
Multiple layers, voices, textures…all swirling together. A controlled chaos, if you will. 
I remember telling Chris that I was experimenting with layers & loops. He was pretty excited. I was really excited to see what he’d add to the song. He took it far beyond the next level. It just builds & builds & builds….The silence at the end is the beginning of the chaos.
9. DEAR WOMAN:

I’m a big fan of the blues. I’m also a big fan of spontaneous, simple & fun tunes.
I was recording another demo on my strat & really loved the dirty tone I was hearing.
So, I plugged in the mic so both the strat & mic had the same tone. I started strumming a simple chord progression, then hit record. I recorded the rhythm guitar & vocals at the same time. No pre-written lyrics or ideas…I simply went with it. I sent it to Chris & said “have fun.” What he sent back floored me. Drums, bass & lead guitar…that’s all him.
When tracking this album, this song just felt like a no-brainer to both of us. It had to be on the album. It sounds like we’re in the same room just having a blast.
10. FAULT LINE:

This is another tune that Chris wrote. As soon as I heard it, I knew that I only needed to add vocals. Much like Recollection, it was done. I’m not sure if it’s an old riff of his or not, 
but it really thumps. It’s one of the heaviest songs he’s ever sent me, that’s for sure.
When I heard it, I was really excited. It had an attitude to it & a sense of immediacy. 
I listened to it a few times while developing some lyric & phrasing ideas. The stops & starts of the bridge were challenging, but so much fun. I’m constantly reminded of how lucky I am to be writing with this guy.
11. CROOKED BUILDING:

Much like The Ghost, this song was a late addition to the album. It just seemed to fit the tone of the record in so many ways. It has this sense of uncertainty & menace to it. The person in the song is drifting…looking for a foothold. Something (or someone) to grab onto to help show them the way. When everything looks familiar & you don’t know who or where you are…Time spins, time falls.
12. IT SPINS:

I found myself flipping through the channels one day. I started watching a documentary on about human suffering in the history of the United States. It really shook me how some men decided to “play God” by forcing people to leave their native lands. I started thinking about what I’d learned in school as a kid….and soon realized that it was only a small portion of what I knew today as an adult. I didn’t know the whole truth because the books only taught so much. The pen moved easily across the page for this song and I could clearly hear the music in my head. I wanted there to be two distinct parts…
one peaceful & one aggressive. What we think we know vs. What we should know.
13. UNFOLDING:

In all of the years that I’ve been writing music, no other song has been stuck in my head more than Unfolding. There is just something about it that I can’t shake. I immediately thought that it would be a great way to close out Where it Began. The album title comes from the lyrics in this song, after all. To me, it’s about letting go of past regret & finally coming to the realization that the possibilities are endless. The future is right in front of you. It’s unfolding.
 
 
 
 

 

Album Notes & Update

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The album is done. Wil is going to put the final touches on the mastering this week. That means that we’ll be submitting the full album for manufacturing in the next week or so. The cd’s should 
arrive in about 2-3 weeks. As soon as they arrive, they’ll be in the mail.
We can’t say thanks enough. We took a big step forward with Where It Began &
we’re excited to see where the next step will take us. 
I’ve just listened to the final master of the album two times in a row while taking final mastering notes. 
I want to make sure that we document everything about this album, so this blog will serve as a place to show the contributions to Where It Began. It might be fun to re-visit this once you’re holding the album in your hands. I wanted to make sure that I wrote it all down before I forgot it all.
again, we can’t thank you enough.
Matt & Chris
WHERE IT BEGAN
cluthe/lee
-COMING THROUGH-
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass
Lee: rhythm guitar, lead guitar, drums
-THE GHOST-
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
Lee: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drums
-LONDON DREAM-
M. Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
Lee: rhythm guitar, lead guitar, drums, shaker
L. Cluthe: vocals
-STATE OF FLUX-
Cluthe (words): vocals, lead guitar
Lee (music): rhythm guitar, bass, drums
-HOLD ME DOWN-
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
Lee: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drums
-RECOLLECTION-
Cluthe (words): vocals
Lee (music): rhythm guitar, lead guitar, drums, bass, shaker, tambourine
-LIFE ANEW-
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass
Lee: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drums
-CHAOS ENSUES-
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
Lee: rhythm guitar, lead guitar, drums
-DEAR WOMAN- 
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar
Lee: lead guitar, bass, drums
-FAULT LINE-
Cluthe (words): vocals
Lee (music): rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, drums
-CROOKED BUILDING-
Cluthe (words): vocals, lead guitar
Lee (music): rhythm guitar, bass, drums
-IT SPINS-
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
Lee: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drums
-UNFOLDING-
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass
Lee: rhythm guitar, drums, shaker
__________________
all songs written/recorded & mixed by cluthe/lee ©2012
album art by maura cluthe ©2012
album mastered by wil reeves

Open Heart Beating + Album Update

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hey everyone….
we just posted a song called “Open Heart Beating” on our page. you can hear it by going to www.cluthelee.com right now! Chris wrote the music for this one & we’ve been so busy prepping the new album that it was placed on the backburner. he did a great job mixing it down & we’re happy to finally share it with you! here’s the song info for ya…
-OPEN HEART BEATING-
Cluthe (words): vocals, lead guitar
Lee (music): rhythm guitar, lead guitar, drums, bass
with the album winding down, we’re starting to record a lot of demos. we know that it’s been awhile since we put out new music, but we’ve been focused on finishing Where It Began.
speaking of Where It Began, the album is SOLD OUT. wow. thanks for your love & support….and for your patience. we hoped to have the album in your hands by now, but the mastering process has taken a bit longer than we anticipated. we’re taking our time with it because we want it to sound as good as possible. and it sounds amazing…Wil has done an awesome job mastering it! Chris has scheduled two more appointments with Wil. the first will tighten up the last 2 songs and the final meeting will be to wrap up the project. we can’t wait to release it. as soon as it’s 100% done, we will let you know!
until then, we hope this update finds you all well. more new tunes are coming soon & before you know it, you’ll be listening to Where It Began.
Cheers,
Matt

