wow…what a trip.

it’s been well over a week since Laurel & I left the insanely hot weather of Waco to head north to Columbia, MO to meet up with Chris & Ali. to be honest, it’s taken me that long to collect my thoughts from one of the best musical weekends of my life.

we started our journey late in the day last Wednesday (8/31) with our goal being to make it all the way to Springfield, MO to stay the night. well, we had some bumps along the way (traffic, lovely Oklahoma construction, etc..) but managed to make it to Vinita, Oklahoma shortly before midnight. after waking up & grabbing some breakfast, we were on our way. we’ve driven through OK many times, but had never gone this far east through Muskogee/Tulsa, so the change of scenery was nice. there were mini-casinos at every gas station..not something we’re used to seeing in TX. eventually, we found our way to Joplin, then Springfield, then drove through the Ozarks (cool little Ozark town: Osage Beach) and finally arrived in Columbia right around 1 in the afternoon. we were greeted by our awesome friends…people we’ve only known for about 2 1/2 years, but it feels like we’ve known them our whole lives. we quickly unpacked the Scion & started playing luggage & gear “tetris” in their car. somehow, it all fit! (i was shocked, to be honest)

and away we went….off to St. Charles, MO to drop off their dog, Gertie. from there, we kept heading north towards our final destination of Delavan, Wisconsin. the drive was great…tons of new scenery…lots of cows…and SO GREEN. Laurel & I hadn’t seen green grass in months because of the drought in TX & it was a very welcome sight. we arrived in Delavan exhausted & excited. the months of rehearsing, planning & preparation were about to become a reality, and we were ready.

day #1 is Wisconsin started off by sleeping in & enjoying some coffee/breakfast in a quiet hotel lobby. our friends from all over the country & world would start arriving soon…and we couldn’t wait to play. after stocking up on some groceries & supplies for the weekend, we were able to meet a lot of these friends as they arrived. these are people that have been supporting what Chris & I have been doing from day one…and it was amazing to finally meet them in person.

the four of us ventured into the quaint downtown of Delavan for some lunch & some vinyl shopping, of course! after that, it was almost time for soundcheck, so we went back to the hotel, packed up & off we went. we arrived @ Hemingway’s right around 3:30pm…the show was set to start at 6 & we were told to be there 2 hours early for soundcheck. it seems like there there was some miscommunication going on because the soundguy didn’t show up until 5:30 or so…30 minutes before we were supposed to start our 1st set. we had the fastest soundcheck that i’ve ever been a part of…then we were ready to go. Jen & Laura introduced us & spoke about the Wishlist Foundation & their goals for the evening. (goal: $10,000; actual: $13,000!!!)

it was showtime. this was it. we’d been practicing like madmen for months and here we were.

set #1 went exactly as planned & we had so much fun….it was all a blur, to be honest. we were supposed to start our 2nd set right around 8pm, but the raffle was running long & there were other events planned, so we enjoyed the atmosphere & waited. when it was time to start our 2nd set, we were more than ready and launched right into “Man Of The Mountain.” i could tell that the break had played havoc with my voice, so we decided to keep the momentum going with more of the faster & upbeat songs while i could still sing them! the place was PACKED at this point and we had a blast! Chris sounded absolutely AMAZING & we had some really fun jams going on…smiling the whole time. i’m a lucky guy to be writing music with him…but even more lucky to be his friend.

before we knew it, it was over. we just smiled, said thanks & tried to enjoy what was happening. we’ll have soundboard audio & pro-shot video of the show soon & we can’t wait to share it with you all.

i know i said it earlier in this post, but it was truly an honor meeting so many people & being a small part of a truly wonderful event. it’s something that we’ll never forget.

so, there’s part one of my PJ20 thoughts…part two will be about the festival (which was beyond mind-blowing, by the way). i’m sure i could have said a lot more…but i still haven’t completely come down yet. thank you again to our friends (both old & new) & family for your constant love, support & encouragement….especially our amazing wives, Laurel & Alison. this wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you all.

wow…what a trip.

