QLS Classic: Gary Clark Jr.

Guest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora.

This is Sugar Steve and on this week's QLs Classic Austin Rocker and ax Man. Gary Clark Junior brings blues rock center stage in twenty nineteen as he joins Team Supreme to talk about his journey from booking gigs at fourteen to collaborating with The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, and his new album This Land, originally released March six, twenty nineteen.

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Calls, loves my name, Yeah, that you can trust. Yeah, I love all my friends.

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Who don't throw me under the plus.

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Role My name is Fante. Yeah. I don't want no drama. Yeah, I'm just here to talk about the night I met your mama.

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Role call.

My name is Sugar, Yeah, Sugar Steve for the wind.

Yeah.

Do you hear your training coming?

Yeah?

When your train pulls in.

Supprimo, Supremo, Supremo, Supremo roll call bill Yeah, not counting Pathos.

Yeah, should have divorced. Yeah, Jeff Bethos, Supremo, y.

Supremo, roll call Supremo Supremo roll call.

It's like em Yeah, that's right. I'm flossing. Yeah, because now I know. Yeah, a black man from Austin.

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Call on g c J. Yeah, from the at X, Yeah, with Quest and Crew. Yeah, and I don't know what's nice roll car.

Supremo Supremo, roll call, Supremo, Supremo, role called Suprema some Supremo role called Suprema son something Supremo role.

Car nice, Yeah, smooth, witty, nice smooitie man dropped fold yeah real nice.

Yeah.

But he's Russian but still not a bad.

Better than a lot. Yeah. Yeah, he ringed up there. You know you did it effortlessly.

I appreciate that.

So I did Hendricks Clark mash up.

Yes, deep cuts, I get it, deep cuts. And we're in the house. Of course, I'm gonna sugar work. Yeah, this is the Sugar Network edition. Of course, love supreciate where we at se No, run your own show, bro, I'm just here for a punch. I'm still under the bus, man, I'm still under the bus. You weren't talking about me, right, Yeah, you don't even know what's going on.

Well, it's cool this sugar Steve and we're here at Electrically Studios.

That's right. We are anything else, No like for somebody who let's move it, okay, living anyway, My role call was the ship.

It was it was It was like it was like you were great many let like an onion, many levels.

Oh wait, we might as well just start now because I know I'm gonna play this about twenty eleven times.

Damns.

All right, yeah, step mother, is.

You sound y'all? Sounds so good?

Oh man, are you background?

Yeah, that's just a mere plugging on that ship.

Well done. So that was just me. It sounds great when I walked into the room, h unpaid Bill. Yeah, when he's not teaching Grover to curse on Sesame Street. And you gotta explain to you what was that? I think y'all did that on purpose. I heard it both ways, though, like I heard what it was supposed to be. It was, what was the thing this is the red dress blue? Yeah, like whatever that was Willow Yann Yanny Laua, Yeah that Yanny verse is Laurel what exactly he was said, I.

I don't I didn't see it, but I was told by my girlfriend who's the boss, that they watched it like a hundred times, and and everybody bought the fact that he didn't. He did not say what everybody thinks.

He said, wait, wait, she's literally the boss.

Yeah.

Oh damn ye, my girlfriend she is my boss. She is she's the boss. Wow, it's tough, man tough. It used to be she wasn't the boss, and then like in the last year, she became the boss. And I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm formulating the opinions speak.

It's love on the street. Yeah, love on the street. No, but you you were saying that you were about to have a get rebar mitzvad Oh.

So for those that follow on the on the Instagram, he is constantly the host of various rap events, US events, various events. He's like the m of mcs. And I thought, since I'm gonna get bar Missov again that he could m see the Barns.

For the second time, it's like you and is this like a recircumcision as well? Yeah, okay, like they're all the same things. I gotta read it or okay, yeah, I may excuse myself from the circumcision part.

I understand.

But but you know, but up until that, up until the cutting, I'm there. I'm your guy.

Tonight, we're enjoying whiskey with each other, and it's wonderful. I feel like we don't do this enough.

We don't. I just want to see how far I can get without even introducing our guests. Was trying to segue into our guests because I brought in some that he liked. He has an intro, but I'm just saying that. You know, we usually just wrap a little bit for like minutes. The Sugar networks much more organized. I get a mess man, you know how I do, especially when Boston Building here. Yeah, I know, my feet, my nikes are up on the fact. I'm gonna eat some grapes right now, all the exactly.

Usually I'm just cool.

I'm just where's that boys coming from? There's somebody here. I love when Bill's not here so I can just violate all the rules. Oh and you brought the ear rings back the earrings.

Don't get me.

I love the ear rings. A great edit job, bill out, Yes he did, he edited, he edited a lot out. Okay, roll out this rolls roll them out, Red car, Come on, all right, we have a black man from Austin, Texas. Time time out. Austin is officially my second favorite place on earthly know that, what is it? I just like my requirements for city are you know. I don't have

If we was legal, but you know, make certain compromises.

It's about to be coming.

It's coming out in as.

We had a good time, you know. And I actually believe that perhaps the the idea potus that might get the votes for the Democrats, or I believe that you think he is from I think he's the figure that will do it. Why are you speaking in code? Because you know then I don't want to get pinned down Jesus exactly. Not, I mean not yet. You know, I'm just saying right now, as it's looking there's a strong possibility bet speak much more openly anyway, my second is

I appreciate that I might need that as my alarm.

I'll do so. Tell me about Austin. Were you were? You born in Austin, Texas?

Yeah, born and raised in Austin, Texas.

All right, now I have this romantic, you know, vision of the town and whatnot, like food trucks, food trucks and records music. What was it like pre gentrification? What was it like? Damn? For those that don't know, Clark gave a look. So tell me what's the what's the deal with Austin?

Like?

What was growing up in Austin like? For me?

I grew up south side of Austin, a little spot called Oakhill neighborhood.

I guess you called it somewhat of a suburb.

I guess the south side of the suburb.

No, I mean yeah, I guess you could say that there's a bunch of houses with schools and parks and ok uh, but uh, it wasn't directly right in the city, you know what I mean? But you know, pretty pretty normal, somewhat diverse neighborhood close to you know, uh, fifteen minutes away from downtown. But I was it was country, kind of a little bit, riding bikes, sports out of the woods, doing stuff like that, basketball, nothing too wild.

Yeah, fairly normal, Yeah, somewhat somewhat normal. I mean it's Texas, the south, so there's a little bit of that.

It's you know, I was going to say the one, the one, the one physical trait that you have that's the opposite of all the great axemen of history is you're tall. Yeah, I'm up here, man, You're very tall. Like all the great acts men, I feel like, you know, are under five ten and they, you know, I feel like maybe that's their entry into you know, this makes.

Up for well I never heard I never thought about hype. But but Hendrix was short.

I mean it's about I mean, I've heard about having big hands where that can.

Finish it, finish it, finish it be extremely help. Thank you.

You're supposed to be doing this.

An advantage, no, I mean probably for other instruments too, but having having large hands would make playing an instrument easier.

I would know. This is all I got.

I haven't been looking at your hands. I mean, you're but he's just a tall person, so his hands are probably tall.

Nice King Albert King six four, he is, he's a big Yeah.

Okay, I didn't yeah, okay.

In the Kings, but yeah, man, growing up in Austin was nothing.

What was your family situation into I grew up uh.

