Way back when, during our first months in Austin, we posted about a Gary Clark, Jr. show at Antone's we went to go see. Back then, the young blues guitar talent was coming off a big role in the film Honeydripper and seemed ready to hit the big time. It's been three years since, and Clark's continued to pay his dues and gig away.
As the cliché goes, the hard work paid off. The Austin Chronicle this week reported that Clark's new EP "Bright Lights" was very well received in a highlighted Rolling Stone review, receiving an "Editor's Pick" distinction. The review features some pretty strong words -- the sort of hype and comparisons that sometimes are hard to match down the road:
When was the last time a young blues guitarist really blew your mind? Sure, there's the Allman Brothers' Derek Trucks, who comes at the form in a jam-band context. Jack White filters the blues through garage rock and punk; the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach through those and other pop styles; Ben Harper takes more of a folky singer-songwriter tack. But a genuine 21st-century bluesman, raised on the form in all its roughneck roadhouse glory but marked by the present day? That's been as hard to find as a 21st-century clockmaker.
Another milestone for Clark -- first national television appearance -- was notched the other night on Jimmy Fallon, which sparked ?uestlove to fire off an enthusiastic Tweet.
The mo should remain for a while. Clark's first LP will be dropping soon. Also, keeping up with the acting side, Clark's in an early scene of a new Mario Van Peebles blues-fiction flick, Redemption Road. If you want to keep your eyes on him until then, here's the video trailer for "Bright Lights," plus a vid of a recent New York concert. As someone who believes blues is about what you pour into your music and not the mastery of a set of techniques, I've got my fingers crossed for Gary Clark, Jr. and his future. I hope there's a nice big hometown crowd to welcome him home at this year's ACL festival.
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