all the best,
Matt

hi everyone! it’s safe to say that Chris & I have been kind of busy lately! but, there’s nothing wrong with that! Life Can Go has been released and most of the orders have reached their final destination. if you have any questions or concerns about your order, just drop us an email (presentlyfalling@gmail.com). all of our remaining physical copies of Life Can Go will be heading to Wisconsin (along with some copies of our first album, Here We Are) & will be available to purchase at the PJ20 Wishlist Pre-Party with a portion of each sale going back to the Wishlist Foundation.

we’re honored that they asked us to play at the pre-party and we’ve both been practicing like crazy. Chris is flying down to Texas this weekend so we can practice & make some final adjustments to our 2 1/2 hour set.

the Wishlist Foundation sent out a press release about the pre-party and you can read it here:

http://wishlistfoundation.org/2011/08/pj20-friday-fundraiser-press-release/

Wishlist is an amazing organization & we’re very proud to stand alongside them in their efforts to raise money for some truly amazing causes.

so, there’s a little update for you all. i need to get back to practicing for the show!!

until next time,

Matt

Hi everyone!

Matt and I put the finishing touches on these new ones in the last few weeks. We are really excited to hear what you think about these in particular. They are different than anything we’ve done this year so far, and I think might be signaling a shift in writing? Take a listen over at www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling

We’re both hard at work practicing for the Wishlist gig, which is in less than a month from now. There are songs in development right now, but we’ll be taking a break from work on those in order to prepare for the show. For those that missed out on pre-ordering a copy of our latest album “Life Can Go” we are happy to announce that you can purchase it on iTunes for $9.99 or on CDbaby for $7.99. In the coming month it will become available on a group of other online retailers. If you have trouble finding it for download, just let us know via e-mail or message on Facebook. Thanks you guys!

Chris & Matt

Fault Line:
(Matt) I remember Chris being really excited when he sent this to me–after hearing it, I knew why. Everything was done & it sounded amazing. It’s definitely one of the “harder rock” songs we’ve ever recorded & I had a lot of fun recording the vocals. All-around awesome playing (he plays every instrument on this one!) by Chris.
(Chris) A product of patience on my part. I was struggling with some things, mostly trying to do too much when coming up with riffs/song structures. One afternoon I got a bit angry at the whole mess and started really raking the strings and bending a bit too aggressively. After I was done I set the guitar down for a bit. When I came back I started playing a few riffs and the guitar had some odd tuning as a result of earlier. This song came out of that. Everything on this is a first take. One of the steadiest drum beats I’ve done to date, I think. I called the song Optimus Prime when I sent it to Matt. He was on board quickly and had vocals down not a day after I sent it to him. One of the heavier songs we’ve done together.

Lee – Drums, Guitars, Bass
Cluthe – All vocals, lyrics.

Chaos Ensues:
(Matt) This was a strange song. I’d been playing around with a simple chord progression & decided to try to add the vocal melody that I’d been hearing in my head on top of it. The first 2/3 of the song were pretty much done when I hit the record button…then something happened when i sang the line “before the chaos ensues..” basically, a switch turned on & this song took a strange turn. While listening to the playback, I had the idea of adding some vocal loops on top of the existing track, but I never knew just how far this song would go. Chris was very encouraging & even suggested that I add more vocal loops at the end of the song. The best way I can describe this song is that it could fall apart at any second…but it somehow stays together.
(Chris) I’d never heard a vocal loop like that in songs we’ve done, so obviously I felt it needed to be the prop for the song. Matt said it was the MOST difficult song to mix/master that we’ve ever done due to the sheer number of tracks.

Cluthe – Vocals, Vocal loops, Guitars, Effects, Bass
Lee – Drums, Guitars

hey everyone….

just thought we should write you all real quick to update you on what we have going on these days. if you have any questions, just drop us an email!

Life Can Go Pre-Sale:
first of all, thank you to everyone that has already ordered!! we wanted to let you know that the pre-sale will be ending on Monday, August 1st. on Tuesday, we will be placing our order the have the cds manufactured and we should receive them 7-10 days after we place our order. this is a LIMITED RUN, which is why we keep reminding you all to pre-order! a large amount of the “extra” cds are spoken for (more on that in a second…)…so if you want a copy, the only way to guarantee that you’ll receive one is to pre-order it. if you have any questions, please let us know asap. one more thing….we’ve seen Maura’s final artwork…and it is simply amazing. she did an awesome job & we can’t wait to share it with all of you!!