In the house with three sisters, mom and pops. Yeah, boy right in the middle.

Oh, okay, the only boy, the only boy. Okay, yeah, what did your what did your folks do? Musicians as well?

Now, well, my pops eat. I love my pops, but yeah, he you know, he plays a little bit. I actually, uh, you know, when I started realizing what was happening, he had some guitars in the house. I ended up kind of breaking one. But my dad, my parents just kind of normal jobs. My dad sold anything. He sold everything from homes to cars, to men's suits, the ladies shoes

She managed.

It's working out like as of this.

A little bit.

Yeah, my mom, she's been helping me out for a long time.

So that's what un But yeah, and none of them are in music in the church or none of that stuff.

Uh no, no, not really.

It's a unique situation.

Yeah, but I mean I got family members. I got uncles who are musical musicians, you know, writers, and uh, somebody used to play with Stevie Ray Vaughan. If you're familiar with Austin, Texas and Texas Blue seeing W. C. Clark, that's my cousin. Used to play bass with them. Great guitar players. Pee Wee Craton used to play with Johnny Otis Sugary Otis, right, So, yeah, that's so it.

Was in my in my family were not right at my house, you know what I mean?

Also weird enough the house band for they called them Blue Records. What's your name? Blow Fly, blow Fly? Yeah, clar a lot of this stuff. Well, yeah, like Johnny Owais was a part of that. I didn't realize that until much later. So how did you get interested in music? Like what was the moment that.

The moment that made me I saw Michael Jackson five okay, the Victory Tour or yeah, this is the Bad the Bad Tour.

I was born in eighty four, so this is like eighty eight eighty.

Cheryl Crow, Michael Jackson.

Yeah, so that's the first time you met Cheryl Crow.

That was the first time I saw Yeah, that was the first time.

It was crazy, like little did you know? How like your connection with her? Then? Would you know?

I can't stop loving you.

You know, we had the noose bleed seats, you know what I mean, see anything, But yeah, that was that was what got me into music. You know, the lights showed the energy everything, you know. I got to kindergarten, I was like, where's the stage at? Really I just wanted to be in that.

You know, what is this?

You know what is these vibes?

So you you chose a path that is rarely chosen, especially for like black musicians, especially in growing up in the age of when hip hop is really developing and and you know, R and B at the time when you're coming of age like new jack swing and and hip hop are really find their footing. And but yet like blues music and the way that you play, you know, one of the one of the reasons why I'm really excited that you hear is because I really don't know

I think he sings like he plays the guitar. Like the guitar and his voice are kind of a similar.

Yeah, which started first for you? Did you start playing first or singing first?

I started singing first, Yeah, I was.

My sister started coming home with trophies for singing competitions and trophies.

So what's the age gap between you and your siblings?

So I'm three and a half years younger than my older sister. I got a sister younger than me two years, and then I got a baby baby sister who's younger about.

Like ten years. Okay, cool. Yeah, So the older one, she was the one that was singing. She could sing good, she.

Could sing great. She's you know, you can play piano really well, sight read, can you know, do all that? All that kind of stuff, And I just I wanted some trophies. So I signed up for the choir in sixth grade along with basketball. He used to get hell all the time for showing up to basketball practice, like, what's up singing something?

Man?

That was quiet practice.

That's right. She can't be a music nerd and a school John rough Man, so brough we get a ball. No.

I was like a Dalmatian, great dang PUPPI es tall and awkward.

Tall, you know, got no handles, super tall for no reason, got no hops, sad, just a waste.

But your hands are so big.

She's a dunkey.

I got a nice fifteen foota though, in case stop me.

But his attention with that, Yeah, she told her that wrong foot her not injured?

Niggah, that would be well that yeah, you're right, yeah, yeah, thank you, But I'm what.

Do you anyway? Where were we? Okay? So just from seeing your sister win these trophies, that was your inspiration.

Yeah, that's why I thought I was gonna you know, you're talking about being the time of hip hop and R and B.

I thought I was gonna be a singer in an R and B group.

I had a group with this guy Robbie called Young Soul and We had dance moves and choreography and.

Like an SNL skit like Ary Clark, We're in it was.

It was terrible, but we loved it.

You know, who were y' all kind of modeling yourself after the group?

You wanted to be boys to man as yet all the yeah all for one.

Man, mister you know wow, all the groups singing blackbery in my last.

That was my joint.

And I had that guitar in it too, and I was like, I was like, this goes together. I could do both.

I could be.

That was mistering me playing the guitar, played guitar.

He was acoustic. He was like the knockoff baby Face. Well, I mean but the niggas.

I mean, but the niggas, I thought, big face like everybody else. Baby Face started his baby face. Remember he said that right now he was on the No, he was on the face. He was on He's on as Arista.

Yeah, supreme rabbit hole Gary in my back.

Wait wait, so that was literally the video is literally the moment when you start to think about picking up the guitar too.

That video you're just referenced, No no.

No, Tito Jackson watching old videotapes and tr Jackson mayde want to play guitar.

Yeah wait, you said you broke your dad. Uh you can tell similar to Tito Jackson, there was no repercussions though, right, Uh not like that. Okay, okay, so uh that's singing. But when you were so what you were twelve when you first started playing guitar or yeah, so what was your first what was the first acts that you got?

I got an ivan as RX twenty like a black electric guitar, two humbucker pickups at Maple Neck, and I got a little ten watt.

Guitar amp from Walmart or something and plugged in.

And everyone starts with the the department story like it was like a rock acts or something, I think it was the name of it. A little ten watt and all your stuff, Like you learned to play, you pretty much start yourself, like you know, lessons or anything like that.

I no, no, not really. I started listening to the radio my dad when I first got my guitar.

My dad said, if you want to play guitar for really, you got to listen to Eric Clapton in Santana.

So he dropped off some records in my room and said good luck with that. Do that do your homework too?

But with that really, So, what were the first records that you remember buying? Well, not not for guitar education purposes, but just in your life. What was your first album do you remember purchasing?

My first album that I remember purchasing was Immature?

Wow? Which one right now, dude, yoc? Which which alpum was? Which one was it?

Which the one with I Feel the Funk?

Feel the Funk? We heard that come out ninety five. I don't want to say they sampled us. That was the first time we got sampled Mature. Sample one of the one of them joints, one of them joints sounds from Solid Treatment. Wow. Matter of fact, they did too, because the drums was sound Treatment. But they took the they did. I had that album somehow.

I don't know if it was the intention and you remember it, so it must have been good.

Okay, let me be good. Okay, So this is Gary Club, Jim. Do you remember do you remember when Immature came back.

As I am X.

Yeah? I did what a different member or something?

No, it was the same three niggas, but it was it was like yeah, because they had that jam and they did a cover that. She did a cover of Love Me in a Special Way on that album that was like pretty.

Good markets straight up, Yeah, that asked, But I had that album?

Had I had that album?

You're my favorite R and B fan of all time? For real? Your R and B knowledge puts me to shame.

Like Mark, if Markey Houston knew that Gary Clark Jr. Like was it? That's just I just don't think he would know that. He probably would be off the wall.

Yeah, yeah, that was That was the first record I bought.

Wow, that's crazy.

All the men man, you wanted to say like Phoebe King, Robert Johnson, He's like nah, no, eat.

So at what point, at what point do you consider the genesis of where you are right now in your career? Like, at what point are you who's putting you on to uh Electric Lady Land, who's putting you on to the first like the Cream albums or Zeppelin or any of those things?

