NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
In the midst of his Hyperwave Tour, Austin-based blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr made a stop at ArtPark in Lewiston, NY near Niagara Falls. In support of his latest studio album “JPEG Raw”, Clark is a throwback to old rock and blues days of yore, playing his screaming guitar accompanied by his smooth vocals including an amazing falsetto. The audience at hand in ArtPark demonstrated that old-school yearning with an average age that skewed a wee bit older. Old school rock needs to figure out how to attract a younger audience because the music is spectacular.
Opening for Clark was Abraham Alexander, a singer songerwriter from Fort Worth. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, his voice immediately made you stand up and take notice. Having only taken up the guitar ten years ago, he makes the playing seem effortless. Born in Greece to Nigerian parents, he and his family moved to Texas to escape racial tensions only to lose his mother to a car crash. Taken away from an abusive father, he was adopted and focused his attention on soccer. But then he tore his ACL and thus lost that as well. Turning to music, it sure seems like he had enough ups and downs to fill a catalogue of music. He released his first studio album “Sea/Sons” last April with Mavis Staples providing vocals on one track and Gary Clark Jr playing a guitar solo on another. What a hell of a debut record! As he played through his set, it felt like the perfect music to listen to with your eyes closed as he takes you away. He’s definitely going on my playlist.
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Gary Clark Jr makes a very understated entrance in dim lighting but, as with much of the show, the star is his guitar playing. He opened with “Maktub”, also the opening track from his latest album, moving right along to “When My Train Pulls In” from 2012’s “Blak and Blu”. Clark doesn’t stick to just blues or just one type of guitar sound. He’s got rock, blues all wrapped up in one package. The lighting and stage setup was also fantastic although there was some technical issues with his guitar during “Healing” and continuing through his next song. When Clark announced that he was going to “just be a singer” tonight, the audience clapped politely but we all knew that it wouldn’t be the same without his electric guitar play. That’s not to say his vocals aren’t great. And his falsetto during “Alone Together” is just exquisite! The setlist of sixteen songs, ten of which were from “JPEG Raw”, was just about the right length, although many in the audience would have loved if he included more from his older albums. In fact, “Bright Lights” probably drew the most applause! It’s still not clear to me why music like Clark’s is not more appealing to the Gen-Z’s of the world. Is it the TikTok generation’s inability to focus on a two minute guitar solo or are simple lyrics and repetition all that appeals to them? Gary Clark Jr certainly deserves more reach than he currently has and we can only try to teach our kids an appreciation for rock and blues.
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