"Don't Be A Number"

Hi everyone!

Matt and I have put wraps on a song I wrote in October called "Don't Be A Number." This song was written without much forethought on my part; rare, as I usually am plotting and planning! I broke a string on my acoustic prior to recording the final track, so this recording is void of my high E string! I'm sure there are other strange instances like that which happened in the past. I'll have to see if I can remember more of them. I know there have been a few drum takes on songs where my foot has itched really bad, and as a result missed a beat but liked the drum take so much it had to stay! Ok, I'm straying off topic here. Focus, focus!

Per usual, Matt and I have something like 8-9 different songs in various stages of completion. I finished up a productive song writing period in October/November, and right now we're just taking things slowly. Giving the ideas full attention/exploration. Days go by listening to them and seeking direction. The songs we've done in the last 6 months have all been about as heavy on the rock n' roll as we've been in a long time. This new batch of 8-9 are all intense, guitar driven songs for sure. Some soft and delicate ones in there too, so all you softies out won't be disappointed either! Haha!!

Let's see, what else? Oh, we're starting to track songs for our third LP! So far Matt and I agree on 12 out of 15 possible songs in play at the moment. This is a good sign. There are a few new ones (and one really old forgotten song) that are making a push for the track list. We'll see how it all sorts out! Yesterday I re-recorded some drums for a few of the songs on that list. I think I've become a bit more comfy on the kit since some of these were completed in 2010. It's fun to re-explore a song that captured a point of progression. Bringing a bit more experience and confidence to the table. Ok, hmm, what else...Matt has a show booked for Cluthe/Lee at Dunn Bros in Addison, TX on Saturday January 28th at 7pm. That's outside Dallas for all you non-Texans! We're excited to be able to play live again, and *knock on wood* that the MetroPlex does not have another ice storm like last year!

We've posted some live footage from our Wishlist Foundation/PJ20 gig over on YouTube. If you search my YouTube name "gibytoof" you will find those "Live at Hemingways" videos as well as a bunch from our show at Dunn Bros in February earlier this year. We have some decent pro-video from our Wishlist gig and in the coming months I'll be compiling it into something to watch. Not sure how it will all turn out, but stay tuned! Our Cluthe/Lee Facebook page is a great way to stay plugged in to what we're doing as well. Head on over to www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling to listen to our new song "Don't Be A Number." Enjoy!!

Don't Be A Number
Lee: Acoustic guitar, Harp, Drums, Bass, Backing Vocals
Cluthe: Lyrics/Vocals, Electric Guitar

Love to you all!!

Chris

One Day/Crying Shame

Matt here....thought we'd mix up the blog a little bit by having only one of us post about each song. Hope you enjoy them...we definitely had a lot of fun writing, recording & mixing them.

-ONE DAY-
(Chris) One Day is a song that I wrote up after taking our dog for a walk one evening. It’s funny how music comes creeping into my head and in this case I had the main chords nailed down by the time I got home. Matt and I were talking about this song a few days ago and he said he wrote something like it a long time ago and that it was basically the same chord structure! Crazy! The lyrics Matt added are intense. To me it seems like he is singing out about making the most of your life. The lines “you only have one breath, one smile..” have spoken to me as of late.

-CRYING SHAME-
(Matt) This song came together very quickly. It's a basic chord progression that I just started picking through & a vocal melody quickly formed. The message of this song is to stay true to yourself & change your life if you see it heading down a dark path. It's good to learn from the past, but you must be aware of how your present actions can affect your future. Chris' parts are hauntingly beautiful & very subtle. I don't think I've ever heard him play this way before.

Phone Call

hey everyone...

just wanted to write a quick blog about this new song called "Phone Call." this is a song that i wrote back in July of this year & we kept pushing it back for one reason or another. in the last few weeks, Chris & I have had the chance to go through a bunch of songs (old & new) to decide which ones we should work on next. i suggested that we finish this song again & he took several listens. he definitely surprised me when he said that he didn't want to add anything to it...because it already sounded like it was done. so, here it is. it's a moody acoustic song that hold a lot of meaning to me. i'm not going to get into the specifics concerning what it's about, but i will say that there are times in life when a simple phone call can floor you and shake you to your core. thanks to Chris for pushing me to release this. i'd also like to thank him for our friendship & collaboration because it has allowed me to write songs that are very personal....songs that i used to shy away from.

more new tunes are in the works...
until then, enjoy this tune.