Yeah?

So assuming that, assuming that, I mean, I'm assuming that you Jimmy von Cat right, that was?

Yeah, Well that all happened. I lived down the street from a girl named Eve Monsei. I met her in third grade. White Girl came from Houston. Jewish girl.

She came out and was like, ah, she came.

I told her.

So she was playing guitar like a year before me and.

And her.

Her dad worked on video games and he would put video games in a in all these different venues around town. And so when he was working on him, he had him in the garage and they had a basketball go so all the kids from the neighborhood would go over there and play arcade games, you know, and you start hooping or whatever, and then uh, you've had.

A band and it was like.

A three piece band, her and a couple of other girlfriends, and they would be playing this rock and roll stuff, and you know, she had a black stratocaster and a Fender twid Hunter white ant well you know, the red knobs on it. And I thought it was the coolest thing ever, you know what. So I'm playing basketball and I'm hearing this. So I ended up getting interested in, like, uh, what she was doing. It was just like the coolest thing in the neighborhood. So I just I just became interested in that.

You know.

I've been listening to my boys to men and working on my dance steps and writing my you know, my R and B hits and then I was like, you know, let me see what's happening over here. So that's seeing her having a guitar and thinking about Tito Jackson how much I love that.

And you know, uh, it's the first time in which you know, someone's making the Jackson's reference with.

And he really deserves it because people don't be picking them up as much as they should.

Yeah, so it was all that kind of all that kind of went together. And I remember that they had that Jackson movie, The American dream.

Man Listen that is a classic watching every all four like that one in the Temptations movie Bussy TV exactly.

So they they had a they had a soundtrack for that and at one point they had a live version of them doing Who's Loving You?

Who's Loving You? But they but they did uh Isaac Hayes walking by, and so Tito's playing out.

Jermaine is also, let it be noted, Jermaine is killing that baseline. So that's weird. That affected me as a as a sampler that was a well known public enemy sample. Yeah, so that's how I got, you know, into that, But you just hearing it first generation without even the references. That's crazy that you picked up on that.

Yeah, I was like, man, this is this all goes together. I'm gonna start hanging out down the street and you figured out how to play this guitar.

Man.

Wow. Babyface was also in the audience that night. He mentioned that on the show, I'm gonna do a lot of references to pass that. Yeah, I'm awn reference center.

By the way, two short parents were accountants as well. I'm just I'm going with the thing.

Yeah. Well, I know, I know that you weren't built over night. So how many hours do you recommend it took you to really really master I mean, because I mean at the rate where Rolling Stones declaring you as Operation Next and the future and yes you you definitely have the chaps for that ship. Like I was, again, jaw drop, like, how what was your practice technique?

Like my practice technique was I quit going to school hours, you know what, I just quit.

I would show up the first period and someone would be like, hey, man, let's go play guitar.

I got some herb and we just dipped, you know, and we would just you know, I was introduced to Grateful Dead and and.

You know, people had Muddy Waters Records, and it was just I would just go do that instead of doing my school work.

Austin started changing.

Okay, so all day. You know, when I got to be about fourteen. I played my first gig in ninety eight. It was sophomore in high school. I guess, and I mean, you know what it is like. You start getting gigs and then it becomes you get one gig, two gigs three four nights a week, five nights, so that's one nights a week, four hours.

That's where the domino started. That's that's from fourteen on.

From fourteen on, that was it.

And your parents was cool.

They was like, okay, they were okay with it.

They were okay with it until I started getting phone calls from the school true where I.

Was, because fourteen is the beginning of high school. So it's like what you do?

Yeah, I was there, and then I just ghosted wow.

Or did you like get it?

I ended up finished.

I had to do Saturday, I had to do after school, I had to go before, I had to do all that stuff I had in completing my junior year of high school.

Because I lost it. I was They used to call me hot wire.

I used to take my parents' cars, sneak out in the middle of the night, go down to the clubs.

This is what we want to know. Wait a minute, you were hot? Are your parents card?

They called me how Ward. I just used to have the key.

Put it, put it down the streets. Better nickname than keys. Yeah, yeah, right, yeah, I mean having once. You know, shame on me doing it twice though. Kick on the bell.

Now, this happened multiple times. This is three four times a week. Get out and go to the club.

Oh, you would get away with it.

I would get I would sneak out of the window. How about the window, and I would.

Wait till my post would be sitting He would be watching Star Trek or something, and he would start to fall out.

Is it because they were too busy looking at the girls? I don't know what he but your sisters I met that in that way. Sorry, your sister's like they.

Say electric blue.

Or something like that.

I just meant, how did you get past them?

But I was just there focusing on the girls. Your sisters.

Yeah, I was always upstairs playing guitar.

You were good at it.

I was good.

I was.

I was on mind at school.

Yeah, I was moove with it. But you know I popped in one time.

Where would you go?

I would go to a spotle joe Gan, Eric Ball, go to Anton's. I'll go to my friend's houses and we would you know, they would have house parties and bands would be playing, would be DJs.

So you know, I might not have been able to go, but I made myself able to go.

I would they normally have given you permission to play these parties or was it like okay, no, no, based on this is the wrong crowd, or based on like are they seeing you and knowing that, oh, he's going to be our future. I'm not saying that every son has to, you know, do that for his parents, but no.

Not at all. It was it was a distraction.

You know.

I started, you know, I'm sneaking out, I'm leaving the house, I'm smoking weed all the time, I'm stealing the car.

They don't they can't find it in your best life, Yeah, exactly, you know what I mean.

I'm getting calls from the school, I'm not present, you know, all this type of stuff. And so now they weren't really with it at all, you know, but my mom made a compromise with me. She was like, look, I can't take this away from me because I know how much you love it. But what you can do is if you can sneak out and go run around and play for all those drunks down in sixth Street, you can play for Jesus.

So you can go play in the church.

The church.

I love it.

But did they let you ask grinding the church or were you just doing a straight up gospel? But who knows. I mean, the thing is that I would also think that Austin, Texas was rather open minded to different experiences. I mean I once went to a I want well no, I mean I was torn in Austin by ninety four, so he's about ten years old. So yeah, in church. Yeah, I'm just saying that by this point, like I would think that they would have been open to it. I

Damn. Yeah yeah, all praise do Chuck Brown?

Wow, write you know you want to go go?

You know about to go go?

I know a little bit.

Okay, but we know.

What's up down.

The man's traveled the world all actually slight slight uh detour in this conversation since we're talking about Austin. All Right, you gotta you gotta put me down with what are your already two? Give me your top five barbecue joys? Ye took me in that hour? Does the name Sam's Beef mean anything to you? Okay, I'm relieved. Sam's Beef is like Austin's version of Freddy's from House of Cards. Okay, Okay, got you.

It's not a chain.

That's not a chain. Nah. It's just like even as even as even as uh slogan, you don't need no teeths to eat my beef, my beef, you don't need teeth. Yeah, but it's like a back porch, no need teeth, you know, flies come on and I don't even mind. You know, it's just so back. But I didn't know if that was super authentic or not, you know, I was I would like to think that it was like the authentic.

Let me just ask the question that you're saying authentic. Where does Austin come in the barbecue scheme of things? When it comes to city so it's Austin, like the data.

