J.C. Brooks And The Uptown Sound and Gary Clark Jr. to perform a Free At Noon Concert Dec. 16th at World Cafe Live

This Friday at noon, J.C. Brooks And The Uptown Sound and Gary Clark Jr. will be dropping by World Cafe Live for a Free At Noon doubleheader. Tickets to the show are free, but you must RSVP here.

From the WXPN Free At Noon RSVP page:

XPN Artist To Watch, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound are hopelessly nostalgic, in love with the Chicago soul scene from the 1970s. self-described as heavy-soul, and guitarist Billy Bungeroth explained that the group marries classic soul with contemporary sound thus: they take rock and R&B from prior to 1975, before it lost its novelty, and the then underground punk and hip-hop movements of the same period. “Our music is just re-imagining that first era with the knowledge of the second underground era,” he explained in a 2009 interview, after their debut album “Beat of Our Own Drum,” was released. Since then, they have collaborated with the likes of Syl Johnson, Renaldo Domino and Nate Evans from the Impressions. They’ve also released another album, “Want More.” Their shows are outrageously fun, and it’s difficult to believe that singer JC Brooks isn’t a soul legend from the ’70s when he belts out their danceable, lyrically packed tunes. JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound are reincarnating a moment in music history by breathing fresh air into it. Here’s to hoping they never move on.

Boasting a trio of self-produced albums under his belt, Gary Clark Jr. is a rising star of the thriving music scene in Austin, Texas. He began playing guitar at the tender young age of 12, and has since expanded his repertoire to the harmonica, bass, and drums; he’s also the winner of multiple accolades, including the Austin Music Award for Best Blues Band in three separate years. But he plays more than just blues, cutting through genres to produce a stunning blend of reggae, rock and soul. Though still only in his 20s, Clark has shared the stage with legends like Jimmie Vaughan, Sheryl Crow, and Eric Clapton. And, this past summer, he played the XPoNential Music Festival. Clark can sing some sweet R&B but mostly he’s a blistering blues and rock artist at heart.

You can listen to Mike Vasilikos’ interview with Gary Clark Jr. (during this year’s XPoNential Music Festival) here.