Tag: Gary Clark Jr

Crossroads

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Well.

Every year it’s something. Some place and festival I want to go to. Three years ago it was Soundset, last year it was Outsidelands, this year its the Crossroads Guitar Festival. But, I get the feeling that until I actually go to Crossroads, I won’t ever be able to stop wanting to.

Crossroads is a music festival started for charity by none other than the wife-stealing guitar god Eric Clapton.

That name alone should make you want to go. But just in case it doesn’t here’s some of the headliners for this year’s festival; Jeff Beck, Booker T, (what’s left of) The Allman Brother Band, Gary Clark Jr., Robbie Robertson, Vince Gill, BB King and Sonny Landreth, among plenty of others.

The festival was started by Clapton and all the profits will go to the Crossroads Festival in Antigua.

Steve Windwood (one of the greatest singers ever) has made several appearances at the festival. Here he is playing one of the greatest songs ever.

Blind Faith should have stayed together. I said it. Ginger Baker needs to come out of hiding in Africa and play with those two again.

Other than the tickets being wildly overpriced, I won’t be able to go because this year it’s in stupid New York and its stupid Square Garden. A campaign needs to be started to bring it to LA next year.

And just because we should end on an awesome note:

Blues-y Blues

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In the past, I’ve blogged about all-time greatest guitar player Robert Johnson. But I mean, its pretty hard to cover the blues in just one blog. In this one, I’ll try to go over just a few of my favorite blues players.

Firstly, I want to just bring up Sister Rosetta Tharpe. If you could, picture Chuck Berry as a Baptist woman. Except instead of an ES3-35, she had an SG. Yeah. Like this guy.

It’s pretty hard to get much cooler than Angus Young or Sister Tharpe. Set your sights high kids! Don’t believe me?


Now you do.

Now, I always think about what my “desert island” albums would be (5 albums I can take to be stranded on a desert island with), and they always change. But one constant is Super Blues.

Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Little Walter and Otis Spann. I really don’t see what else needs to be said about this album. If you don’t have it, go get it. Well, I mean, only if you like music I guess.

Okay, one last person, but just because his new album just came out. Gary Clark Jr. takes the cake for one of the best NEW blues artists going right now. Blak and Blu came out on Oct. 25th, and, consequently, is the only album I’ve ever pre-ordered.  Clark has some serious soul in this album, swinging between R&B to old school blues. Go get it, but here’s a taste (at the Crossroads festival no less).