Matt

Phone Call
Cluthe (words/music): vocals, all guitars, shaker, tambourine

New song "Dear Woman" has been posted!

Hi all

Real quick here, Matt and I just posted a song we wrote on Monday this week called "Dear Woman." It's a big blusey improv that was done as on the spot as two guys living 1k miles apart can be. Here are a few thoughts from Matt.

"this is an improv in every sense of the word. i was recording a lead guitar track for another song & when that was done, i found myself playing these chords with a stop/start rhythm & really liked the way it sounded. so, i decided to record it. while setting up for the recording, i thought it would be fun to try some live improv vocals right then & then while playing the guitar track. no edits, no polish...just a fuzzbox type effect running on both the guitar & vocals. and this is that track...very raw & rough and a very good indication of what we sound like live. i think everything was done in one take for both of us and Chris absolutely nailed his parts down within an hour or 2. who says you can't capture the live sound from 3 states away?"

Go listen over at www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling

Enjoy!!

Chris & Matt

Birds

hi everyone...
Matt here posting the first of several new Cluthe/Lee songs that we're working on right now. prior to our show in Wisconsin, we'd been spending most of our time mixing our last two songs & rehearsing for the show. so, we took a break from working on new material. since we've been back, we've both been writing like crazy & this is the first of several new songs that we'll be releasing. this is a tune called "Birds" & it was written the week after our PJ20 trip/adventure. i'm a big fan of lyrical imagery and i think you'll be able to sense that after reading the lyrics below. i kicked this idea around for a few days, then went into my music room/studio & set up the mic. all of my parts were written & recorded in an hour's time...which is not like me at all! Chris' drumming fits the song perfectly & his lead really elevates the song & comes in at the perfect time. speaking of his lead, this is what he had to say about it....

"Funny story about when I recorded the solo. My headphones and guitar cable are long enough that I can wander into the next room and play if I want. I probably played like 5 different leads in places all over "Birds." On the final take I started walking around the room about mid point in the song and decided to stroll out of the room away from the computer. As I got to the door, I suddenly heard where I wanted to jump in and play. That one note you hear squeal is me raising the head stock on the guitar trying to not bump the door frame! I played the rest of the solo in the hallway outside the studio. For about the next hour I kept trying to get that squeal by raising up the guitar to no avail!"

so, there you have it. hope you enjoy & thanks for your support!! i've never posted my lyrics before, but felt like posting the lyrics to this song for some reason. take care & we''ll see you soon...

Matt

BIRDS
Cluthe (words/music): acoustic guitar, tremolo guitar, vocals, bass
Lee: drums, lead guitar

there are birds in the trees; they glide through it all
never to perish, never to fall
see reflections of me within their eyes
it's locked in, it's all inside..
the water you drink to satisfy needs
it's a part of nature, a part of me

when sarcasm and rage flash on tv
something's lost, something we need
a common voice, a steady hand
no one delivers or understands
but the stars above and the fire below
keep on moving, ebb & flow...
of the ones you love, the ones you need
i'll keep holding on, your silent decree

your strong blue eyes and a harvest moon
quickly fill the space in this room
the hurricane spins, the ground will shake
until we focus on other's sakes
the life you love, the world you see
circles back to the birds in the trees

don't take the pills; don't swallow them all
they'll glide you right into the wall...
you can not climb, your feet will slip
hands unable to grab or grip
you are you and we are we...
slowly glance at the birds in the trees

Reflection

Hey friends

I'm drawing on some memories that are now nearly a month old, so bare with me here. I've got the recently released Nirvana Live at The Paramount 10/31/91 blaring in my ears as I type. Kind of hard to focus! Hahaa!! Wow, I was 13 years old on that date and my sister had just bought "Nevermind" on tape. My Mom didn't really like it....at first anyway!

Ok, so all of August is this blur of 1-2 hours of daily practice getting ready for the set Matt and I were scheduled to play Labor Day weekend just ahead of the PJ20 shows at Alpine Valley, Wisconsin. Our first "major" gig together. I remember thinking how difficult it was practicing without Matt around and having only a CD to play along to. I tried learning both my parts and his parts so I could jump into songs different ways. It wasn't until I flew down to Waco last weekend in August that I really felt the butterflies go away. The connection to the songs were intense in practice.