Man Dallas, I put it in Saint Louis. I think in America, Saint Louis is the barbecue rib. You know, Saint Louis is hard. It's different Kansas City though, don't well, Kansas City got smoke for Saint Louis. I don't know K's City barbecue coming from somewhere from North Carolina because barbecue is more so it's like like pool port.

Like when people and run our way when they say like barbecue, they specifically mean pull pork, so like, and I'm in the eastern side of No Carolina.

So for our joint, I base it's a vinegar base. So then, but when you go to the west side, like where the mountains is that they use like a tomato bass and we don't fun with them. We be like making, We're making, you know, slappy jokes barbecue, so them, but the vinegar base is good.

So like.

Spot, what's the what's the awesome? Give me your top five?

Man Sam's Okay, I used to go to SAMs all the time. There's a spot called the barbecue that I like, Uh, Terry Blacks, Okay, there's another one. If you're going for like some fancy barbecue. It's a spot called Lamberts. I got a lot of love for them because they fed me every Thursday, gave me a couple of drinks.

Uh what was that for?

Let me see?

Let me see, Let me.

See, because it's any good because I had the Stubs right.

Because I like Stubbs as a music venue.

Stuff. That's because I.

Went like hearing so much and I had it out the same make the barbecue sauce.

Yeah, but I get the feeling that you know, Stubs and Republic and all those spots are like what for Philly cheese steaks?

Like what.

Cats? Yeah, like one that two hours in line. That was a long story, like two hours in line for Republic Barbecue. I thought, Man, there has to be an underground.

Spot that gymstaks because it's a line. But it's some bullshit. Don't go to Philly and eat a gym, you know, but you know, you know, you've seen the rats all.

If you go to Philly, you need the quest Love text message. It's like four pages long. It rates all the cheese steakery in all the Philadelphia from like from like Cobb Beefery to like get old whatever.

You might get robbed at this place.

Yeah, but you can only go to this place at this time because if now you might die. Like it's like that gotsha and if your white, definitely don't go to this place like it says this.

Is what you said.

Anybody tells you exactly what to order, order it, you should that should be your next book.

I gotta give you know, I gotta keep.

People safe feeling man, I'm gonna hit.

You up, yeah, like gold istue peoples. But don't get this ship. You feel down, bro, because you are you are rock star skinny.

I don't even think you you would throw down, but you might have a fast tabolism And it's like I get that it's got big hands.

Can we At this point? Are you where you said you were fourteen? Are you even making demos or recording the like what's your songwriting process? Like are you even writing songs at this point? Or you're just playing? Like what's the music of the day? What is the music of the day if you are playing at if you're playing in a blues band in Austin, Texas, like, what are the what are the go to songs that I should know? The blues the whole genre, So everything just one.

You gotta have. You gotta have a for me. It's like you gotta have a slow a slow blues, major blue, the slow minor blues.

You gotta have.

You gotta show uh.

Red House, Yeah, Red House is something but or like something like BB King three o'clock blues?

How would where would like? Something like like Pride and Enjoy by Stevie Vaughan? Where would that fall?

Pride and Joy is kind of a it's kind of an unspoken rule that if you're in Austin because you don't touch.

It, can can you? Can?

You?

Are you able to schools on Stevie at least mean personally straight up? I don't I need to know more about Stevie Rayvaughn. I know that he's a god. I don't know why he's a god or anything like. Are you able to explain what makes him god or the ship?

I've never heard him be described as god. But I think the thing that that people love about Stevie Ray Vaughan is is there's this there's this kind of Americana thing about him. There's this fierce blues thing about him that you know he gives props up to Albert King and all the grace and then he's got this rock and roll fierce a thing about him.

And if you if you're coming from Texas and you play guitar, man.

For somebody to make it out of Austin, Texas playing guitar, it was kind of a big deal.

And just tone.

I think the thing that makes him the guy is the tones that he got and out of a stratocaster. You know, I don't think anybody had heard that powerful, that strong of a tone coming from from a guitar like that.

I think it's been.

It's just tone. I have so many I don't know. Man, no, no, no, you're doing good. You're doing good. That's that's the number of me.

Yeah, that's the answer.

Because I remember me and my son used trying to play Pride and enjoy it on guitar Hero.

We used to suck it up on that.

I was like, it's to be pretty hard, it's not easy, and he was white stayed obviously.

I guess we should say that. That's what i'n get to is Okay. So when I watch when I watched cats like bb King and I mean, I'm gonna take Hendrix out the equation, we could take Hendricks out, and we could probably take in Chicago his daughters Johnny Cooker, Yeah not buddy, So all right, taking those two out. But as far as blue blues guitar are playing and it coming from it leaving the the Mississippi Delta, and like who is credited or who is the definitive electric

Interesting question because he's kind of both of them. There's like the shredder blues man and then the slow hand blues man, and I think like there's a difference.

Right, So what's more important? Like no one as me as a drummer. Like you know, I'm not a gospel drummer, but people respect my slowness and my pocket right that speaks enough. But you can chops with you one, not with these bones. But no. But I'm just saying that, you know, is there for you? Is it more important for slow hand blues or is it like about shredding and volume and fullness.

I think it's it goes down to does it make the hair stand up on your arms? Does it give you chills? Does it make you feel like you want to cry? Does it make you feel like you want to scream at the top of your lungs. Does it make you feel something? I think you can do both. I think you can play, you can shred and do all that, and I think you could play to the slow hand b be king thing. But when you hit it out and you feel it and and you undenially your eyes roll back in the back of your head.

If if something makes me do that, I'm like, that's just what it is. That's what music is supposed to do.

I don't care if you're a guitar player, don't care a drummer, don't carry you uh or whatever genre you know, if you sing a note and it's like.

Whoa orgasm? Just for so, just for context, like what is so give us an example of somebody that would be considered us you said, a slow hand blues player versus like a shredder, like with a lot of decks.

There a slow hand blues player. I would have to say somebody like Derek Trucks. There's somebody who plays, you know, kind of slide guitar, and he's somebody that I think is authentic when it comes down to doing it, do

Who's an unsung hero in your in your mind? Like, who's the guitarist that we need? You know, is a maverick but you know it hasn't either gotten a deal just wanted to stay local or just kind of behind the scenes, Like is there a guitarist that you know that's just like.

Yeah, I would have to go back to Eric Gales. He did.

We did a show together and he opened up for us at Austin. I was like, this is a bad idea.

So is he Is he still alive or is he? Oh?

Yeah, it was like two weeks ago.

You know what's weird. I'll say that anytime I've even done shows with Eric Gal's on on the bill, it's weird because I feel like he has to pay his bills, like doing the Sideman stuff. Like I think, uh, wait, which is we're talking about Eric Gale, like old jazz cat Eric Eric Gils. No, he's he's from Memphis, credit Memphis. Okay, there's an Eric Kale. That's I think I'm thinking about your Areaale.

We're talking about a lefty young guy who's not who you're thinking about.

Yeah, No, no Eric Gale, I'm thinking about. Yes, he's a shreder. Sometimes when uh Living Color Bassis, Sugar Old Vernon, No sugar Hill Bassis. Also Doug Dog. Sometimes if Doug Wimbush is on a gig, he'll hire Eric Gils as his guitar. So back when Doug was the m D

I mean he came through and crust. Like I was telling everybody was like, this is a terrible.

When the opener crushes the headliner. No one needs that ship.

Do you do you feel do you feel this unspoken pressure to live up to the myth of of obviously the Jay word, because I'm certain for a lot of people, what is it jew.

