WEBVTT 00:00:25.290 --> 00:00:31.030 Welcome to the first episode... The very first 00:00:31.030 --> 00:00:33.929 episode of Shecky's Jam Bands. I'm your host, 00:00:34.030 --> 00:00:38.310 Rob Sheckman, and perhaps like you, I'm a classic 00:00:38.310 --> 00:00:41.509 rock fanatic. And I have been from a very young 00:00:41.509 --> 00:00:45.469 age. I still have hundreds of vinyl albums that 00:00:45.469 --> 00:00:48.189 I grew up with, with a range that ranged from 00:00:48.189 --> 00:00:52.329 my personal favorite, Led Zeppelin, to The Stones, 00:00:52.369 --> 00:00:55.229 which is my favorite in college, to Jefferson 00:00:55.229 --> 00:00:59.820 Starship, Jimi Hendrix, and many more. By the 00:00:59.820 --> 00:01:03.179 way, I still play my vinyl in my basement with 00:01:03.179 --> 00:01:06.200 the very same onkyo turntable and receiver I 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:10.060 had in college, which was decades ago. And believe 00:01:10.060 --> 00:01:12.540 it or not, I'm using the same speakers I had 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:16.400 in college as well, room sound. My wife rarely 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:19.459 complains when I play it loud because she knows 00:01:19.459 --> 00:01:23.359 it's my passion. While classic rock will always 00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:26.519 be my go -to music of choice, There are some 00:01:26.519 --> 00:01:29.760 recent bands over the past decade or so that 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:32.200 play music that reminds me of some of my favorite 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:35.379 bands The challenge is how do you find them in 00:01:35.379 --> 00:01:38.640 the sea of thousands of bands? This is exactly 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:42.040 why I started this podcast Every week will dig 00:01:42.040 --> 00:01:45.719 up modern band a modern band bringing the classic 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:49.260 rock soul whether it's bluesy Psychedelic or 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:52.400 just straight -up loud so dust off your vinyl 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:55.859 spirit and let's find your next favorite band. 00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:00.879 Today, for our first episode of Shecky's Jam 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:05.359 Bands, I decided to start out with a very special 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.780 artist who is by far my most favorite modern 00:02:08.780 --> 00:02:13.039 artist. Today, we're diving into an artist who's 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:16.740 been hailed as the future of blues, the torchbearer 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:19.699 of Hendrix, believe it or not, and one of the 00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:23.319 most electrifying guitarists of our time. That's 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:26.740 right. We're talking about Gary Clark Jr. On 00:02:26.740 --> 00:02:32.000 a personal note, on March 19th, 2017 is definitely 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:35.300 a date that I will never forget. I went to Madison 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:38.800 Square Garden to see Eric Clapton and fortunately 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:42.300 my friend and I got there early to hear the warm 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:45.000 -up band. Usually when I go to concerts with 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.159 big performers like Clapton, I'll get there right 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:50.900 on time or maybe a bit after the start time. 00:02:51.259 --> 00:02:54.039 that are on the tickets because I'm hoping to 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:57.300 miss the usually crappy warm up band because 00:02:57.300 --> 00:02:59.919 after all, I'm just there to see the performer 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:04.280 that I paid for. I can't tell you how many times 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:06.860 I sat there just waiting for the warm up band 00:03:06.860 --> 00:03:11.460 to finish. Can you relate to that? Well, when 00:03:11.460 --> 00:03:14.659 Gary Clark Jr. stepped onto the stage in early 00:03:14.659 --> 00:03:19.539 2017, he was still new and I never heard of him 00:03:19.539 --> 00:03:23.150 before. All I can say is that I was blown away 00:03:23.150 --> 00:03:25.909 by everything about him and while Clapton was 00:03:25.909 --> 00:03:30.189 absolutely great, in my mind I became a huge 00:03:30.189 --> 00:03:36.270 BCJ fan and have been ever since and I've seen 00:03:36.270 --> 00:03:40.930 him live several times over the years. And each 00:03:40.930 --> 00:03:44.349 time I try to bring a friend when I go to see 00:03:44.349 --> 00:03:47.750 him or in one case I brought my son -in -law 00:03:47.750 --> 00:03:51.620 and every time They become an instant