That week leading up to the show was all relaxed and easy. I was more excited for the PJ shows and of course getting a chance to actually hang out with Matt and his wife Laurel in person! It's tough having a "virtual" friend most days! Hahahaha! So, they made it up here that Thursday and we were off! The preparation just seemed to be there and nothing else. We jammed out on some tunes all 8 hours up, stopped for a slammin' breakfast/dinner before landing at a lovely little town called Delavan. It wasn't minutes we were there and I saw PJ people around. The first guy I met asked me if I "knew Dimi." (you're such a rock start Dimi!)

Thank goodness we arrived early cos' we got to sleep in the Friday of our show and totally relax. We took in the sights, had some tapi 'OH' ca (that's a Wisconsin accent you see) and got to see a record player Matt and I were sure came from Abraham Lincoln's bedroom. It was that old! The ladies ended up finding some ancient underwear in the same antique shop (they didn't buy it) and we got Maura postcards from the 1940s. I recall Matt asking several times if I was ready for the show. I don't think either of us ate much lunch that afternoon.

Back to the hotel to change and do a quick rehearsal of ones we still weren't quite sure of. Off to the venue. It was out of the middle of nowhere! A giant Jimmy Buffet themed bar. We pulled up and were given VIP parking (haha) to unload our gear. I think it all kinda hit me when security said "the band has arrived." Wow. No sense for what that even meant. Still don't! **OK, NIRVANA OFF, BEER OPEN AND MUSIC CHANGED**
The place was pretty empty. There were a TON of security guys there though. Turns out the sound guy wasn't there yet and so we just sat around and shot the breeze. Not without some weirdness though. A couple of guys sat and pretty much gave Matt and I the stink-eye from the time we arrived till some time after we started our first set. Who knows what the heck that was all about. We had bigger issues, like the fact the sound guy still wasn't there and people were starting to trickle in. The party seemed to be a tad disorganized with people running late, and a general uncertainty as to what was to happen when. Eventually the sound guy did show up and we got things rolling pretty easy after that.

The first set was pretty calm and paced. I remember the monitors being really sharp and clear on stage, and being excited about that. It was one of those electric moments I won't forget. A real smack in the face like "this is it, this is what we sound like in the same room!" I don't think there were many people floating around during the first set, but it did get a bit busier as we went. Ali and Laurel were seated close enough to see them, which was comforting. I remember the song "Circle" in particular because there was a part where Matt and I started a little improv jam right in the middle of the song. We locked in a few times and traded riffs which was awesome and completely spur of the moment. Seemed like we were egging each other on musically. So, the first set drew to a close and some cheers from a much bigger crowd than when we started.

Nearly 3 hours later after a blur of chaos and disorganization we jumped on stage to find the room completely booked. Later I find out there were 1500 people in and around the venue. Pretty freaking scary to be honest. We jumped into the second set and after the first song Matt leaned over and said we needed to keep the energy up. The next hour was a huge blur of songs. I honestly can't remember many of them. He was calling out songs out of order from the set list and I do remember a moment of panic trying to tune for "Recollection." I am really glad we pulled that one off. It's the one I wanted to most play off the set. Poor Matt's voice had been sitting so long in between sets it started to go on him close to the end. By the last song "Silver Lining" he was just shot. I felt so freakin' bad for him. I remember trying to sing the harmony parts and his voice was barely there! Other random memories from the set; a few different guys jumped on stage and asked us if we'd play Pearl Jam and one guy asked for a "sing along" at the end; two people had us sign copies of our CDs in between songs; seeing someone in the crowd singing the words to "Silver Lining."

A huge sense of relief after the sets. We relaxed, had a few drinks and headed out. The festival the next 2 days were the most fun I think I've ever had! I met some really nice people and of course got to see the best band in the world play two nights. Spending time with Matt and Laurel was so easy. It was like hanging with people we'd known for years. Thanks to them both for making that experience an absolute blast!

It's been really busy for me since that weekend. Matt's been hard at work on new music though and I will be jumping back into the band come early October. The new tunes are sounding really great and I can't wait to get back to creating again!

Adios!

Chris

PJ20 Experience (part one)

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

PJ20 Wishlist Pre-Party

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

New songs!! August 6, 2011

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

Pre-Sale/PJ20/New Tunes

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)

Monday means new songs

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.

Life Can Go Pre-Order!!

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

It Spins/Shaky Situation/Black Burned Truth

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/EYES OPEN

[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/Life Anew

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

good day...

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

New music Sunday from Cluthe/Lee

Spooky, gritty, & bluesy!