Never happened, won't ever happen, You're not gonna You're not gonna live up to You're gonna happen.

You're a fad ass motherfucker. Guys, Guys, Jimmy.

Jimmy, yes, and when you're his house, shame shame.

I'm like, you can't even me. My default was I thought, oh, guitar black guy, all right, see, let me see he rises up to the level of Jimmy. And but the thing was, it was like the way the way that you did, I just caught you on a fucking excellent night because even my guitar player his mouth was open, like you did a gig. Okay, so this is right when Doyle and show Crow were like, you gotta see this guy perform. So you weren't signed just yet. It

Or I don't feel any pressure. I don't feel any pressure to live up to that necessarily, but I think about it when it's brought up.

How many times journalists ask you like.

These types of questions like yeah, but I think the thing for me is is I've always kind of not said much about it, but to not sound cocky or not to not to sound like I know, I know that I got into this thing not to be in last place, talk to the.

Nice.

So yeah, I put that on myself, and regardless of what other people say, you know, I want to I want to be I want to be, you know, I want to get a chance to jam with you, you know, talking about like some real ship. I want to be with the motherfuckers doing this shit. And I'm not gonna be okay with just being like I didn't get into this.

You that, okay, That's why I wanted to. I was like, okay, you definitely play like that. Then you know, some people are like, you know, man sucks, thanks anyway, but you know, just the way that you played, and again, it's like the way that blues rock has been defined and redefined. I mean it's to the point now like where we just basically thought like, okay, all guitar grids from now on are just going to be white dudes, and if a black one comes along, then you know, like oh

When did that come into But the thing is like his.

Lenny's acts work was never to that level, but because he looked the part. You know, I'm sure a lot of people expected that, you know, when really it's Craig that's the axe men of it.

But you know it's I missed that on a Lenny Kravitz episode.

I yeah, and plus, you know, especially with black people, I feel like a lot of our associations with rock, Like one of the one of the main reasons why I wanted to do the See with Cody was because it was a rock song that wasn't a rock song.

Yeah?

I wouldn't, but that's just why I don't know. I mean, he literally named it rock and roll.

I mean, I mean good lyric but what the okay for me? For me, it was I didn't want to,

So I'm a little beast of burden.

That's some girls. Yeah, the Black and Blue album was like that, that was there. Okay, we're going to try and get funky a little bit, but it didn't work that way. But I like sloppy stuff, so you know, I'm a check out. I never got into the Stones the catalog like that.

I know it is and don't make us feel bad just teachers, you know, sometimes.

It don't you don't know, so yes, anyway, now I gotta go back to I gotta go back to what when did you first start songwriting? What was your like the first recording.

My first recording was a song that I recorded with well, my friend Eve.

It was called barsol blues and uh, it was just kind of a shuffle blue shuffle, and it was me, her, my cousin Ryan, and I can't remember if it was my sister playing drums or not, but play drums. Yeah, my little sister plays drums. We got she got a drum kit the same year that I got a guitar. My cousin Worm got the bass the same year, and so we all had the family band. And my sister

Was Joe, Joseph.

Or any of your sisters still involved the music?

Uh, they're involved in music, but not trying to go get it like I was, you know.

But yeah, So I recorded on a do you remember those little karaoke thing like a two yes, like a little Singlelodian things. So I used to record that way.

It sounded like shit, but that was how we recorded stuff.

You know, how did you how did word spread around Austin? And it is Austin the only place that you can really have reached. Are there surrounding cities in Texas that you can also have a good musical fan base? Yeah, it's awesome, just the only blue city. No, that's the load of questions.

That was good.

Yeah, you can go to San Antonio, the San Marcus's a couple of places to play.

I went down to the Valley and played down there. Up to Dallas for worth.

Uh what about Houston or yeah, you go down to Houston. The blues community is pretty small down there. So if you if there's another blues guy or another blues band on the scene, say hey, man, you need book this guy down in Texas, and there's like a whole blues society and so everyone hooks each other up.

And so yeah, I would run down to Houston in Dallas with my parents and.

Now, besides those cities that I named the Captain obvious ones, h, what is the rest of the Texas environment like city was, I don't really mess with it, even to this day hasn't established a cigre.

I mean, you gotta get from point A to point B. But there's some places you just don't stop.

Gad ass ye. I mean for the largest state in the United States, it's I don't like to know if there's more than seven cities or that are welcoming.

Or you know.

Look, man, anytime I'm going out west. Anytime I'm going out.

West, I get stopped sweet Water, I get stopped going out Well, every time I get stopped and pulled out a car, it's a whole situation every time. Really, it's like that, and you're heading out east towards Louisiana. You don't stop. You just keep it moving, get past the bridge.

Even to this day, when you get in the car, the whole goals just just make.

Sure you got enough gas to get past and you just keep it moving right up.

Niggas need a new green book at it. It's real now. When we went to were like like going through Texas like we had to.

We stayed one night and god, rent would I want to say it was I can't remember the name, but basically it was like a hotel and a Walmart and a McDonald's and like, we didn't what.

Else you need? That's a party. We stayed. We just stayed in and like I called my honger. I was like, so we in this town. She's like, oh my god. She's like no, straight up. She's like, oh no, don't suck around out there. I was like, damn, but it's still real.

From somebody from Carolina, that's a big deal.

Yeah, yeah, it's still real. Wow, Okay, that's what Texas they literally.

Yo, you mentioned your friend Eve. This is the same Eve who had the band in the beginning, right, So do you guys still make music together or what is that with her? Because you mentioned her twice in music references.

Yeah, we're still we're still cool. Actually we stopped. I got fired from her band.

What you do?

How she like you now?

He did something?

What you do?

No?

I didn't.

I didn't do anything. They just, you know, respectfully. They Yeah, they decided that my services were no longer.

Needed a lot of solo.

You know, listen, listen, I'm going to ask you, because this is what I don't know about you, because at one point, at one point the guy that was hosting the party kind of looked at me like, okay, let's wrap it up.

What is.

No Because again I can listen to you do fourteen minutes solo?

How many choruses can you?

So when we're doing the blues, how long am I supposed to run through the format before I do that role where I let you know, Okay, Gary, it's time to get to the last burst of weekend?

When is it not said it rude?

You know what?

A few years ago, you would have had to stop me, You would have had to go do that role, and I would have snapped out of it and gone, all right, let's get back into the first. A lot of times what happens when I do that is I don't know what the next verse is. Okay, so I'm just buying timeline. I don't remember the worst of my own shit.

But the thing is like, I feel like you're you're not microwave. You're such a slow cook that I'm willing to give you six rounds and unspoken six rounds of stuff to let you get into it. So I never know when you've made your statement, when it's time to like in the song, right right, right, Yeah, I.

Don't know either.

I always feel like I can keep going. I feel like I could keep there's more, there's more, there's more, there's more. I could keep going till I pass out. But I've become more refined due to UH find and police showing up.

I've come more refined.

Is it the same drum cue did you give everybody?

Or is that just there's a certain language that I have that the roots instantly know when it's time to wrap something up or that sort of thing. But that's only us playing together for decades.

There's also the roots television fill right, which is like crank crank.

I felt like I felt like he gave me one of those that the Grammacy.

