Gary Clark, Jr.

Austin artists tend to lose themselves in South by Southwest. Amid the hundreds of European, Australian and Asian artists, not to mention the cream of the American indie crop, it’s easy to miss those valued artists who keep us real year-round.

So how does one catch a critic’s attention? It certainly helps if your name is Gary Clark Jr.; I’ve seen this guy single-handedly show up Keb’ Mo’ with his solo act. In fact, just before his performance Wednesday, the 22-year old won the Austin Music Award for Best Blues Band.

One could see why at the Continental Club. He played with a bassist and drummer not unlike Double Trouble and stayed loyal to the quintessential blues scale. And when given the competition, Clark proved himself as more than just the next Stevie Ray Vaughan. Gallantly covering Marvin Gay’s “Mercy Me” and Elizabeth Cotton’s “Freight Train,” Clark submersed himself in reggae, soul, folk and rock ‘n’ roll (“Sad Song”). Hats off to Clark for his award, and, hey, some critics were paying attention this SXSW. –- Jeff McCrary

- Austin360.com

Dredging primal emotions from his voice and guitar, Austin's Gary Clark Jr. unearthed a multi-hued whirlwind of blues in the American Original tent. His Robert Johnson, Elmore James, and Jimmy Reed revivals ripped through the time-honored material as if he owned it. How the hell a lanky teenager assumes the persona of an ancient firebrand became quite the ghostly conundrum. With seasoned fogies and angelic children alike mesmerized by Clark's every howl, the early-afternoon hoot was just that. What would SRV think of Clark's rendition of "The Sky Is Crying"? Those in attendance knew the answer. Speaking in a raw language, with a harp propped to decrypt the unfathomable, Clark consecrated the moment with each passing song. From uninitiated to journeyman in a matter years, the local bluesman not only resurrected the spirit of his craft, he thoroughly invigorated it.-Robert Gabriel


- Austin Chronicle

Speaking of Gary Clark, Jr., his Wednesday Happy Hour is already a hit! I went to yesterday's show and granted, I was already a fan, but he was blowing me away. With a tack on the bottom of his left shoe, Gary tapped out the time on a big old block of wood while playing either acoustic or electric guitar and playing harmonica on the harp rack wrapped around his neck. With his eyes mostly closed, he played slide guitar on some songs and picked out bass & lead lines on others. He tipped his hat to his roots by covering songs made famous by artists such as Jimmy Reed, T-Bone Walker, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf and Bob Marley. At the end of songs the audience responded by applauding, yelling, whistling, and calling out his name, to which he responded with a shy smile. With a combination of blues, r&b, reggae, soul & rock, Gary mixed it all up into a recipe of his own. I suspect it's a recipe for success. You're really going to want to check this out.--Continental Confidential-Volume VII #2.4-Austin, Tx-July 24,2003
- Continental Confidential