Hey there! It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. Flexing the ol’ fingers today to let you all know that Matt and I have completed two new songs. Being to true to form, we bring you two songs that couldn’t be more different from another. Also figured while I was at it, I’d also post to jam’s that never materialized into songs. More on that……

Time To Rest is a Cluthe composition dating to early April just prior to me going on vacation. Perhaps it was totally stress induced, but the leads and tone of this song were a bit creepy and hard to keep from recycling in my head. I recall waking up really early one morning and those spooky leads were just blaring in my ears. Matt told me I likely needed “a rest.” Haha! He was right. Anyways! The drums took some work and Matt had encouraged me to add more guitar, even though I thought it might taint the awesomeness of the original version. I loved how it turned out overall, but someday I think we should post the version without my extra guitars?

Ok, now onto Recollection. Wow, this song has had quite a journey. It started out as an open G tuning number I had written some words for called “10,000 Demons.” I’d done some initial work on it, and sent it over to Matt. I think as a budding singer/songwriter, I may have bitten off more than I could chew. I kept working on it, however never shared the semi-complete version with Matt. Ended up shelving, the resurrecting it in March. I re-recorded the idea and sent if off to Matt. While I was on vacation he sent back his take and I was floored. I pushed to have the song just be vocals and acoustic. Pushed a few times, but Matt pushed back and encouraged me to develop the song out further and add more instruments. In the end, this is the version that won out! I’m glad it did too….

So, those jams I was talking about. I got some new cymbals for x-mas and in late January 2011 I set the mics up and recorded some drums to see how it all sounded. Well, naturally couldn’t just have a drum track and nothing else! So, 1/26/11 #1 is me just fucking around with the drum track and having some fun with fuzzed out guitar! Sent it to Matt and he was stoked! I wasn’t too pleased with the guitar stuff I’d added, so I challenged Matt to take the same drum track and write some music to it. A few weeks later he sent me what I called 1/26/11 “shut yo’ mouth jam” Holy shit! I jumped on and added some funky guitar lines and BAM!! Maybe someday Matt will tap into his inner Shaft and write some words?! Hahaa!!

Listen to all 4 songs at www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling or www.myspace.com/presentlyfalling

Well, it’s time wrap this bloggy up friends. Matt and I are wrapping up work on our digital only EP. Not sure what it’ll be called yet, but we have the track list and have re-worked two songs; one from “Here We Are” and one from the forthcoming second LP “Life Can Go.” I am working on some cover art ideas for the EP and a good friend of mine named Chris Spain has agreed to take up the challenge and design the art! Not sure how long it will take for the EP to hit the digital retailers after we submit, but we will keep you posted! Also, art for “Life Can Go” is picking up steam. We will keep you in the know on when it’s done and begin taking pre-orders for it.

Thanks for all the support! Love to you all!
Time To Rest
(Cluthe) – Words/Music – Vocals, Acoustic, Electric and Bass guitars
(Lee) – Drums/Percussion, Electric Guitars

Recollection
(Lee) – Music – Acoustic, Electric, Bass Guitars, Drums/Percussion
(Cluthe) Words – Vocals

1/26/11 #1 jam
(Lee) – Music - Drums, Guitars

1/26/11 “shut yo’ mouth jam”
(Cluthe) – Music - Electric and Bass Guitars
(Lee) – Drums, Electric Guitar

music is swirling...

hi everyone--

Matt here...just checking in to let you all know what have going on. Chris is back from his vacation & we're starting to get back into the swing of things. several new songs have been making the journey from Waco to Columbia (and vice versa)in the last week. so, we should have some new tunes posted soon! also, we're proud to announce that my brother-in-law, Jake, is on board to design our website. he's super talented & we both know that we're in very good hands. the site address will be www.cluthelee.com. the goal behind the site is to streamline everything (music stream, videos, blog, lyrics, twitter feed, etc) into one site, instead of hosting multiple sites. it's quite a project, but we know that Jake will do a great job.

in music news...
Maura is about to start up again on the artwork for Life Can Go. once the artwork is done, we will start taking pre-orders for the album. so, sit tight....and trust me, it'll be worth the wait! in the meantime, Chris & I are going to put out a digital EP soon that will be available through all major online music retailers (iTunes, Amazon, rhapsody, etc) very soon. we're finishing up the last two tracks as i type this. once they're done, we'll submit it for release! this EP will contain 3-4 bsides from the Life Can Go sessions as well as two album tracks (Predicament-- from Here We Are & Reels Fly By--from Life Can Go) that have been re-arranged & re-recorded for this EP. Chris is mixing Reels Fly By & I am mixing Predicament...they're both sounding great so far & they're totally different from the versions that you've come to know.

there you have it! lots of exciting stuff happening. as always, thanks for listening & reading.

cheers,
Matt



(Matt recording bass & backing vocals for "Gaze Up.")