Like a plan because the thing was the thing was is that? Yes, shout out to Keith McPhee, the most erotic. Yeah, his his stopwatches have stopwatches. Key big Fee is the guy that right now he's planning like the Grammy jam in twenty twenty three years from now. That's that's what Keith is. So you know, in his mind, he's like, Okay, he did a one hundred and fifteen seconds. Good. You know we still got a you know, we got chucked you on the side of the stage. You ready to

Them let orgasmo. Yeah, that's what we call it right now.

But pretty much Keith's one of those guys that like lose his mind after like a three minute solo. So I have to you know, I kind of got that.

I was like, all right, I'm pretty sure.

What's the longest solo you have a dig I think I got clocked somewhere around twelve fourteen minutes.

It's Maggot Brain.

Yeah, maggot bright rock and roll. I think funk a delic is rock.

Yeah, of course, absolutely true. Indeed I should have put that in earlier, but yeah, absolutely good segue.

How'd you go about in terms of, like, after you're playing all these bands and like kind of doing demos and stuff, how did you go about getting your first deal?

I was, I was, I was doing some shows with Doyle Bramhall. We've been doing some stuff. He give me some work.

I was kind of How did you hook up with Doyle and for the listeners, Doyle bra Doyle Bramhall really, I mean, truth be told, Doyle Bramhall was or could have been. I could be stepping over my boundaries. He was. He could have been the Gary Clark Jr. Of the early nineties. He was a guy that like again Eric Clapton gave the gave the the endorsement of life, the co sign of time for Yeah, for Doyle back and like nineteen ninety one said, this guy's amazing blues guitarist,

Had to play pay the bills. So I came mainly as a session guy. I never knew his like the mythology.

Of he should have been a guy like basically it's like reverse Jimmy Hendrix. It's like if you started out as Jimmy Hendrix and just ended up playing with Little Richard, that sort of thing. But you know he he married Susannah Melbourne princess, right, So that's how we got to know him in the very short lived Edith Funker project with Erica and Susannah and Wendy and Lisa and everybody. And it was during that time, that Edith Funker period that I was asking Doyle like, well, who do you

Were you in that band?

I'm not making a joke, was he?

No?

You?

Oh?

No?

I was like I was maybe, Okay, No, I wasn't. I wasn't.

But you know you know about that band of course, Yeah, Charlie Sexton, Tommy Shannon, damn.

Well.

Yeah, So I was doing this struggling.

Starving artist thing and I'm sitting there in the house full of candles, not by choice.

Poorking beans in the spoon. Yep, okay there. So so.

Just so happens like a little bit later, Doug gets me a calling and he says, this isn't promised, but you know, I've been talking to Clapton and I think he wants you to come out to do his Crossroads festival. And if you're not familiar, it's a big guitar or thron, A lot of guitar solos, a lot of the greats come out and they do this big festival thing and people jam at the end or whatever. And being a

I show up there and like, what year is this? This is two thousand and ten.

Oh wowka, And so.

I show up, do rehearsal next time, do the show, And in the middle of the show, this whole sound goes out in Toyota Park, like the whole front of the house sound.

I'm in the middle of my thing. I'm the new guy. Nobody knows who the hell I am, and I'm seeing people.

Booing shit and screaming. I'm just seeing this, and Doyle goes, hey, man, the sounds out. Just keep doing anything when it come around and do this, uh you know, you come back into your verse. We're trying to work this thing out. So I'm just freaking out. Im just playing. No one's hearing me. I keep seeing this. I'm like, damn, I came all the way I hear the Chicago and fucked

I'm like, man, this that was terrible.

Blah blah.

Tom Wally Andy Oliphant, who used to work at Warner at the time, approached me and gave me their business cards and said, uh, we're thinking about doing something with you know.

And I did that whole thing and ran around in different spots and ended up wrong with them.

And.

He's not, the whole thing is different, gotcha.

But yeah, so that that was that was it just being backstage thinging that was terrible And they're like, what do you think about rocking the Warner?

Wow? What was that like? Like, were you apprehensive outsigning the.

Deal or yeah? Of course I was a lot of vis.

Did you get to talk to Clapton at all?

No.

I walked up to him and I was really excited and I said, hey, man, thank you for inviting me.

You know, you have no idea and just go thanks for coming. Walked off in his little boat shoes and shorts and.

Wow. Yeah. So when you first started recording your first record.

Excuse me, what was it like going from I guess it's kind of, you know, just kind of just the shoe stream, you know, budget shit to actually now what we were able to do differently in terms of the sound.

Yeah, I thought I was, but I was working with with people who I won't necessarily name, and I didn't like it.

But these were producers or yeah, and I didn't.

I didn't for the EP or for Black and Blue. For both, I was like real talk shots.

I mean, no, no, no, it turned out to be all right, But I just I was in a place where I felt like I was free and creative and I wanted to express everything and have all my my.

All my ideas fully realized. And there was this kind of like you, yeah, let's get to it.

Let's do it like this way, let's get to it, you know, And I would present ideas and so that's boring. I'm like, well, only played for thirty seconds, man, let me let me.

Get to the change. Yeah, And so I didn't like feeling like I couldn't move at my own pace.

You know, being from Texas. If we get twenty seconds on the crosswalk, I'm taking all of them. So that was like, that was that was my mentality. But as I get older, you know, I understand and I had to learn, you know, I hadn't learn, but I was uncomfortable at first.

I didn't like it.

I didn't like anybody tell me what to do because I started playing music because I was the only place where nobody could tell me what to do.

So I was like, well, what the hell am I doing?

Yeah, music business, But you know it's all good little maturity and you know, taking a step back and understanding that it's not just about you.

That was a real reality check.

You know.

So was Sonny Slid, the album in which you felt that you had your control in your your true voiceover.

Yeah, I think so.

Well.

I just wanted to try it. I wanted to be able to have I wanted to be able to make an album where I'm like this, I'm.

Fully responsible whether it works or not.

I know what my strengths and my weaknesses are, and I've never been able to test him, and I want to do that. Like I said, I didn't get into this to be last place, and I didn't get into this to only give a quarter of what I think that I can give.

So that was where that came from? How did because that's you, I from not saying that's you playing the guitar on the Fire We Make? Uh, how did that come about? Delicia Keys and Drake Record? How did that that? Uh?

That was Miguel I mean not Miguel Maxwell.

Maxwell. He hooked that he hooked all up or Fire We Make was at Max my band? I thought was my bad? I meant said, I mean Drake was that was the breakable right right?

I don't know, I didn't I missed that. I remember being that.

Yeah, how did that session come about?

At least your Keys asked me to do uh an event with her, Uh.

No child Alive? Wait, no child, black child left behind black.

Black black, but the name of her black child and then the black blas.

That's the party, but keep Alive is the organization organization? Yeah, we was all right.

So we did a version of Wild my guitar gently weaves and and so we kind of linked up that way. It was pretty cool, and she asked me to be a part of this this Uh our record called me up and went up to the studio here in New York, and uh, do.

People do when when guests tell you to do their record because you're You're on Donald Uh Gambino's album and your mom met So.

I just was laughing at something.

I'm just saying that he loves Hi Bill. How you doing, Billy? No? But is it when guests asked you to appear on their albums? Are they are they just like do you and do what you do and that's it? Or do they have like very specific uh instructions and and and.

Are you all that specific instruction or do you just take the ones.

To go do you?

Well, I've done most sessions that I've done has been just kind of like do you. But I worked with Cody and Gambino and they're both like it goes like this, you know, and it's like I kind of put my own no, I don't do it goes like.