PJ20 Wishlist Pre-Party:
chris & i still can’t quite wrap our heads around the fact that we’ve been asked to play this event in Lake Geneva, WI on Friday, September 2nd. Wishlist is a fantastic non-profit that works in conjunction with Pearl Jam. they have raised a ton of money over the years to help countless people and charitable organizations in the US & abroad. this event is going to be huge & a lot of fun. we’re going to be playing 2 full sets, with Wishlist raffles & drawings happening in between. to play a show like this in front of our friends in the PJ community that combines our favorite band with an amazing non-profit is truly a blessing and we’re beyond excited!! chris & i are going to be selling copies of our new record, Life Can Go, at this event and will be donating a large percentage of the profits to the Wishlist Foundation. we’d like to send an extra thank you to Jen & Laura for asking us to play. see you in Wisconsin!!!

New Tunes:
in the midst of all of the pre-sale fun & show preparations, we’ve kept on writing! we have two new songs that we’re currently mixing (should be out in a week or 2) and several others that are in the early stages. stay tuned to our blog (http://leeandcluthemusic.blogspot.com/) & twitter (@clutheleemusic) feed for the latest info!

so, there you have it! lots of fun stuff going on these days in Waco & Columbia!! hope you’re all doing well & thanks again for your constant love & support!!

cheers,
matt & chris
(cluthe/lee)

Hey everybody!

Happy Monday! Matt and I are happy to be sharing the two newest songs we’ve finished this month! Both very different as per our usual style. I can’t recall which came first to be honest. Music tends to be flying everywhere all the time it seems. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to pre-order our second record “Life Can Go.” Matt and I are so proud of this second effort and are happy to have it available for pre-order (see previous blog post, or e-mail us at presentlyfalling@gmail.com for details)
Thanks for all the continued support!

Chris & Matt

Special (Cluthe: Words/Music)
Cluthe: Rhythm guitars, all vocals.
Lee: Guitars, Shaker, Stick On Drum, Bass

A great song Matt wrote last month I think? There was a flurry of songs he was sending and I latched onto this one pretty quickly. Love the rhythm guitar playing he does. I had this idea of percussion sounding like a beating heart. Thought it fit the lyrics pretty well. The guitar parts were all played so delicately.

Everything/Anything (Lee: Music, Cluthe: Words)
Cluthe: All vocals, Bass, Lead Guitars, WhammyFunk Guitars
Lee: Rhythm Guitars, Lead Guitar, Drums

This song has VERY OLD ROOTS. I think I forgot to tell Matt this, but I play these chords nearly every time I warm up playing guitar. Been the same warm up since 1997 I think. Hit me one day that I never recorded it, and here you have it! Matt did some crazy funky stuff with his guitar. Sounds like explosions (headphones or good stereo needed) at various points. Getting this song mixed was a real bear! Just when we thought things were going well, many of Matt’s parts were deleted. He had to re-record the vocals again at the 11th hour. I think he did an awesome job considering just how frustrated he was at that time.

hey everyone!!

chris & i are beyond excited to announce that the pre-order for our 2nd album, Life Can Go, will begin on Monday, July 18th!! if you pre-ordered our first album, nothing has changed. but for those of you that didn’t pre-order before, all of the details are listed below.

SHIPPING INFO:
-we will be placing order for production in approximately 2-3 weeks.
-once we’ve placed the order, it takes 7-10 days for the cd’s to arrive in Waco.
-i will process & ship all of the orders the day after they arrive.

PAYMENT INFO:
-each CD will be $12.00 (worldwide shipping is included in the price).
-you can place your order through PayPal.

PAYPAL ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS:
-if you have a PayPal account, login.
-if you don’t have a PayPal account, simply create an account. (click “Pay Online”..then click “Sign Up Now.” it’s quick, free & easy!
-once you’ve logged in, click “Send Money” at the top of the page.
-in the “To” field, enter this email address: presentlyfalling@gmail.com
-send $12.00 (US Dollars, please) by clicking “Personal”, then “Gift.”
-in the “Message” box, please write your name & address.
-follow the confirmation prompts and then you’re done!