Where It Began: Order Update

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here’s the timetable for you all…
-Only 2 songs left to be mastered (one is almost done, the other will be in progress next week)
-Full album master to follow the last song.
-Once the mastering is complete, then we place the order for production/manufacturing. 
-Soon after the album has been submitted, it will be available digitally (iTunes, Amazon & 30 other online retailers)
-By our estimate, we should have the physical cd’s in hand by mid-November
-CD’s will ship immediately once we receive them!!
thanks, everyone! only a few copies left, so grab one while you still can! 
Cheers—–
Matt & Chris

WHERE IT BEGAN PRE-ORDER INFO!

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Hi everyone!

We’re so excited to finally share this album with you! A lot of time & energy have gone into every aspect of this record. Before I go into the ordering details, we’d like to thank a few people…….

Maura Cluthe: It’s an honor to once again have my sister on board doing the artwork. Simply put, it looks AMAZING! As you all know she also designed the artwork for our first two albums & she hit it out of the park again with Where It Began. Thanks a ton, Maura!!! (info on her art here: http://www.frag-ment-ed.com/)

Wil Reeves: Thanks to donations from all of you, we were able to bring in Wil to master the album. He’s done an awesome job & really helped us to shape the final versions of these songs while staying true to our original vision & mixes. Believe me, you’ll hear the difference! Thanks, Wil! (more info on his studio can be found here: http://centrocellarstudio.com/)

Laurel & Ali: We’d be crazy if we didn’t thank our wives! They’re the ones that hear these songs take shape, offer support & encouragement when we keep screwing up & are our biggest cheerleaders. Without them, this album may not even exist. BIG thanks to both of you!!

(Also, be sure to check our twitter, facebook & websites for the album cover reveal on 9/17/12!)

PRE-ORDER INSTRUCTIONS:
The process will be much like the pre-orders for our first two albums. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. This is a LIMITED PRESSING, so order a copy while you can!!

1. Each cd is $13.00. The shipping costs (both international & domestic) are included in the price.
2. Send the $13 by using PayPal. (www.paypal.com) Our paypal address is this email address (presentlyfalling@gmail.com). If you don’t already have a PayPal account, they are easy to set up. If you’d rather mail a check, that’s ok as well but you need to email us and let us know ASAP so we can reserve a copy for you.
3. Please send the $13 as US Currency. Also, please select the “gift” tab to avoid any fees.
4. In the “notes” tab, please type your name & mailing address.
5. That’s it!

***PLEASE NOTE***
The funds that we receive during the pre-order will be used to fund the manufacturing & production of the cd’s. Once we’ve reached the amount needed, we will place the order. The cd’s take 5-7 business days to reach us. Once they do, we will start mailing them out immediately. The mailers will already be addressed & they should arrive at your door within 4-6 business days (US) or 8-14 business days (International) after we ship them. We will notify you when your order has shipped.

We can’t thank you all enough for your constant love & support! Again, if you have any questions…please email us!

Cheers,
Matt

Where It Began: Track #13

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UNFOLDING

In all of the years that I’ve been writing music, no other song has been stuck in my head more than Unfolding. There is just something about it that I can’t shake.
I immediately thought that it would be a great way to close out Where it Began.
The album title comes from the lyrics in this song, after all. 
To me, it’s about letting go of past regret & finally coming to the realization that the possibilities are endless. The future is right in front of you. It’s unfolding.


WHERE IT BEGAN
cluthe/lee
____________

1. COMING THROUGH
2. THE GHOST
3. LONDON DREAM
4. STATE OF FLUX
5. HOLD ME DOWN
6. RECOLLECTION
7. LIFE ANEW
8. CHAOS ENSUES
9. DEAR WOMAN
10. FAULT LINE
11. CROOKED BUILDING
12. IT SPINS
13. UNFOLDING


Well, there you have it! It’s been a lot of fun writing these blogs over the last 2 weeks! 
The PRE-ORDER for Where It Began starts on Monday, September 17th. We’ll be sure
to give you all more info on how the pre-order will work in the next week or so.

Thanks, everyone…..
Matt

Where It Began: Track #12

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IT SPINS

I found myself flipping through the channels one day. I started watching a documentary on about human suffering in the history of the United States.
It really shook me how some men decided to “play God” by forcing people to leave their native lands. I started thinking about what I’d learned in school as a kid….
and soon realized that it was only a small portion of what I knew today as an adult.
I didn’t know the whole truth because the books only taught so much.

The pen moved easily across the page for this song and I could clearly hear the music in my head. I wanted there to be two distinct parts…
one peaceful & one aggressive. 
What we think we know vs. What we should know.


WHERE IT BEGAN
cluthe/lee
_____________

1. COMING THROUGH
2. THE GHOST
3. LONDON DREAM
4. STATE OF FLUX
5. HOLD ME DOWN
6. RECOLLECTION
7. LIFE ANEW
8. CHAOS ENSUES
9. DEAR WOMAN
10. FAULT LINE
11. CROOKED BUILDING
12. IT SPINS
13.