I actually went back and did a search, and though it seems unfathomable to me, all signs point to this being the first time that Clutch‘s “Red Horse Rainbow” has been featured as part of Wino Wednesday. Please, try and contain your surprise. Seriously, quiet down.

The track is a classic Clutch groover from 2001’s Pure Rock Fury, and guesting alongside Tim Sult on guitar is none other than Scott “Wino” Weinrich. More than half a decade later, Wino would bring in Clutch’s Jean-Paul Gaster to play drums in his short-lived Wino trio (Gaster kills it on 2009’s Punctuated Equilibrium), so the ties between the two entities are longstanding and manifold. They toured together in 2009 — Gaster pulling double-duty — and Clutch finished their headlining set by bringing Wino out for a jam on “Red Horse Rainbow” that, at least when I saw it in Jersey, was phenomenal.

It’s on my mind again now because Wino is joining Clutch (as well as Saviours and Mondo Generator) on their annual holiday tour this year, so there’s a good chance the same thing might happen again. If you get a chance to see it, obviously I’d recommend doing so. Here are the tour dates:

Clutch Holiday Tour 2012 with Mondo Generator, Saviours & Wino

12/26: Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
12/27: Asheville NC @ The Orange Peel
12/28: Lexington KY @ Buster’s Billiards & Backroom
12/29: Columbus OH @ Newport Music Hall
12/30: Allentown PA @ Crocodile Rock
12/31: Worcester MA @ The Palladium

They were originally slated to hit Jersey on the 30th, but the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville unfortunately flooded out from Hurricane Sandy and they don’t think it’ll be open in time, so the show was moved to Crocodile Rock in Allentown. More of a drive, but extenuating circumstances are extenuating circumstances. Some shit can’t be helped — unless you, you know, reduce carbon emissions and whatnot.

Because I couldn’t find a decent live version of it on the Tubes of You (hopefully that’ll happen this tour as well), here’s the studio “Red Horse Rainbow” as it appears on the Pure Rock Fury album. Happy Wino Wednesday: