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| Gary Clark Jr. Hits the Road for the Bonnaroo Buzz Tour Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Gary Clark Jr. will hit the road for the first annual Bonnaroo Buzz Tour from May 17th through June 9th before taking the stage at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN, on Saturday, June 11. The 13-date tour kicks off at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, and stops at intimate venues on the way down to Bonnaroo, which has historically been the launching pad for many popular artists. Buzz is already building around the 27-year-old Austin, TX-born artist who is currently in the studio recording his debut album for Warner Bros. Records. Weaned on John Lee Hooker, Curtis Mayfield, and Snoop Dogg, Clark fuses his deep rock, R&B and blues influences with a love of classic hip-hop and contemporary soul. His voice weaves between the melodic lilt of Marvin Gaye and the seasoned blues howl of Lightnin Hopkins. His guitar licks dance and dodge between and behind the beat as if the essence of Snoop and Dre loom in his head by way of the Mississippi Delta. Gary is not concerned so much with looking back, but rather looking towards future possibilities of mixing classic American music forms into something all his own. Critics have already taken notice. Rolling Stone Magazine's recent Best Of Rock issue pegged him as "Best Young Gun" while The Wall Street Journal opined that Clark "may be the city's next big music star" thanks to "his blend of blues, soul and rock, mixing fluid, muscular guitar with a rootsy bark or a falsetto croon." See below for more glowing praise about this exciting talent, who was the only newcomer to be selected by Eric Clapton to perform at the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival, where he performed with Doyle Bramhall II and Sheryl Crow. What the critics have been saying about Gary Clark Jr.: "Austin's own Gary Clark Jr. opened Rolling Stone's second showcase with a potent electric-blues set at La Zona Rosa. The charismatic 27-year-old guitarist, whose instrumental skills earned him a spot at Eric Clapton's Crossroads festival last year, tore through hot licks and eloquent solos with a three-piece backing band to help fill out his sound. He was a strong vocalist, too, breaking out a yearning Smokey Robinson-style falsetto for a love ballad called 'Please Come Home.'" - Rollingstone.com "Warner Bros. has a virtuosic new act in Gary Clark Jr. This is blues-based rock with an eye toward a groove, and Clark effortlessly wields his guitar into and out of solos." -The Los Angeles Times "Gary Clark, Jr. is a soul man. He's a blues man. He's a rock and roll man. Gary Clark Jr. is the real deal." - IFC News write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Jazz News :: home page |