It's the start of another workweek, and that means another round of incredibly good news for one of the Bay area's favorite exports —Benjamin Booker. Today, NPR premiered the clip for his debut LP's sixth track —"Have You Seen My Son?"
The three-and-a-half-minute video was directed by Virginia native Rick Alverson (Night Beds, Bonnie Prince Billie, Sharon Van Etten) and was filmed at the state's now-shuttered James River Correctional Facility. The century old prison could house up to 450-inmates, and closed in 2011 due to budget cuts. The facility is located on over 1,000 acres of beautiful Virginia country side and watching Booker, 25, roam the halls and yard of the abandoned jail suits the song's forlorn vibe.
You can have a look at the clip below, and then feel even happier for our hometown boys by heading over to RollingStone.com where the storied music publication named that Booker & his band (comprised of Roppongi's Ace alums Max Norton and Alex Spoto) in a "10 New Artists You Need To Know" article, adding that the boys sound like "Howlin' Wolf's scrawny, bipolar little cousin discovered a fuzzbox."
Booker & co. will spend their weekend playing the Newport Folk Festival before embarking on a 10-week tour that finds them opening for Jack White, playing Lollapalooza, and then rounding the west coast before skipping the pond to play a few dates in the UK. Booker's next hometown appearance happens as a part of Live Nation's Coral Skies Festival at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on October 25. More information on that show is available here, and pre-orders of Booker's debut album are going on now.