Inspect the Anatomy of a Party with Gary Clark Jr.'s Video Trilogy: "BYOB" / "Can't Sleep" / "Shake"

There was an extra layer of soul to Gary Clark Jr.’s most recent LP, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim. That’s not to say that 2012’s Black And Blu lacked any—it really didn't—but this time around it felt like Clark had taken every song, every hook, every guitar lick, and tried to turn it into its most vivid version of itself, wringing every drop of emotion from himself. This makes the video trilogy for “BYOB,” “Can’t Sleep,” and “Shake,” premiering below, a seriously intriguing proposition. Shot and directed by LA polymath Gus Black—who, says Clark, was “dope to work with”—the video places Clark and his band at the heart of a night out, trying to focus in on the before, during and after through the sex and silhouettes. It is, he says, “a story in three parts about a man and a woman and a party.”

It’s also a perfect example of Clark’s versatility as a musician. There’s no shortage of people willing to say that he’s a supremely talented guitarist and effortlessly good singer, but hearing three such different tracks pushed up against one another—falsetto soul, dance rock, heavy blues—shows that he can turn on a dime.

Look closely and you'll see cameos from ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Entourage actor Jeremy Piven, Gabriel Luna (True Detective/Wicked City), Dawn Olivieri (House of Lies), and Lukas Nelson of Promise of the Real. Check out the video below.

Gary Clark Jr. tour dates:

04/28 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Fair Grounds
06/03 Nelsonville, OH Nelsonville Music Festival
06/04 Hunter, NY Mountain Jam Festival
06/05 New York, NY Governors Ball Music Festival
06/18 Madrid, Spain Mad Cool Festival / Caja Magica
06/22 Samois Sur Seine, FR Ile Du Berceau
06/28 Manchester, UK 02 Ritz Manchester
06/29 London, UK 02 Academy Brixton
07/17 Louisville, KY Forecastle Festival
07/21 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit
07/22 Oro-Medonte, ONT Wayhome Festival
07/23 Camden, NJ EXPoNential Music Festival
07/29 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amph (w/ Avett Brothers)
07/30 Aspen, CO The Belly Up
07/31 Salt Lake City, UT Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
08/02 San Diego, CA Humphreys Concerts by The Bay
08/03 San Diego, CA Humphreys Concerts by The Bay
08/28 Arrington, VA Lockn' Music Festival
08/31 Boston, MA Blue Hills Bank Pavilion