OTHER INFO:
-the pre-order “starts” on Monday, but you can place your order NOW. we will be keeping records of all of the orders as they come in.
-the first 35 orders will be receiving a bonus “gift.” if you order 5 CD’s, you will only receive one gift..just wanted to make that clear to all of you.

LIFE CAN GO INFO:
-the artwork is just about done! Maura is doing an awesome job and we can’t wait to share her final artwork with you all! THANKS, MAURA!!!!!
-the album will include full lyrics & liner notes.
-hint: once “Not Listening” is over, keep listening!!!

TRACKLISTING FOR LIFE CAN GO:
1.IN A CORNER 2.THIS IS 3.ABBREVIATED 4.OH, MY DARLING 5.ORWELL’S WARNING 6.PIECES APART 7.DEFROST MODE 8.GROWN 9.ON A WIRE 10.HOPING FOR A MIRACLE 11.REELS FLY BY 12.LIFE CAN GO 13.NOT LISTENING

so, there you have it!! thanks to everyone out there for your love & support!! more exciting Cluthe/Lee news coming later next week after the pre-sale is underway!

cheers,
Matt & Chris

Hi everyone….
Been awhile since I blogged one, so here we go! If you’ve been reading the past few blogs/updates, then you know things are starting to heat up in Cluthe/Lee music world. First off, our digital only EP called “Different Colors” is completed. We are in late stages of finishing the art and hope to have this EP posted online at digital retailers in the next 2 weeks tentatively. Thanks for staying patient with us on it! We’ve been talking about it for what seems like forever! The artwork for it hit some major snags, but have no fear, all will be ironed out and looking good in due time!

Secondly, we have been informed that rough drafts of the full album artwork for our second record “Life Can Go” will be sent later this week. The progress is coming along so well we’re already talking dates for taking pre-orders. We have a tentative CD pre-order date for Monday July 18, 2011. We will be taking pre-orders in the same way we did for our first record last year. The cost for a CD copy of “Life Can Go” will cost $12.00

Third and finally….3 new songs (It Spins/Shaky Situation/Black Burned Truth) have been posted! You can listen to them here:
www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling

[IT SPINS]

(Cluthe) – words/music – Vocals, Fender Rhythm and Lead guitars, Jazz Bass
(Lee) – Drum Kit, Les Paul Lead Guitars

(Lee) This is a monster song! Not one I’m accustomed to hearing from Matt. He said this song pushes his own musical limits and I have to agree. It’s got this real mellow trippy start and then just hits like a ton of bricks! The drums were the most difficult I’ve ever taken on. Like I’ve said in previous blogs, I am not a drummer! I went through about 20 + takes before I got something that worked. The last take I couldn’t contain my excitement and shouted out my best Conan “yeeeeeeeeeow!” Probably more of a sigh of relief! Ha! All told there were six guitar tracks, and something like 10 separate tracks to mix all together. Wow! Matt was originally penciled in to mix this since he wrote it, which is usually our rule of thumb. However, without warning he asked me to take it on! It was fun, but man oh man was I glad when it was all finished! I walked away with a bigger appreciation for all that goes into mixing & mastering songs.

(Cluthe) I wrote the music for this song & I honestly have no idea where it came from. It sounds like something Chris would write (again, the influence!). I had this vision of 2 totally different guitar tracks/tones and I really didn’t know how it would work. What I hear in my head rarely matches with the finished song. This song is definitely the exception to that rule. I took a stab at mixing this song, but I really thought that Chris could do a better job lining up all of the guitars/dynamics….and he did. Interesting storyline in the lyrics, I think. The last few lines sum it up…”It Spins….and we fall.”

