Rock N Roll Universe recently caught up with CLUTCH vocalist/guitarist Neil Fallon discusses the band's latest album, From Beale Street To Oblivion. The following is a brief excerpt from the interview:

RNRU : The album was leaked onto the Internet in March, several weeks before the release date. What affect do you feel that has had upon sales, and what's your take on downloading?

NF: "Well, you can try and stop it but you're not going to succeed. Of course, it's a lot harder to sell records these days because of it. I can't really point any fingers because I've done it myself to other artists. That would be pretty hypocritical for me to not want it both ways. At the end of the day, a band of our size...we're not making money selling records. We never have, and probably never will. What we do is make our money on tour selling t shirts. That's how we're able to continue what we do. So, if someone downloads a record and they like it so much that they actually decide they want to go check out the band live, then I think it's a positive thing. One of the good things about the Internet is that it kind of levels the playing field quite a bit. A band who 15 years ago, their only outlet would be to get a distribution deal, now they can put their music out on the Internet and have a worldwide distribution deal for free. It's not all golden, it does kind of make life more difficult to be lucrative, strictly financially speaking. But there's other ways to make up for that I think."

RNRU : You've done an incredible amount of touring throughout the years, playing with MOTÖRHEAD, Marilyn Manson, PANTERA, IRON MAIDEN, KORN, MONSTER MAGNET, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, just to name several. What has been your favorite band to tour with and conversely, who were the worst?

NF : There's been a number of favorites. The Mötorhead thing was awesome. We always have a good time with FIVE HORSE JOHNSON. THERAPY? was a good one...SEPULTURA...man, as far as opening for bands, just being able to tour with a band that you get along with is always a plus. Sometimes you can't really explain why you do get along or don't get along, it's just life. Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it doesn't. As far as terrible bands, I'd rather just keep that underneath the radar."

Go to this location for the complete interview.