(Laurel recording her vocals for the EP version of "Predicament.")

Once More/Hard To Swallow

hello, hello....

Matt here. Chris & I are really excited to post two more new songs called Once More & Hard To Swallow. You can listen to them on our reverb page here: www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling.

thanks for your support!
Matt

ONCE MORE

(Chris) This song dropped out of the sky one night during the work week. I rarely work on music during the week because of work, but there was something different about this one. I think all the parts were finished in a day? A lot of excitement around how quickly it all came together. Talk of completing each others musical thoughts quicker and quicker the longer we write together. Matt plays everything on here, except the drums. Pretty amazing melody and guitar work.

(Matt) Chris is right.....this one came together very quickly. I had been playing a lot in Open D tuning, and this song is a direct result of that. When I'd finished my parts, Chris said that he was going to add drums only. I was a little surprised by this, but he told me to trust my instincts & that all of the parts were solid enough to make the final recording.


HARD TO SWALLOW

(Chris) This one quickly followed "Once More" in the same week. I love the guitar intro on this one. Like a bulk of our songs, this one has the "building steam" formula on it. It has a great apex towards the end where all the elements are at once. Matt was worried that all his vocal tracks would make the song too trippy. I think they're awesome and more experimental than what we have done.

(Matt) To be honest, I have no idea how this song came about. I had a basic chord progression...next thing I knew I was adding some leads...then came the vocals. The vocal layering was an experiment at first...somehow, they stuck around! My favorite part of this song is the bridge where Chris just launches into one of my favorite solos that he's ever done. His drumming is also amazing on this tune. Like the two that we posted last week, there's a very good chance that this song will end up on LP #3.

State Of Flux/Hold Me Down have been posted!

hey everyone----

Matt here. just wanted to let you know that Chris & I have wrapped up 4 new songs and we've posted the first two today! they are streaming right now on our pages here:
www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling
www.myspace.com/presentlyfalling

the other new songs will be posted early next week....so stay tuned. here are our thoughts on these new songs:

State of Flux:

(CHRIS) The last of a large group of songs written in winter 2010/2011. I wanted to develop this out to sound upbeat and jumpy. The song caught fire once I came up with the accompanying guitar part you hear in the right speaker. I'm always trying to find some element that takes ordinary chords or music to a level worth working on. Once the guitars where in place I felt it was time to send over to Matt. His initial feedback was positive & away he went. He took lead guitar duties on the song and continues to write these stand out leads in a lot of our songs. I think the bass line was something he really liked.

(MATT) This song was a lot of fun to work on. It had a great groove right from the beginning & I was really excited to try something new vocally. Chris said that it's our "poppiest" song yet, and he may be right. The bass line is one of my favorites that he's come up with thus far & it really pushes the tempo of the song. The solo was tricky & it took me a long time to nail down the take that you hear!

Hold Me Down:

(CHRIS) Matt had a very cool slide riff going (there's a video of it on our Facebook page). I had an old drum track that I thought might fit the song. Matt had to re-arrange some things, but sent back this monster sounding song. He had some struggles finding a fitting bass sound if I recall. I also think he had told me that he'd ended up pissing off the neighbors whilst recording the vocals for this one. Good stuff!!

(MATT) THe working title for this song was "Blues Slide Stomperooni." Yup. Silly name, fun song. For some reason, I've been keeping on of my acoustics tuned to Open D for a long time. One day, I picked it up & grabbed the slide. Within 24 hours, the core of the song was done. I had an absolute blast recording all of my parts on this song. The bass was challenging, but once I stepped away for a bit it fell into place. Chris' lead lines throughout the song are simply awesome. These 2 songs are so different....they sound like an entirely different band, in my opinion.

So there you have it! New stuff is in the works as I type this. Looking forward to spending some time in the studio this afternoon! Stay tuned for the other two new songs (Hard To Swallow & Once More) early next week!

thanks for listening/reading/supporting,

Matt

Cluthe/Lee April Update!

hey everyone....

Matt here. just wanted to give you all an update about everything. it's safe to say that we've been very busy in the last couple of weeks and it's about time that we catch you all up on the latest.

