Suite 88

Airdrie Drummer Returns

September 28, 2011

by Carolyn McTighe

Former resident Jesse Clutch will be bringing his hard rock drumming talents to town when he and his band Suite 88 take the stage for a one-night concert Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. at Castle Steakhouse.

The band, whose other members include lead singer Mike Gunns, guitarist Kolton Lee, and bass guitarist Vic Toon, will also be playing a second concert in Calgary the following night at Original Joe’s Avenida.

“It’s really great to be returning to Airdrie and Calgary,” says Clutch. “I grew up in Calgary and then moved to Airdrie for a short while before finally heading out to Phoenix to be with my band.

It’s always cool to be able to come back to the area you grew up in and play for the people who have supported you all these years. We have a really big fan base here and these concerts are our way of saying thanks.”

Describing their sound as blues-based hard rock with hints of pop, heavy metal and southern rock, the young band has been getting a lot of attention lately with the release of their newest album Unsigned.

The album, which features their own original songs, combines their love of edgy metal with hints of some of their musical influences like Aerosmith and Metallica.

“We aren’t a cheesy band,” says Clutch. “We’re all young and making music for us is all about having fun. We love to have a good time and our shows are all about giving the audience a real rock n’ roll experience.”

Being compared to such iconic bands as the Rolling Stones and Guns N’ Roses hasn’t hurt the band either. Since the release of their debut album in 2008, the young group has received major airplay on radio stations throughout the U.S. and Canada, and have even had their music videos played on MTV/VH1.

In November 2009, the band was contacted by producers for the hit NBC drama, Parenthood, who were interested in using their song “Ten Shots, Ten Minutes” in one of the show’s March episodes.

“We were so excited to have one of our songs played on that show,” Clutch says. “The whole thing was actually pretty surreal. It was a great way to get our music out there and we hope to get other opportunities like that in the future.”

Though their future certainly looks bright, Clutch admits that for right now, the band is primarily focused on promoting their current album and rocking out the audiences who come to see their live performances.

“Our goal right now is really just to make great music,” says Clutch.

For more information about the band, visit their website at www.suite-88.com.

Published in: The Airdrie Echo
Link to article: http://www.airdrieecho.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=3315561