This, Okay, yeah, I don't do that.

So the solo that you played on the on the Your Mama joint like that, that's them kind of directing or is it well as much as you versus.

The solo part. The solo part was was all me because you can't you can't tell me how to do that part. Damn right, that's gotta be just from the heart.

Yeah.

But but as far as like chord changes and things like that and a little transition chords, was like.

Not that one, this one? Yep, that no perfect, you know. Yeah, so but it was cool. It's like I respect that is, I know what I want, I know what you're capable of. Let's do that, all right.

I was watching your the like I guess the new ep K or the promo video that you got for the new record This Land, and it was one clip where you were playing your solo and you were solo and like in the control room, and.

That's how I cut all my vocals. So I thought it was interesting. Is that how you always kind of play like just right there in the moment, like you know, like right in front of the console.

Yeah.

Not, it depends sometimes I will, but sometimes I like to be in the room with the band. But for that one, I just turned the amp Caesar d is one for twelve cabinet Marshall and just turn that up and just ran for the two level. God, I still want to be in there, you know. And I wanted to hear how it translates. I like to hear I was going to translate on the speakers.

You know. Yeah, for the most part.

With your vocal, it was one the same clip you were you were cutting your vocal, you were playing, you were singing, and you were singing like you was singing through a fifty eight through it. It's just like a regular joint. Is that what you cut most of your vocals on? Or do you do like the fancy I guess, Mike so or whatever.

I've done all of it.

I don't really have a preference.

Is it on check?

Let's go?

Yeah?

Is it on? Okay? Yeah? I didn't know if you had a preference for just more that kind of raw like live sounded like a you know, a smaller mic.

No, I don't know the difference. What what do you use?

What my personally good one?

Yeah, my personal mic is it's a manly reference. It's yeah, it is. I've told you for seventy five years, never told you about about the man so mainly, I mean they're mainly known for like that outboard gear, but they make the mic and so.

Uh.

When I was rebuilding my studio in my crib, I bought a Norman uh the U A seven, which is like the classic mic or whatever, and so I got it, and I was just like, yo, man, this ship sound cold.

This is cold as fuck.

I don't like this.

And so my homie, my dealer homie, he was like, well, yo, he said. The Normans are generally very cold out the box, he said, but over time, as they age, that's when they get kind of warm. I was like, nigga, I'm trying to got I'm trying to Yeah, I ain't got no time of that. I got you need. So he was like, yo, but the one you need is the manly referenced. I was like whatever, So he let me shoot out. I had like a whole like locker ship.

I have a U eighty seven U sixty seven fuddled yeah man, I shout it out against U eighty seven U sixty seven.

I had a ribbon mic like an r c A like the old Elvis Mike. I had that one. I had the road, which was like my for like years. I shout it out against like six seven mics. It kicked all their asses for like I mean, and it was it was like a thousand dollars cheaper than the U eighty seven.

I might have to give me a manly.

Reference the truth, man, But what I got I got like a little s M. Fifty eight too, like I'll cut vocals through that, which is like a shure, is just one of those. And I mean that in the clip that I saw, like from your album, it looked like you were singing in one of those, and I used that one too.

I don't even did Michael Jackson record like Man in the Mirror.

On fifty seven. Yeah, I'm one of those people that I've been under Suores. Uh uh what do you call it up and endorsement? Sure, for like decades now, but.

You know that's over now, yeah, said the engineer.

Wait we don't yeah, wow, when did we end that relationship?

Can I ask a question?

Sure?

Carry Color Jr. You seem to be like the Roots. This weird anominally of well yeah, like Peo like fans or people playing like black music, but it appeals to white audiences and it's a rarity, like you play for Bonnarou and you play these festivals for white jam kids. That's it doesn't happen that often in the same way the Ruts, the fucking Roots played in my college. We've talked about this and my college spring fling. When I was a graduating.

I loved it. Let's just go with that.

Uh.

But but I don't know what do you attribute that to? Because you're I mean, I find I think I have an answer, but I was wondering what your answer was. I mean, other than it's all great music, which I'm sure is an easy answer. But like, do you ever think about that?

I do?

Oh, well, I'm thinking about it. Certain Chappelle skit.

Understandable.

Oh yeah, I don't know.

Just good music is good music? I mean, like it is what it is.

Yeah, Well, can I ask you I'm not trying what I'm gonna add on to it? Is it harder for you now? I know that you're going in different or we should mention also that this land I forgot that much it is out right now? Is it harder for you to keep the flame alive? Uh? In which kind of the the environment of the musical environment of the youth is the kind of the exact opposite of it.

It's hard. Nah, I don't know. I wouldn't know what to do without it.

Yeah, I wish you could see it. Hey, let me know when you want to do the R and B immature album I'm working on.

I'm working on it right now.

Man, listen, I'm on in on that. Yeah.

Hell, Bill, he'll bring his manly reference and everything.

Bill was the remix to your I don't know if this is the remix, but were you kind of asking like, do you do you ever feel some type of way when you look in the crowd it's not as many black people as you as maybe one would like to see.

Is that like the.

Question I ask? But I just interest that.

That always interested me. It's why the rout issue with that.

But maybe Gary does. It's different for every artist. Well, I'm sorry. Black Thought was known as having not an issue, but at times he's been known to say the more we grew up.

And we grew up in the hype Williams video era, which was like the real record business budgets, and I think if you grow up with that and those images and whatnot, and you know what you're seeing on the road, you know when groupies are chasing me, it's like five five dudes at my hotel when wanting to know, like what kind of microphone does D'Angelo use? Like what he was breaking down. I've had that conversation many a time in a hotel.

Like I've also seen earlier on in the Roots career. I've seen the response when you've had like an all Black grounds, like, yeah, we had all Black grounds.

My point was, I've seen I've seen Gary play a number of times, and he will freak out white hippie kids in the same way he freaks out African American. It's like, and that's a rarity. I'm I'm giving that compliment, you know what I'm saying, Like, I don't you don't you see that enough? In the same way the Roots complay to all my audience and and it doesn't matter, and that I love and I feel like the ability

And I was adding, is an endangered species. Do you feel some sort of way about it?

But the answer is simple. Black people gave up on rock music after Living Color.

Sugar Network. Yeah, Steve, you did it. Let's go, here's your theme.

Say something.

And then they told us Lenny didn't count.

Lenny is Jewish.

That's what I.

Like.

Lenny grab his way, you know that.

Living Color and who else do we have? Well? Nothing after that. I mean we had Prince. I mean really Prince was but but did.

He just cause the guitar doesn't mean yeah, he was R and.

B for.

He saw he was black people. The Isisley Brothers.

Definitely delic So we keep it in the spirit of like.

By seventy six. By seventy six, Funkadelic basically became Yeah because was a Parliament song. Yeah, I mean, you know, and GARYT Shatter himself will say that, you know, I felt that after when they making One Nation under the Groove and suddenly we just sold out and became Parliament. So I'm just saying that.

Doesn't it seem like based on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and everything else, It depends. It depends on who you're asking what rock and roll is. Because I mean, there's a whole very derivative situation and then I don't know, it's just weird to me.

The funk lineage is like outside of rock, like Princess funk and pop, you know, but more than rock.

But he he's rock. I never grew printing in rock. It was probably the reason why Rolling Stone had left him off the one hundred Greatest Guitar Players, Like but in the Rock and Roll that right there, Yeah whoa, yeah, yeah.

