Best Local Pop/Rock Act

Clutch Grabwell

Local in a broad sense (Worcester Phoenix cartoonist Lennie Peterson lives in the Worm City), Clutch Grabwell have nonetheless become a fixture in the area club scene, and they're one of the most beloved outfits in recent memory. And it's easy to see why. When the sextet hit the stage, it's full-speed-ahead straight out of the gate, and it only intensifies as the night grinds on. Somewhere between a R&B outfit on steroids and a down-and-dirty hard-rock band, the resulting noise is one of a top-flight bar band. Clutch's high-energy workout openly invites beer drinking, heavy fruggin', and a social climate that hasn't been seen since that ZBT kegger your junior year. It may involve Peterson taking a trombone solo from the buffet table, John "Super Geek" Boyd -- an ungodly amalgam of carnival barker, half-assed master of ceremonies, and song growler deluxe -- climbing up the sound stack King Kong-style, or the band tossing out bags of potato chips to the crowd. Somewhere between an Animal House free-for-all and well-calculated mayhem, a night out with Clutch is a social event that has everyone workin' up a healthy sweat. We'll go as far as saying that if you can't get any action after a Clutch Grabwell gig, you may as well drive from the Plantation Club parking lot straight to the monastery, junior!

Currently hawking their fab second disc, How Ya Gonna Be (their self-titled debut has sold better than 5000 copies), the Grabwell Gang have been picked up for national distro by Chicago-based Midwest Artist Distribution. The only question remaining is whether the uptight, self-flagellating, shoe-gazing world of music is ready for this self-contained dance party. Till then, keep your dance card open and a rubber in your wallet, cuz as long as Clutch are in the house, we're all gonna get lucky!

-- John O'Neill