Gilby Clarke Embarks on a Worldwide Summer Tour
Photo by Jonas Eklind
Artist Promises Fans a New Track Before Kicking off Tour in London @ The Underworld
Photo courtesy of Appetite for Illusion
Clarke Will Be Joined by Quiet Riot on Select US Dates
The “good ol’ days:” Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, Axl Rose, Duff McKagan and Slash
Best known for his time as part of Guns n’ Roses, Gilby Clarke was 17 when he traded Cleveland for Hollywood. He was and is a troubadour in the Ronnie Wood tradition, a bar-room brawler with a Johnny Thunders swagger, and a triple threat as guitarist, songwriter, and singer (it was with his sadly overlooked band Kill for Thrills that he first showed his impressive lead vocal chops). Clarke joined Guns in the early 90s as the longest, most ambitious tour ever mounted, the Use Your Illusion World Tour, kicked off.
Pawn Shop Guitars
He appeared on the band’s Spaghetti Incident, Live Era ’88-’9, and Greatest Hits albums. After surviving the tour (not to mention time as part of one of the most notoriously debaucherous/self-destructive bands in history), Clarke went solo & came out swinging with his debut album Pawn Shop Guitars, a work of pure rock attitude with contributions from all the then-current members of Guns N’ Roses,from Pixies vocalist Frank Black, and guitarist Ryan Roxie (Roxie 77, Alice Cooper, Slash’s Snakepit, among others). Hits including “Tijuana Jail,” “Cure Me… Or Kill Me…,” and The Stone’s “Dead Flowers” put this record on many year-end top 10 lists.
Just last month, Clarke released a new video for “Tijuana Jail,” a fan favorite originally released in 1994 ~ Watch the updated 2014 version, directed by Rocco Guarino, here. Clarke is looking and sounding better than ever, so check out his tour itinerary below and get yourself to one of the shows.
Nov. 2013, Kings of Chaos in Cape Town: Gilby Clarke, Duff McKagan, Myles Kennedy, Joe Elliott, Matt Sorum, Dave Kushner and Ed Roland, photo courtesy of The Conspirators Army
Clarke hasn’t stopping making music in some capacity or another since he was that 17 year old kid. In addition to PawnShop Guitars, his solo career yielded The Hangover (two songs made Bruce Willis’ The Story of Us), Rubber, 99 Live, Swag, and his self-titled greatest hits package that came out a couple of years ago and was instantly snatched up by fans.
L – R, Tommy Lee, Slash, Scott Ian, Rob Zombie, Ace Frehley, and Gilby Clarke. Photo by Adam Bošnjak
Even with all the solo work going on, he managed to find time to work with a few familiar names: he produced LA Guns & The Bronx while at the same time touring/recording with Heart, The MC5, Gene Simmons, Nancy Sinatra, & Slash’s Snakepit (and back in the day, when MTV actually featured music, you could see Clarke in videos for Slash and Michael Jackson). Clarke also starred in the CBS TV show “Rockstar Supernova” with Tommy Lee and joined his new bandmate (along with Rob Zombie, Slash & Ace Frehely, amonst others) for an all-star “VH1 Rock Honors” appearance. Recently, Clarke & his GNR alumni pulled off an amazing Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame performance when the band was inducted in 2012, and he continues to play with the ex-gunners from time to time in Kings Of Chaos (who were on tour just last year), and still makes time for special gigs (like again showing his support for Rock Against MS by performing live at a ’13 celeb-studded benefit in Hollywood) in the US and festival appearances abroad.
TOUR DATES – ALL U.S.A. DATE W/QUIET RIOT EXCEPT HERE NOTED:
06.12.14 London, U.K. The Underworld
06.13.14 Antrim, N. Ireland Ballymena Diamond Rock Club
06.14.14 Grimsby, U.K. Yardbirds
06.15.14 Buckley, Flintshire, U.K. The Tivoli
06.16.14 Madrid, Spain We Rock
06.17.14 Ourense, Spain Berlin
06.18.14 Zaragoza, Spain Explosivo
06.20.14 Szolnok, Hungary Tiszavirag Fesztival
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07.10.14 San Diego, Ca House Of Blues
07.11.14 Beverly Hills, Ca Saban Theatre
07.12.14 Anaheim, Ca House Of Blues
07.16.14 Golden, Co Buffalo Rose **No Quiet Riot
07.19.14 Effingham, Il Effingham Performance Center
07.20.14 Joliet, Il Mo Joe’s Music Venue
07.22.14 Portland, Me Asylum Ballroom
07.23.14 Huntington, Ny The Paramount Theatre
07.24.14 Boston, Ma The Wilbur Theatre
07.25.14 Hampton Beach, Nh Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
07.26.14 Waynesboro, Pa The Ballroom **No Quiet Riot
07.27.14 Bristol, Ct Bleachers Bar **No Quiet Riot
08.01.14 Sturgis, Sd Glencoe Pavailion ** Bulletboys To Open
08.02.14 Sturgis, Sd Glencoe Pavailion **Faster Pussycat To Open
08.15.14 Sioux City, Ia Hard Rock Hotel & Casino W/ Quiet Riot
08.16.14 Ringle, Wi Q & Z Expo Center W/Quiet Riot
Gilby’s 1965 Harley Davidson Panhead featured in the Oct. 07′ Street Chopper issue
For more information on Gilby Clarke, the tour, and new music, visit his official Facebook page, website, and blog, where you can check out even more cool stuff from Gilby (including some pix of one of his passions, classic motorcycles ~ a gorgeous ’65 Panhead in particular). But most importantly, get out and see him play live!
(Here’s a little bit of trivia that will give you a glimpse into just how humble Clarke, who has an incredible musical legacy to his credit but has never pushed and shoved to be in the limelight, really is ~ out of all his successes with G n R, what’s the one thing of which he’s most proud? The Gilby rolls mode on the G n R pinball machine!)
Special thanks to Nancy B. Sayle and Brian Smith