gary clark jr rocks the BBC

Just excellent to see Gary Clark Jr and his downright wicked band in the UK this week. Appearing on BBC television (Jools Holland - Later) it was the first time many music fans had even heard of the man and it had a real impact for many judging by comments left on Gary's Official video of his latest single 'Numb', which he performed on the show.
Like many great players he wasn't content with performing a carbon copy of the recorded version and gave us a new reading of the thunderous track 'Numb' along with his last crunching single 'Bright Lights'.
Cries of "the new Hendrix" have circulated the comments since but they can be forgiven at a time in the UK where a new breed of guitar hero is virtually extinct.
Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys also on the show and being interviewed shortly after Clark's earthquake rendering of 'Numb', looked and sounded slightly shell shocked from a close hearing of the Texas gunslinger. There's no shame in that though.
Here is the ground shaking sound of Gary Clark Jr's band on the show. Turn it up.

gary clark jnr

Gary Clark Jr. performs "Numb" from his latest album 'Blak and Blu' in an exclusive recording session live at Pedernales Recording Studio in Austin, Texas, for The Live Room on The Warner Sound.

“You walk up and down 6th Street in Austin and you hear pop bands, rock, blues, soul, hip-hop, country, reggae... I just soaked it up.”
“(In Austin) if you’re not playing a 1-4-5, straight-ahead thing the Blues Police might get a little attitude with you.”
Quotes from The Fader

It has to be said, there's a vibe of Robin Trower's 'Bridge Of Sighs' about this track.. and that's never a bad thing.

gary clark jr

"..the future of the blues and rock'n'roll" "..a glimmer of hope for American pop-culture" "..feel, chops, groove and killer vocals".
There's no doubt Gary Clark Jr is having a big effect on people when you see those sorts of comments, let alone for a blues player.
By the end of the 20th Century many of the great blues men (and women) were gone and anyone who's a fan of the genre had to be wondering whether we were ever going to see their likes again.
But one listen to Gary Clark Jr and you know there's a new star to carry the blues on for some years to come. The man from Austin, Texas is the real deal, and by the way Austin must now be as important a destination for rock and blues as Liverpool was to the 60's beat boom.
The comparisons of his playing style to Hendrix are inevitable, frequent and tiresome, given that he's black and plays guitar that has to be where any similarities end. His 60's Chicago style playing just doesn't need the hassle. He's got his own way and that's it.
Clark Jr. "I'm not trying to prove anything with my music, there's no big agenda to it, I'm really just saying, this is me, hope you like what I do, because it's all I ever wanted to do and I get a lot of fun doing it."
The man has the presence, power and the blues, and that will just get better.
His latest recording is Bright Lights, a 4 track EP out now.
Here is his sensational performance at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2010 playing the title track Bright Lights.
"..You're gonna know my name by the end of the night". You better believe it.