-Life Can Go is done! it's been copyrighted and Maura (www.frag-ment-ed.com) is working on the artwork for the album. our collective goal is to have the album released sometime early in the summer. as you know, she did the artwork for Here We Are and we can't wait to see what she comes up with for our second album!
-In the meantime, Chris & I are talking about releasing a digital EP through iTunes. this EP will contain some bsides along with a couple of re-worked songs from our first record. we're still too early in the creative process to divulge anymore info...but stay tuned!
-in the last 2-3 weeks, we have been doing a lot of writing & recording. there is now a solid collection of about 5-6 new songs that we're going to start mixing & mastering. we hope to have them released in the next week or two. i know i say this a lot, but this collection of songs has me really excited & i feel like we've pushed our boundaries even further. they don't sound like anything we've done thus far.
-we've also been talking with Maura's husband, Jake about building a Cluthe/Lee website!! he's on board & sounds excited about it, so we are too! not sure when it will be launched, but it may coincide with the release of Life Can Go. he's incredibly talented & open to our crazy ideas.....so, it should be a lot of fun!
-Laurel & I are still planning on making it to Columbia sometime this summer. it'll be great to hang with Chris & Ali for a few days and play a couple of shows! beyond that, we're both open to trying to play more shows....we just have to consider the distance. we'll keep you posted.

so that's it! it's quite a lot, actually!

thanks for reading/listening,
Matt

thoughts + an update...

hey everyone...

matt here writing from Houston. laurel & i are here to celebrate the wedding of two great friends, melissa & luis. they're tying the knot this evening & we're so happy for them. CONGRATS, you two!

yesterday was the rehearsal dinner & we were able to sit down & catch up with some of laurel's oldest friends, who i'm proud to call my friends now. several of them asked me about the music that chris & i have been creating...about the process, distance from waco to columbia and about what's next. maybe because i'm in the thick of it.....i don't tend to dwell on just how unique this friendship & collaboration truly are until i have to answer a question about it. the truth is that i have never had as much fun playing music as i do right now. the ideas keep flowing, there are no egos, and it feels like it is constantly evolving. i've lost count on how many songs we've finished, but i know it's a lot. and i truly enjoy them all. some more than others, sure...but each one is truly unique in its own way. we've come a long way since "presently falling", but that still remains one of my favorites we've done so far. we're just having a blast with the whole thing.......so much so that chris has even brought up the idea of trying to do a mini-tour of sorts early next year. count me in! i'm truly happy & blessed to be a part of this collaboration/band. thanks, chris.



now for the update....

since the release of the crazy eight, we've been writing....a lot. there are about 4-5 different ideas/demos going back & forth right now and we're really excited to share them with you all sometime soon. i can tell you this much....they don't sound like anything we've done thus far. stay tuned on that.

our second record, Life Can Go, is done. it's copyrighted and maura is working hard on the artwork. our hope is to have them available for pre-order in the next few weeks.

as always, you can listen to all of our tunes here:
www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling

thanks so much for your love & support,

[matt]

*one more thing.....
we actually have a few copies of Here We Are left. if you'd like to order a copy, just shoot us an email at presentlyfalling@gmail.com & we'll get you taken care of! see ya....

Crazy Eight's!

Greetings my friends!

It’s been a whole month since we last updated you! Our show in Dallas was a success! Due to ice and plane problems we landed about an hour before we were scheduled to play. We ripped through a 2 hour set with no “live” rehearsing between the two of us and I think it turned out nicely! Go to http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gibytoof&aq=ft to see 9 videos taken from the 2 hour set we played!

This month we’re breaking all the rules and releasing a large group of songs that have been built up since July 2010. Sometime a few weeks back we gathered up a list of some 20 different songs. They were all in various stages and from there hand-picked this little collective that we’re each going to spend time and talk about. You can hear them all over at www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling


Walk On Stilts

Cluthe (lyrics/music): Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Vocals

Lee: Lead guitars, Drums, Mixing

A song that Matt wrote. I latched onto it quickly and had these two competing riff ideas that I was trying to make work together in the song. The work on the song has long been finished, and so when it came to picking this collection to release, I threw this one in there. Matt said he had indifferent feelings about the song and I convinced him it was worth sharing. I had to agree to mix the song before I got my way though! Ha! I’ve decided that Matt has a signature method to playing guitar and Walk On Stilts showcases his knack for beautiful melodic chords & time signature changes. The drumming on it was a bit tricky, and shows another example of how Matt challenges me as a musician.