Unfair is the best?

Yes, like they Rolling Stone literally forgot to list Prince in one of the the one hundred you know what saying. And thus when Prince did the my guitar gently weeps guitar solo at the that was his revenge, Like that was his like motherfuckers like.

You.

But I think with him though, I mean this is just I think with him, with artists like that that are just so big and just so known for so many hit records, it's hard to imagine what gets overlooked is just the musicianship.

So even like with Michael Jackson, like Michael.

Would say, like he would talk about Prince, he would say, well, people look at Princes as an artist, but they just look at me on the dance, dude.

But Mike used to saying, it's god damn face off, you know.

What I mean?

Sometimes I forget that Mike is an excellent saying an extracy right, because you just see the white sox and the dances and shit that you forget that this is some real fucking musicianship going on. I feel as though Prince really took the space that the Isisley brothers had in the seventies. I can rap you on that. And it's so natural for Ernie Eisley to do a solo in the seventies, you know that, you just you never said, oh, this is not rock and roll, this is you know, it's that sort of thing.

Somehow, somewhere it became harder, harder for black dozey caught and roll.

Well, gar.

Gary, I mean, we are older.

All the time, don't worry about are not.

The baby here at the kids table in my own damn house.

I still Gary. So I have a somewhat relevant question.

I think he was asking about his hands again.

So is it is it a blessing or a curse to be grouped as a certain genre, specifically blues or blues rock.

Let's say in your case, is that.

Is that something that you hold up as a as a sign of pride or is that something that's that's pigeonholing?

You know, I feel I feel a couple of ways of about that. When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was be a blues man. My first when I first got a guitar, I saw Steve Steve rayvonn Tribute was Eric Clapton, Buddy got bb King, Robert Cray, Bonnie Ray, a few others, and I said, I want

So I just I just do what I do and try not to think about it. And I'm thirty four years old.

Man, I got out of this, Thank you. It was getting tired.

We come with this land though it ain't always true, and you're going going in different directions, like do you now feel as though I mean the way that that the times are defined now is just to be fluid, like non defined. And the new records, yeah, graduation.

Yeah, I think that that I've always wanted to kind of do that. I mean, Quincy Jones is idle than me.

Been trying to get rid of the genres and all that for a long time.

And and uh, when I heard Wu Tang spitting over Albert Kinglis, I was like, I can do whatever I want.

Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that because you talked about in your in the promo for the new record, you talk about like your hip hop influences, Like what was this?

What was some of the hip hop stuff you listened to?

I mean when I was I guess nine, ten, eleven, twelve, I wasn't allowed to listen to hip hop, but my buddy Grant would make me tapes put different titles.

On it, and your parents, yes, why did exactly?

So I was listening to uh like d MX Snoop Warren g Uh, bone thugs in Harmony.

Bone Thugs in Harmony, never singing harmony. He's right, they are both totally correct.

I never thought about that the US cross.

There were no harm totally right, totally right. I never thought about that play.

Did you have you have?

Y'all?

I saw I was just reading something where you did something with bun Be. But have your text is like the MCS kind of embraced you in that way from yeah, because I'm thinking about I'm thinking about Scarface. I don't want to say Austin, so I think, yeah.

Guitar lessons. Yet I forgot about his guitar.

I saw him. I went to go see him in d C. And I didn't know he played guitar. So he came on with a guitar.

What Oh, DC will let him play whatever he wants to.

Yeah, so but yeah, so yeah ghetto, Yeah, switch your house, you know.

So.

I spent a lot of time listening to that.

But I love the production stuff, you know, the production side of it, you know from Swiss and Dre and you know the whole you know. I mean, I'm sitting here what you got, But I got to give it up to the roots for production and musicality.

In that, you know what I mean?

Like that.

That made it to me. It's like this all goes together, you know what I mean?

And I can.

I want to be a part of that too. I want to do that too. I love being a blues man, but like this ship is tight, you know what I mean? Like I want to get into this too and figure it all out.

So I want to put the n PC underneath everything and put the guitars and live instrumentation on top of.

It, and and use all the colors, you know what I mean. Do you like jazz?

Yeah?

I love jazz. I listened to a good amount of it. Never try to touch it really.

Though, So what what is what is your go to listening?

So what's on my playlist?

Uh?

Sir?

I guess yeah? Yeah, John Battis's latest one, Yeah, lm A. Have been listening to.

Up Yeah, don't do All because the second tripping sound like boot Up Okay.

And I've been listening to Sammy Davis Jr.

One right, there's another Sammy Davis Jr.

There's a younger person that named himself Sam David Junior. So I'm just trying to make sure I wasn't confused.

Well, you're talking about the candy Man the can.

That would be, but some is it because for the junior thing like the connection.

Anywhere, But I was I came across a performance of him.

Doing mister bo Jangles and uh and my son really loved it and so he started singing it around the house and I was like, well, let's just get into Sammy Davis Junior together.

So that's been our musical.

That is the Beauty Discovery.

Yeah, so that's what happened.

I need to movies to get into those episodes on the Coxtables. I can't even say the show.

No more on the.

Okay, on The Cosby Show because Sammy Davis Junior had some really great cameos.

But I doubt you will find that anywhere. Yeah.

Yeah, Tap he was really good in the movie Tap Tap was hard Ship with Gregory High.

Yeah.

The JT song that the title.

Song, will take It was j T and Regina Bell and it was not make it like it was, but it was sorry. Yeah. Yeah, JT's back cooling game.

So that see Gary, this is when forty celebrated.

Yeah, this is this nigga. We're falling. The eyes is back.

I'm with it, Okay, Gary Clark has James and he's fine.

So yeah, I'm also wrapping. I understand, I gotta wrap this up to bed.

Yeah, who's not going to I'm going to go to bed.

Yeah, I do too, Billy Steve gotta go to bed. Sounds like a movie Washington.

In the early early morning.

Yeah, anyway, Bill and Steve could have been to do anyway.

My second bar Mitzvah hosted book and what is uh your your?

What are you playing on the rest of your year? Being in twenty nineteen?

The rest of twenty nineteen is tour forever.

That's a good thing. I'm trying to work like you man, that's yes, that's a good thing. That's an awesome thing.

Yeah, it's a blessed How do you balance it out with your with your boys and your know what?

What the kids?

A boy girl, boy girl. Okay, I'm just gonna awfully you just bring them out with me with you.

That's dope.

I'm trying to get to that.

You know.

It's a family. So yeah, that's what. We'll just be out there everywhere.

Cool. Well, we thank you for coming on the show, sir.

Yes, man, I'm so happy to learn that your R and B dude like like R and B arm like greasy.

R and B, like your R and B record. I want to on it like, let's do like some divince dope. Garrett Clark, I might have to get it. You gotta standing there.

Make sure you caught the land first land. That was Jamison that hit me with them.

Isn't it beautiful?

Anyway? On behalf of Unpaid Bill and Sugar Steve of the Sugar Steve Network, aren't jazz guitarist? And Boss Bill is getting angry? Bill? We love you man, Sorry, look with love. What your bathroom?

Now?

You're gonna be a nigga doing renovations?

Finished, Matt finished, Gary.

We thank you for coming on the sales, coming on. Let's see you all in the next round. Of course, loved Supreme, see all later, coust Love Supreme. It's a production of iHeartRadio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Mandora. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or where whever you listen to your favorite shows.