WHEN WE SET out to get an exclusive interview with Gary Clark Jr. for this issue, his new album wasn’t even available for preview yet. But we just knew we’d want to speak once again with the guitarist who reinvigorated the blues movement with his fusion of blues, rock and soul and has remained a player to watch, listen and learn from.
So it was a delight to hear the transformation in his musical direction on JPEG RAW, his new record, which is by turns soulful, funky, psychedelic, symphonic and, yes, even at times bluesy. As Gary explains to Joe Bosso in this issue’s interview, the pandemic gave him a chance to rediscover his love of shred and grow creatively in new directions. “I was doing whatever I wanted,” he tells us. “I wasn’t worried about being Gary Clark Jr., or whoever everybody thinks they know.”
Changing up your groove is essential for creative growth. And while it carries the risk of alienating your audience, artists who listen to their heart know of no other way forward. Frankly, I like change, and find myself inspired whenever a musician forges a new direction, as Gary has. I understand why some people prefer things to stay as they are. But change brings something new and often challenging into our lives, and gives us a chance to grow emotionally, spiritually and artistically. And the more we do it, and survive it, the less distressed we are by life’s unexpected, and more difficult, transitions. Change can be powerful, and empowering.
Transformation is a recurring topic in this issue. It’s taking place in the music of Sarah Longfield, famous on YouTube for her preternatural (and wonderfully melodic) extreme shredding skills, on an eight-string guitar no less. As Sarah tells Andrew Daly, she’s changed her approach since putting her music career on hold to pursue a college degree. “I’ve chilled out,” she says. “I’ve been trying to find a middle ground between stuff that is both fun to play and easy to listen to.”
And then there’s the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, who tells us how he and Patrick Carney went to great lengths to work collaboratively on their latest album, Ohio Players. In addition to wri