Out The Door

Cluthe(lyrics/music): Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Lee: Lead Guitar, Backing vocals

This one came together in a way we’d never done. The main recording was done on Matt’s iPhone! Instead of working it up like we typically do, we decided that I’d add one live lead track and backing vocals and that’d be it! This version is the demo version and nothing more. The song came together quickly if I remember what Matt said. He used lyrics from 2005 and the guitar chords were total improvisation. There’s a magical quality to this song I think. It’s about as representative of what we sound like playing live together (in the same room) I think.


Breakout

Lee (music): Drums, Rhythm Guitars, Bass

Cluthe (lyrics): Vocals, Lead Guitars

This one started as a bluesy riff and drums and just blew up from there. Live mic’ing was used for it, which is rare for me on Cluthe/Lee stuff. I just couldn’t get past how good the tone was on the original track. I think one of the few songs where Matt is screaming. He says that he upset his neighbors


Said & Done

Lee (music): Acoustic and Electric Guitars, P-Bass, Drum Kit, Shaker

Cluthe (words): Vocals & backing vocals

January 2011, I was practicing nearly every day for our February show in Dallas. These practices would last 2-3 hours and inspired a lot of improvisation. During one particular warm up, I strayed and started working on a slow burning acoustic number in Open G tuning. First song using a new cymbal set I got for Christmas too. I think the kit sounds refreshing, more like a full kit now. I have really come to love drumming being in this band. I’ve learned a lot since getting the full kit to my house in May 2010 and am excited to continue learning how to play better and better!

Hey everyone...Matt here…
Chris did most of the mixing for this collection of songs. I still had some recording to do and he did an awesome job mixing those songs. As for the ones that I mixed, here's a little info.....

Your Shore
I wrote this one when I was pretty sick and you can definitely hear the strain in my voice. We usually have to make several adjustments throughout the mixing process for each song, but the simplicity of this song allowed for an easier mixing process. Chris has some beautiful lead lines in this song & his bongos make their debut.

Cluthe (words/music): vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass
Lee: rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bongos, bass drum

I'll Crawl
I wrote the basic acoustic rhythm track for this song back in September, I believe. It's one that we both really liked, but we kept putting it on the backburner because we had so many other songs swirling around. When we decided to clean house & finish all of these songs, we both gravitated towards this song. Chris recorded his (awesome) drumtrack & his guitar tracks, then I was off & running. The words came quickly, as did the bass and my electric parts. To put it simply, this one was a lot of fun to record and finish.

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

Exact Sense
Man, this song is old! I wrote this back in July of last year and much like I'll Crawl, we kept shelving it for one reason or another. I was sitting around with my acoustic one day & started playing the main riff. I immediately went upstairs, plugged in my guitar & the MOTU and gave it a go. If memory serves, I ran though it 2-3 times to develop the other parts of the song....then hit record. The mic was plugged in using the same effect setting as my guitar, and I hadn't written any lyrics yet. When I hit record, I just started singing. That's where the "distorted vocals" came from. The other vocals came a day or two later, I think. In any case, Chris has some truly amazing leads on this song...actually, they're some of my favorites because he was totally dialed in & letting loose at the same time. The original drums had to be scrapped because of some popping issues, but this new drum track is a clear representation of just how far he has come as a drummer. Awesome stuff to hear, in my opinion!

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

I'd also like to talk about the other tunes in this collection of eight.......

Walk On Stilts: I would like to thank Chris for mixing this one. for some reason, it was giving me fits. He's always been a fan of this song...me? not so much...and I wrote it. I was getting really frustrated with it & asked him to give it a shot. He did an awesome job.

Out The Door: total improv. I recorded my parts on my iPhone, actually. It was a demo idea using some old lyrics. We kept it very simple on this one, and it was great to hear Chris return to the mic for his backing vocals.

Breakout: one of my favorites that we've done in the last couple of months. I just had a lot of fun with it. Chris wrote the music for this one & I immediately wanted to work on it.

Said & Done: I'm a big fan of this song. it came together very quickly & I have a feeling it will be on a future release.
The Observer: I think this song is different for us. Beautiful picking by Chris & I had a blast recording every little part of this song. Some of my favorite lyrics to sing....which is odd because I didn't really think about them too much when I wrote them. I'm telling you, Chris can wrote some seriously great music.

Dallas show on Saturday!!!

Hey everyone...

