Gilby Clarke in Concert
As a former member of Guns N' Roses and supergroup Rock Star Supernova, guitar hero Gilby Clarke has bona fide rock star cred. When you hear him play, there's no attitude at work, he just digs deep and churns out an ample supply of grit and soul, carrying the old-school hard rock torch forward; mixing it with a dash of rootsy, Rolling Stones-inspired classic-rock sensibility. Clarke has worked with so many rock 'n' roll legends that his concerts can't help but reflect his star-studded history. In addition to representing his long, productive solo career, a Gilby Clarke setlist is bound to include tunes from his time in Guns N' Roses, Rock Star Supernova (where his rhythm section was Metallica's Jason Newsted and Motley Crue's Tommy Lee), and maybe his stints with Slash's Snakepit or The MC5. And between his down-and-dirty axe-slinging and his rough-and-ready vocals, Clarke is committed to keeping raw rock 'n' roll alive.
Gilby Clarke Background
Gilby Clarke is a real-deal rock 'n' roll journeyman who grew up in Cleveland but heeded the siren's call at 17 and moved to L.A. There he entrenched himself in the city's rock scene, starting in the '80s with cult-hero power-poppers Candy. After stints with Nymphs and Kill for Thrills, Clarke ascended to the peak of the L.A. rock mountain by replacing Izzy Stradlin in Guns N' Roses from 1991 – 1994. He appeared on their multiplatinum 'Spaghetti Incident' album and hit the road hard with the band. After GNR, Clarke hooked up with his former bandmate's project Slash's Snakepit as well as kicked off his solo career with 1994's 'Pawnshop Guitars' – an album that included all the members of Guns N' Roses, as well as Pixies frontman Frank Black. At various points along his path, Clarke worked with an extremely diverse range of artists including Heart, The MC5, and Nancy Sinatra. But his most high-profile gig since GNR came when he entered the land of reality TV as part of supergroup Rock Star Supernova on the 'Rock Star' series, along with Metallica's Jason Newsted and Motley Crue's Tommy Lee. For decades, the common thread through it all has been Clarke's long-standing solo career, which brings his hard rock expertise and his classic rock roots together in a hard-hitting, no-nonsense way.