[SHAKY SITUATION]

(Lee) – music – Fender Acoustic Guitar, Fender Precision Bass, Drum Kit, Shaker, Backing vocals
(Cluthe) words – Vocals, Fender Slide Guitar

(Lee) Oh man am I excited by this song!! Written in December 2010 along with a batch of tunes in open G, and songs “Breakout” and “Recollection.” Had forgotten all about it until around mid-April 2011. The drum kit was a last second addition and a welcome one I think. The bass line has to be one of the most fun I’ve played in a long time and I think gives the song some pep! Matt plays some killer slide guitar on this. I’ve always admired Matt’s bluesy approach to music, and his leads and solo’s here just slice right through the song! I could see us playing this one live for sure….

(Cluthe) Man, I love that acoustic riff that Chris wrote. It flows so well throughout the song. I had some fun with the slide on this one, that’s for sure. If memory serves, this song came together very quickly & the mix came together even faster. As soon as I heard the demo, the vocal melody & lyrics came out…which is rare for me! Excellent drumming on this song….hard to believe that he’s just recently started playing again. I really enjoy these songs where everything is in place….then I can just pick my spots & have some fun.

[BLACK BURNED TRUTH]

(Lee) – music – Fender Acoustic Guitar(s), Les Paul Electric Rhythm and Lead Guitar(s), Drum Kit
(Cluthe) – words – Lead and Backing Vocals, Fender Rhythm Guitar and Lead Guitar(s), Jazz Bass

(Lee) Looking at these last 3 songs there’s a nice balance represented in our writing/playing. This song is another monster song, with 4-5 guitar parts going from each of us. I had the main guitar parts written in early June 2011 and had a full set of lyrics and title for it. Matt was cool enough to use the title and incorporate it into the song. I write a lot of lyrics, however am not at a stage where I’m confident enough to share them yet…maybe someday down the line. This song has a very dark tone to it and reminds me a lot of older songs like “Red Lights” and last fall’s period of writing. I was working on challenging myself with some different tempos on the drum kit and think it turned out pretty good on this song. Matt’s vocals are soulful and dark; very fitting to the song. His lead work is beautiful and the guitar and bass work he did really brings out that full texture and atmosphere you hear.

(Cluthe) Chris wrote the music for this quite a few months ago & I was very happy when he decided to share it so we could develop it further. I had a lot of fun recording my parts for this song & I think it really shows how we’ve influenced each other over time. He’s helped me to realize that it’s ok to take risks & step outside of my comfort zone. Love his solo at the end of this song….once of my favorite solos he’s done thus far.

[DONE]

Cluthe: (words/music) vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
Lee: lead guitar, drums, shaker, backing vocals

(Lee) Finding my parts in this song was initially tough. I had a few early takes Matt didn’t hear where I had played pretty much throughout the song. My instincts kept saying I needed to pare it back. Kept coming to the chorus “done, no matter what is said will change it and knew that was where I needed to start. I love coming in and playing these little parts as opposed to playing everywhere and this is why songs like this tend to be my favorite to work on with Matt. Finding my voice in this song was pretty tough. Matt gave me some great advice and was supportive (as usual) of my efforts. The drums started out with brushes, but a change of heart at the last moment and this is what made the final version.

(Cluthe) These lyrics are from 2002 & I was never really happy with how that version turned out. One day, I was thumbing through an old lyrics book of mine and found these lyrics. I started thinking of a new vocal melody, messed around with some chords & hit the record button. This is that version. Chris added some great lead work & his drumming is as solid as ever.

[EYES OPEN]

Cluthe: (words/music) vocals, acoustic guitar, djembe
Lee: lead guitar, bass, cymbals

(Lee) Around the same time as “Done,” Matt dropped this song via e-mail. I approached my parts on this one much like “Done.” Definitely love having these little spaces to come in and play. Love how the djembe makes it’s return! It’s been since January 2010 I think? A song Matt recorded using some crafty and unorthodox microphone placements! I’ll let him tell you about it though!

(Cluthe) I’ve been messing around with lots of alternate tunings lately, and this song is a direct result of keeping one of my guitars tuned to Open G. I’d been kicking this one around for awhile just waiting for an idea to really stick. Once it did, I was off & running. It was a lot of fun to use the djembe again…it’s been awhile & I think it really fit this song well. Chris is right…the mic placement was interesting. He’s been asking me to mic my acoustic for awhile, and this is the first song where I did mic the acoustic…I also used a mic on the floor (below me) to record the djembe. Lots of fun to play, that’s for sure!

