Gary Clark Streams on NPR, Gets Great Reviews, and Tours with Foo Fighters. New Album Looking for Debuts

A week before its release last Friday, NPR did a “First Listen” feature on Gary Clark Jr.‘s new opus The Story of Sonny Boy Slim. According to the article, “there was a clear path” for the virtuosic Austin-based guitarist: he could have easily used his proficiency as a player to become his generation’s flagbearer for the traditional blues sound that has led to performances with the likes of B.B. King and Eric Clapton. Yet Clark chose, rather, to break the rules of conventional blues and forge ahead with a hybrid sound all his own. Read NPR’s feature here.

In its Four Star review of Sonny Boy Slim, which credits Clark with “modernizing the blues,” the New York Daily News focuses on Clark’s guitar playing. “If he’s stingy with the length of his licks,” writes reviewer Jim Farber, “he’s generous in the textures and resonance he brings to them.” According to Farber, whose words are here, Clark’s sound finds just the right blend between nostalgia and novelty.

Clark is currently opening for Foo Fighters at the following venues:

9/24 – Sleep Train Amphitheatre – Chula Vista, CA
9/25 – Ak-Chin Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
9/27 – Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
9/29 – Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, OK
10/5 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN