"Delta Clutch and their strange, emotional rock songs don't seem to fit with what is currently hip, and to their credit, they don't seem to care much." - The Boston Globe

Taking their name from an auto repair shop in New England, Delta Clutch are making noise around the Northeast with their powerful live performances and diverse blend of soulful rock and roll. MTV declared the Delta Clutch live show "a startling combination of styles (that) almost evades evaluation." Maybe the reporter was bewildered by the casual mid-set switching of instruments, a regular practice among these five multi-talented musicians. Or perhaps she was transfixed by the charismatic presence of lead singer Pip. Michael Caito from the Providence Phoenix was similarly impressed, raving that he'd "go hear Pip read the instructions off a washing machine, never mind twist himself around one of this band's busted heart/ skinned knee anthems." Early formations of the group began in the Boston area in 1993 and included Chris Cugini (ex-Anastasia Screamed) on guitar, Pip (ex-Plan 9) on vocals and harmonica, and Paul Myers on the drumming. Nate Leavitt joined a little later on guitar and Phil Aiken (Buffalo Tom) came aboard more recently on the keyboards. As continents shift so did the sound of Delta Clutch. In the beginning they played the rock music with two electric guitars and some tunes had a alt/pop-country twist. This sound yielded two fine specimens recorded at Cugini's Appleman Studios and released on the bands' Blackberry record label; Rye (an EP) and Hard Luck Machine (a full album). As it became more difficult to retain a solid bass player Nate and Chris decided to split guitar and bass duties on different songs. The band found themselves more focused and the sound began to metamorphous into smoky, introverted, soulful pop rock. Recently they took this new focus into the studio with producer Tim O'Heir (Superdrag, Folk Implosion) to record 5 tracks for an EP or album to be released in the year 2000. Rock and Soul such as the type Delta Clutch performs so well is best enjoyed live in an intimate, sweaty club. Inevitably, the best of these bands always outgrow these venues too fast. Then, as big as the band's future explorations can be, Johnny come lately-s are forced to listen to secondhand accounts of the band's glorious club days. So, do yourself a favor and go see Delta Clutch now, the best way you can, before you're reduced to wishing you were there?