[NEWS]
We have lots of news to pass along….
-We have about 6-7 other songs going right now…all in various stages of production.
-Our 2nd album, Life Can Go, will be coming out soon! The artwork will be completed in the next 2-3 weeks. Once the artwork is finished, we’ll start the CD pre-order. More info on that coming very soon. BIG THANKS to my sister Maura for her hard work!! Thanks, Mo!
-Our (digital-only) EP, Different Colors, is just about done. We just need to make some final adjustments on the artwork, then it’ll be out and available through iTunes, Amazon & several other online music retailers….more info soon. Different Colors will consist of four b-sides from the Life Can Go sessions along with two alternate versions of the songs “Predicament” & “Reels Fly By.” Thanks to Chris Spain for his help & work on the album art!
-We’re very proud (and VERY excited!!!) to announce to announce that we’ve been asked to play the Pearl Jam (PJ20) Wishlist Pre-Party on Friday, September 2nd in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Lots of thanks to Laura & Jen for asking us to play……we’re very excited to be a part of this awesome celebration. It’s pretty crazy, to be honest!!! you can catch all of the details here: http://forums.pearljam.com/viewtopic.ph … t=Wishlist
-I think that’s it…for now. if you want to join our mailing list for the latest info, just email us here: presentlyfalling@gmail.com
-and the links…..not trying to bombard you all, but we like to post our links every once in awhile….

presentlyfalling@gmail.com (email)
http://www.myspace.com/presentlyfalling (myspace…has 10 most recent songs)
http://www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling (main page…has most of our songs + bsides)
http://leeandcluthemusic.blogspot.com/ (our blog)
http://www.twitter.com/clutheleemusic (our twitter page)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ClutheLee … 9719963329 (our Facebook page)

As always, thank you to all of you for your constant love, support & encouragement!

Matt

GAZE UP:

(Chris) Beautiful little number Matt sent during a very prolific writing session while I was away on vacation in April. This is the first song I worked on when I got back in May and what I remember from that session was feeling like my musical senses were all rusty after nearly 3 weeks of not playing anything. One of my favorite parts in here is the line “birds perched on a wire.” Matt says this song pre-dates the song “On A Wire” which was done last year I think. Another part I love is Matt’s leads he plays mid song. Makes me want to get a whammy bar for my guitar!

(Matt) This song had an interesting journey. It was written while Chris was away on vacation & I wasn’t 100% certain that we’d ever finish it because I thought it was too long, to be honest. Once he got back & sent me his additions, it sounded totally different & I was adding parts up until the last minute. I’m really glad that we finished it!!

-Gaze Up-
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, lead guitar
Lee: lead guitar, drums

LIFE ANEW:

(Chris) I remember Matt being really excited about this song. It started off with a demo that I think had elements of what you hear on this final version? I had suggested he build a song around those particular elements and this is what he came back with! I had a lot of fun trying to figure out drums to this song, especially the break down mid-song. The two leads are something I’d not tried before, at least not all at once.

(Matt) Chris is right….a lot of those original elements are still present in this recording. I did another lead vocal take b/c neither one of us felt like the original take really fit the tone of the song. The bridge was an improv & we really made it work somehow!! Love his double solo….easily my favorite part of this song!!

-Life Anew-
Cluthe (words, music): vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
Lee: lead guitar, drums, shaker, tambourine

NEWS!!!!!

Lots of exciting (album/EP/show) news coming very soon!!!! As always, thanks for your support!!!

Matt & Chris

PS–GAZE UP is a large file. We’re going to have to edit it down before we can post it to our reverb page, but you can hear it on our myspace page here: www.myspace.com/presentlyfalling

hey everyone…

it’s been a good day in the Waco studio. i did some recording, some mixing & some writing. i’m truly a lucky guy to be working with Chris. he’s incredibly talented & every new song idea brings a new challenge. example…..there’s a song he wrote & recorded back in December and it’s just been sitting there collecting dust because we were so busy working on other songs. well, that changed today & i’m really excited about releasing it. lots of new songs will be coming soon…..

thanks for listening/reading/supporting,

matt