Music
Press
Scott T. Hopkins has great chops, blah-blah-blah, but The Squid digs this Queens native because he lives and breathes percussion. We don't mean just copping new licks but getting deep into the acoustics of the craft with his very own Casa Nova Studios in Brooklyn, soundproofing work, and his branching out into hand percussion for commercial spots. Hopkins' band, Nova Clutch has a new EP The Death of Me, that rocks righteously, spotlighting his light touch at the throne, which can slow down a song by playing behind the beat, or rushing it if he so chooses - it's an intuitive grasp of the space between notes. Hopkins also helped design a rehearsal space that was rented out to Mars Volta's Omar Rodriquez, whose hair was clearly a big influence on this kid. - DRUM! magazine
"A very cool Brooklyn band that I checked out last week at Don Hill's club here in the city. Nova Clutch, the song is Grenade Pin from their EP The Death of Me, here on Q104.3's Out of the Box. They're a great band, here with Jonathan Clarke right here on Q104.3's Out of the Box." - Q104.3, Clear Channel
Discography
2003 - One Great Demo
2004 - Band of Three?
2008 - The Death of Me
Photos
Bio
Brooklyn, NY based Nova Clutch has spent 5 years both inside and outside the studio developing a sound that takes risks both in their songwriting and on the stage. Cutting their teeth in the underground loft party scene all over Brooklyn and various stints of touring on the east coast, this three piece has played more non-traditional venues than regular ones. This, however, has contributed largely to their ability to tailor a set to their surroundings and vibe. Some nights can be furious, others can be full on psychedelic, and others fully improvised with elements of blues, funk, rock, and soul. Its a wide array, and a regular night will experience all of these things in an ever changing balance. Nova Clutch has found that there are plenty of fans who are willing to listen harder to music and be challenged by it, not just fed exactly what they expect. But this doesn't make the music obscure, far from it. The dark and fierce compositions incite both riots and good times, but allow the listener to take a melody with them after the music's over.
Tommy Mokas, lead vocals and guitar, took on New York by himself 7 years ago, and has since built a personal musical empire with his bandmates scottT and Nick Rez. Receiving a degree in audio engineering and completing many years of musical training and ensemble work, he combines years of basement studio ingenuity with the rigorous structuring of professional audio.
3 years after coming to new york, he would meet scottT, and they would build their own recording studio, and continue the mission together. Scott brought his vast musical knowledge, carpentry skills, studio experience, and the ability to inflict damage on the drumkit, and they recorded their first record, "Band of Three?" in 2003 and released it in 2004.
Late 2004, their newest member, Grady, would come aboard, and rewrite their entire book. A jazz trained guitar player, the role of bass was forced upon him, but he took to it quickly and brought to the table a Berklee degree and varied experience in production. His melodic and aggressive low end fuzz completes a very full and diverse three piece.
Aside from the band, these three also operate a full-service recording studio called Casa Nova Studios, a tongue-in-cheek nom de plume of sorts, which encapsulates the rest of their compositional and recording abilities. This outlet provides for an endless amount of creativity across all genres as producers, engineers, and composers. Years of this have had a profound effect on the band, allowing their skills to be pushed to their very limits in all aspects of music and business.
Most of all, Nova Clutch is an ever-evolving live unit, frequently performing new incomplete compositions, intertwining them with their large amount of originals and a few hard hitting covers.
www.novaclutch.net
www.casanovastudios.com
www.myspace.com/novaclutch
www.myspace.com/casanovastudios
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