Matt here. Chris & I have are really excited for the show this Saturday! After writing/recording more songs than we can remember, we're both ready to share a stage and play these songs live! We'll be playing songs from our first record, Here We Are and songs from our forthcoming record, Life Can Go as well as some unreleased songs and maybe a cover or two. We should have some video/audio of the show available sometime soon and we'll be sure to keep you posted. If you're going to be in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this Saturday, here's the info:

Cluthe/Lee
8-10 pm
Dunn Bros-Addison
3725 Belt Line Rd
Addison, TX 75001

Most of our energy has been going towards preparing for the show, but there are a few other tidbits of news to share....
-Maura is hard at work finishing the artwork for Life Can Go. The album has been copyrighted, so once the artwork is finished, we will start taking pre-orders.
-Several new songs are in the works. Chris has been writing a ton lately and I've just started to dig into his new ideas while working on a few of my own. That means that we'll have new songs to share very soon...stay tuned.....

We just want to thank you all for being so supportive of what we're doing. The emails & feedback we've received have been great & they leave us floored. Hope 2011 is off to a great start for you all!

See you at the show,

Matt

and here's what i've been staring at for the last 2 weeks.....





--
presentlyfalling@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/presentlyfalling
www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling
http://leeandcluthemusic.blogspot.com/
www.twitter.com/clutheleemusic
www.cdbaby.com/cd/ClutheLee

Practice Time....

i'm about halfway through running through our Dunn Bros set right now....can't wait for the show!

happy saturday to all,

matt

New song, and first live show

Howdy cowboys/girls of the interwebs!

Chris here writing from the cozy confines of my office at work. Got some Pearl Jam Radio going, a nice hot cup of green tea by my side and some updates for you all.

First is to let you all know that our first live show is coming up in 8 days in Addison, Texas (suburb of Dallas). Matt and I worked on a little show flyer and there's a picture above of it. We are so excited to play together live and have been hard at work rehearsing our set list, which has songs from our debut "Here We Are", our forthcoming album "Life Can Go" as well as some b-sides, songs that pre-date Cluthe/Lee and a few covers. We've covered all our bases as you can see. Some of you have already mentioned coming out for the show and we are completely stoked about that! We both feel confident that we'll put on a great show! Also, we'll be taping it to Hi8 and may have that available to you all at some point down the line. At the very minimum we'll plan to rip a few of the live tracks and share them with you all.

Secondly, we are happy to finally release a new song called "It's Time." Matt wrote this on his acoustic guitar back in November 2010 and here's what he wanted to say about it....

"It's Time" might be a tough one to listen to if you know someone that is looking for something real/tangible to hold onto while they are trying to cope with themselves. Life can be trying and difficult at times...and it may be hard to see the hope in everything that we have to endure. But I'm a firm believer that if you look hard enough.....you'll find it. Thanks so much for listening.... - Matt

My thoughts on this were immediately about inner confrontation and how uncomfortable it can be. Though the longer we worked on this song and the more I listened to it the more the lyric "hey, it's time" struck me. To me, it was a call to take part in the tiny little beautiful things that I often miss when I'm consumed with my own internal process. (I'm a therapist by day you guys, so forgive all the psycho-babble). It's a precious song in a lot of ways and I'll just leave it at that!

I will have the song posted to www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling by 6:30pm CST tonight after work. Enjoy!!

It's Time
Cluthe (words, music): Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Tambourine, Piano
Lee: Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Drums

Cluthe/Lee book their first show in Dallas!

Hi all

Chris writing from a frigid and snowy Columbia, MO. Things are about to heat up in Cluthe/Lee music world though! Matt and I are excited to announce that we will be playing a 2 hour set at Dunn Bros. coffee house in Addison, Texas on Saturday February 5th from 8pm-10pm! Our very first official show together! We are currently busy developing a setlist from a large collective of music we've written together and a few that pre-date Cluthe/Lee music! This will hopefully be the start of a few other planned shows in 2011. One of those may fall in Columbia later in the year and the other in Austin around the same time. In the meanwhile, we hope to see some of you out on February 5th!

As usual, Matt and I have a wealth of new songs from October-December 2010 sessions that are in various stages. As we focus on practicing for our show, we may not be working on these tunes, though I think Matt may have mixed a few on his holiday. So, stay tuned here for the latest on the songs, and other information about the coming year! As always you can listen to our tunes over at our Myspace and Reverbnation pages.

Hope you all had excellent holidays! From Matt and I, thanks for your continued support into 2011!

Chris & Matt