fan after 00:03:51.620 --> 00:03:55.580 hearing a few of his songs. Now, before we assume 00:03:55.580 --> 00:03:58.680 that this is just another blues guy with a strat, 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:02.139 let's set the record straight. Gary Clark Jr. 00:04:02.139 --> 00:04:05.659 is a force. Think blues meets hard rock, meets 00:04:05.659 --> 00:04:09.360 R &B, meets hip hop. Born and raised in Austin, 00:04:09.379 --> 00:04:12.599 Texas, Gary picked up the guitar at 12 years 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:15.280 old, and let's just say he never put it down 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:20.079 since. By 17, he was already a local legend Thanks 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:23.920 in part to the mentorship and the late great 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:27.800 of the late great Clifford Anton, the club owner 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:32.040 behind Steve Ray Vaughan's rise. Gary, Gary cut 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:34.779 his teeth playing gigs around town, absorbing 00:04:34.779 --> 00:04:38.600 the sound and soul of Austin's deep blues heritage. 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:42.480 And a fun fact, it wasn't long before the city 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:46.759 of Austin declared May 3rd, 2001 as Gary Clark 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:53.250 Jr. Day. He was just 17. Not bad, huh? Let's 00:04:53.250 --> 00:04:56.829 get into Gary's backstory. Gary doesn't perform 00:04:56.829 --> 00:05:00.730 under a band name because, well, he is the brand. 00:05:01.589 --> 00:05:04.889 Gary Clark Jr. is both the artist and the identity. 00:05:05.670 --> 00:05:08.889 And his band, though full of incredible talent, 00:05:09.430 --> 00:05:12.350 rotates around his singular voice and explosive 00:05:12.350 --> 00:05:15.269 guitar. Over the years, he shared stages with 00:05:15.269 --> 00:05:17.920 the Rolling Stones. Eric Clapton, as I mentioned 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:22.160 before, food fighters, and even jammed with Beyonce, 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:27.019 Jay -Z, and so on. Try finding someone else that 00:05:27.019 --> 00:05:31.220 can pull that off. What sets him apart, it's 00:05:31.220 --> 00:05:36.240 his genre hopping. He can rip a f - buzzed out 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:40.319 solo that sounds like Sabbath, then slide into 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:44.399 a soul smoother than Marvin Gaye from the swagger 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:49.160 of Don't owe you a thang to the politically charged 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:52.339 this land Gary Gary's music carries both weight 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:58.019 and style and oh a Unique fact for you Gary plays 00:05:58.019 --> 00:06:01.819 epiphone casino tars almost exclusively unlike 00:06:01.819 --> 00:06:05.620 most most blues rockers who go for Les Pauls 00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:09.959 of strats Gary prefers the hollow body bite of 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:14.579 a casino Giving his tone that snarling mid -range 00:06:14.579 --> 00:06:18.899 punch And yes, he's a lefty who plays righty. 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:22.779 You gotta give that guy respect. This 2019 album, 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:26.060 This Land, didn't just earn critical acclaim. 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:29.819 It made a statement. It tackled race, identity, 00:06:30.100 --> 00:06:33.699 injustice in America with bold blistering honesty. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:37.540 And it earned him four Grammy nominations, winning 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:42.560 three, including Best Rock Song, Best Contemporary 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:45.639 Blues Album. If you're a fan of Hendrix, Stevie 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:49.319 Ray, D 'Angelo, or even Childish Gambima, you'll 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:52.899 find something to love in Gary Clark Jr. He's 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:56.839 not just a guitarist, he's a storyteller, a sonic 00:06:56.839 --> 00:07:00.100 shapeshifter, and one hell of a live performer. 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:04.480 Trust me, put him on your festival bucket list. 00:07:05.379 --> 00:07:08.220 That's it for today's deep dive. If you haven't 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:12.980 spun this land or break out his black and blue, 00:07:13.259 --> 00:07:16.800 which was his initial album. Do yourself a favor 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:20.160 and cue it up. Until next time, this is Shecky's 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:21.939 Jam Vans signing off.