Eastland, TX roots-Americana singer/songwriter William Clark Green has released a music video for the album-titled “Baker Hotel” inspired by the spirit of classic 1980s horror films. Watch the Vevo/YouTube premiere HERE.
Directed by Billy Cano, the eight-minute clip is brimming with keystones of cinematic spookiness: fluttering bats, theremin and thunder sounds, Halloween costumes, a haunted building, teenage pranks, ghosts, and more. Green narrates the main characters’ every tip-toed move in the cryptic but catchy country rock barnburner, eventually laying down the gauntlet that has enticed many adolescents of the real-life Mineral Wells: “I double dog dare ya / Show us what you got / You ain’t nothing but a chicken til you make it to the top.” The video was filmed inside the actual abandoned Baker Hotel, the inspiration for Green’s forthcoming album of the same name, out on March 25 on Bill Grease Records.
Last month, Green announced the release of his fifth album Baker Hotel, his first in four years, along with the track “All You Got” (here) and a run of spring tour dates. Read more of the album bio below.
William Clark Green has been selling out venues across his home state and beyond for the last 15 years, making a name for himself as a gritty performer with a big ol’ voice and a powerhouse band. During the recent lull in live performances, Green took stock of his career, re-prioritized, and challenged himself and his sound. Baker Hotel is the creative universe born out of the process.
“What this record means to me is self-reflection, realizing that I just turned 35 and it’s like, ‘Where am I at in life? Where do I want to be? Where did I think I would be?’ Not being able to work [during the lockdown], I had a lot of time to sit and think about myself, and what’s really locking me down, and that’s what I think this record is about,” Green says.
On Baker Hotel Green sharpens his contemporary roots sound while exploring outside it, from indie folk (“Feel Alive”) and swampy country (“Dog Song”) to Southern rock anthems (“All Pot No Chicken”) and traditional Western balladry (“Me, Her and You”). Songwriting themes are similarly balanced, probing deeper into Green’s soul and examining personal convictions, optimism, doubt, and raw truth. Nowhere is the cohesive blend of vision and voice more evident than the album’s first single “All You Got”, a pop rock gem that goes down way too easy for a potential breakup song. Listen here.
Green knows his way around being relatable while also complex, with heartfelt sentiments and turns of phrases like in “Gun to Your Head” when he harmonizes with a pitch-perfect lilt, “Would it kill you to give a little more than you take”. And just try to get the vocal harmonies of the heartbroken “Give A Damn” (“How do you make love not give a damn?”) and the effervescent, commercial-ready “Feel Alive” out of your head after listening.
In a proudly independent regional scene, it’s not easy to separate oneself – or to evolve once you have – but since 2010, William Clark Green has done both. Baker Hotel continues his growth and is a big step forward for a singer/songwriter hitting his stride.
WILLIAM CLARK GREEN 2022 US TOUR DATES
3/11 – Corpus Christi, TX – Brewster Street Ice House
3/12 – Helotes, TX – John T Floore’s Country Store
3/19 – Midland, TX – Macs Music Festival
3/26 – Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas
4/8 – Stillwater, OK – Tumbleweed Dance Hall
4/9 – Newcastle, TX – Crawfish and Cannons
4/15 – Paris, TX – Buffalo Joe’s
4/16 – Christoval, TX – Cooper’s BBQ
4/29 – Waco, TX – The Backyard
4/30 – Stephenville, TX – Larry Joe Taylor’s Texas Music Festival
5/5 – Manhattan, KS – The Hat
5/6 – Goodwell, OK – Broken Rock Ranch
5/7 – Abilene, TX – Potosi Live
5/11 – Birmingham, AL – Zydeco
5/12 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
5/13 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
5/14 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
5/19 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House
5/20 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
5/21 – Springfield, IL – Boondocks