Welcome to the first episode... The very first
episode of Shecky's Jam Bands. I'm your host,
Rob Sheckman, and perhaps like you, I'm a classic
rock fanatic. And I have been from a very young
age. I still have hundreds of vinyl albums that
I grew up with, with a range that ranged from
my personal favorite, Led Zeppelin, to The Stones,
which is my favorite in college, to Jefferson
Starship, Jimi Hendrix, and many more. By the
way, I still play my vinyl in my basement with
the very same onkyo turntable and receiver I
had in college, which was decades ago. And believe
it or not, I'm using the same speakers I had
in college as well, room sound. My wife rarely
complains when I play it loud because she knows
it's my passion. While classic rock will always
be my go -to music of choice, There are some
recent bands over the past decade or so that
play music that reminds me of some of my favorite
bands The challenge is how do you find them in
the sea of thousands of bands? This is exactly
why I started this podcast Every week will dig
up modern band a modern band bringing the classic
rock soul whether it's bluesy Psychedelic or
just straight -up loud so dust off your vinyl
spirit and let's find your next favorite band.
Today, for our first episode of Shecky's Jam
Bands, I decided to start out with a very special
artist who is by far my most favorite modern
artist. Today, we're diving into an artist who's
been hailed as the future of blues, the torchbearer
of Hendrix, believe it or not, and one of the
most electrifying guitarists of our time. That's
right. We're talking about Gary Clark Jr. On
a personal note, on March 19th, 2017 is definitely
a date that I will never forget. I went to Madison
Square Garden to see Eric Clapton and fortunately
my friend and I got there early to hear the warm
-up band. Usually when I go to concerts with
big performers like Clapton, I'll get there right
on time or maybe a bit after the start time.
that are on the tickets because I'm hoping to
miss the usually crappy warm up band because
after all, I'm just there to see the performer
that I paid for. I can't tell you how many times
I sat there just waiting for the warm up band
to finish. Can you relate to that? Well, when
Gary Clark Jr. stepped onto the stage in early
2017, he was still new and I never heard of him
before. All I can say is that I was blown away
by everything about him and while Clapton was
absolutely great, in my mind I became a huge
BCJ fan and have been ever since and I've seen
him live several times over the years. And each
time I try to bring a friend when I go to see
him or in one case I brought my son -in -law
and every time They become an instant fan after
hearing a few of his songs. Now, before we assume
that this is just another blues guy with a strat,
let's set the record straight. Gary Clark Jr.
is a force. Think blues meets hard rock, meets
R &B, meets hip hop. Born and raised in Austin,
Texas, Gary picked up the guitar at 12 years
old, and let's just say he never put it down
since. By 17, he was already a local legend Thanks
in part to the mentorship and the late great
of the late great Clifford Anton, the club owner
behind Steve Ray Vaughan's rise. Gary, Gary cut
his teeth playing gigs around town, absorbing
the sound and soul of Austin's deep blues heritage.
And a fun fact, it wasn't long before the city
of Austin declared May 3rd, 2001 as Gary Clark
Jr. Day. He was just 17. Not bad, huh? Let's
get into Gary's backstory. Gary doesn't perform
under a band name because, well, he is the brand.
Gary Clark Jr. is both the artist and the identity.
And his band, though full of incredible talent,
rotates around his singular voice and explosive
guitar. Over the years, he shared stages with
the Rolling Stones. Eric Clapton, as I mentioned
before, food fighters, and even jammed with Beyonce,
Jay -Z, and so on. Try finding someone else that
can pull that off. What sets him apart, it's
his genre hopping. He can rip a f - buzzed out
solo that sounds like Sabbath, then slide into
a soul smoother than Marvin Gaye from the swagger
of Don't owe you a thang to the politically charged
this land Gary Gary's music carries both weight
and style and oh a Unique fact for you Gary plays
epiphone casino tars almost exclusively unlike
most most blues rockers who go for Les Pauls
of strats Gary prefers the hollow body bite of
a casino Giving his tone that snarling mid -range
punch And yes, he's a lefty who plays righty.
You gotta give that guy respect. This 2019 album,
This Land, didn't just earn critical acclaim.
It made a statement. It tackled race, identity,
injustice in America with bold blistering honesty.
And it earned him four Grammy nominations, winning
three, including Best Rock Song, Best Contemporary
Blues Album. If you're a fan of Hendrix, Stevie
Ray, D 'Angelo, or even Childish Gambima, you'll
find something to love in Gary Clark Jr. He's
not just a guitarist, he's a storyteller, a sonic
shapeshifter, and one hell of a live performer.
Trust me, put him on your festival bucket list.
That's it for today's deep dive. If you haven't
spun this land or break out his black and blue,
which was his initial album. Do yourself a favor
and cue it up. Until next time, this is Shecky's
Jam Vans signing off.