July 13, 2011 – (Burbank, CA) – Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Gary Clark Jr. will release his major-label debut EP, Bright Lights, on August 9th on Warner Bros. Records. The title track, “Bright Lights,” was produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Dave Matthews Band, etc) while the remaining tracks were produced by Gary Clark Jr. The EP, his first release for Warner Bros. Records, will give fans a taste of what’s to come when the 27-year-old Austin, TX, native releases his full-length WB album debut which is expected in early 2012. Joining Gary on these recordings are band members J.J. Johnson on drums & percussion, Scott Nelson on bass and Eric Zapata on guitars. View the “Bright Lights” Trailer here:
Gary Clark Jr. – Bright Lights Trailer (Windows vers.) or Gary Clark Jr. – Bright Lights Trailer (Quick Time vers.).
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 soul and contemporary hip-hop beats that has already put critics on notice. Rolling Stone’s 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.” Clark 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.
Hot on the heels of performing on the Bonnaroo Buzz Tour, which culminated in Clark’s blistering set at the Bonnaroo Festival itself; Clark fueled a media buzz based on word of mouth alone:
“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
“The 27-year-old Austin guitarist Gary Clark Jr. is maybe the closest thing there is to a ‘Frosty’ era Albert Collins in 2011, especially considering the tens of thousands he blew away at the Crossroads Guitar Festival.” – YES Weekly (Greenville, SC)
Clark continues his cross-country trek throughout the summer and has already appeared on the Dave Matthews Caravan this past July 8th in Chicago, and will appear at Red Rock Amphitheatre with the Jon Butler Trio on August 12th, and at New York’s Jones Beach Theater with B.B. King, Buddy Guy & J. Geils on August 27th, among other shows listed below.
The Bright Lights EP track-listing is as follows. Get an advance listen to “Bright Lights” and “Don’t Owe You A Thang” at www.garyclarkjr.com.
“Bright Lights”
“Don’t Owe You A Thang”
“Things Are Changin'” (solo acoustic live)
“When My Train Pulls In” (solo acoustic live)
Gary Clark Jr. is on the road now. Don’t miss him this summer:
7/16 Austin, TX Antone’s
7/22 Camden, NJ XpoNential Music Festival, Wiggins Park
7/23 Nashville, TN Gibson Summer Jam
7/30 Atlantic City, NJ House of Blues
7/31 Wilkes-Barre, PA Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs (w/ Doobie Brothers)
8/04 Rochester, NY Party in the Park Rochester (w/ Robert Randolph)
8/05 Utica, NY Saranac Brewery (w/ Robert Randolph)
8/07 Montauk, NY Surf Lodge
8/12 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre (w/ Jon Butler Trio)
8/13 Truro, Nova Scotia – CAN Dutch Mason Blues Festival / Truro Raceway
8/14 Fredericton, New Brunswick The Capital Complex
8/15 Montreal, QC Divan Orange
8/17 Quebec City, QC La Casbah
8/18 Gravenhurst, ON Peters Place Live
8/19 Toronto, ON Rivoli
8/20 Pittsburgh, PA Hard Rock Café
8/22 Evanston, IL SPACE
8/23 Detroit, MI Magic Bag
8/25 Amagansett, NY The Stephen Talkhouse
8/27 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Theater (w/ B.B. King, Buddy Guy & J. Geils)
8/28 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center (w/ B.B. King & Buddy Guy)
9/03 Mohawk, NY Gelston Castle Estate
9/16 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Festival (BMI Stage)
More dates TBC soon…
