A Relix Magazine "artist to watch,” Stephen Clair first came to prominence when the late Rita Houston (WFUV) added “Jen In Her Underwear” to regular rotation, putting Clair not only on the map, but the road. He makes honesty sound catchy. He’s an instinctive and open-hearted writer who has no shortage of accolades—and has shared stages with James McMurtry, Ellis Paul, Jon Langford, Paul Thorn, and Robert Earl Keen. Performing Songwriter says he’s "the citified troubadour the roots songwriting world needs.”  

Clair’s intimate solo shows have been described as “a masterclass in guitar accompaniment.” “Everyman poetry” says Paste Magazine. “Dilute your troubles & dance,” proclaims Americana Highways. Stephen Clair is “Where The Wild Things Are meets The Kinks”  says Nippertown.

Some of the places Clair has performed include:

Cactus Cafe Austin
Joe's Pub NYC
Caffe Lena Saratoga
Continental Club Austin and Houston
Sam's Burger Joint San Antonio
City Winery Loft NYC
City Winery Hudson Valley
Awendaw Green SC
Gruene Hall New Braunfels TX
Colony Woodstock NY
04 Center Austin
Guthrie Center Great Barrington
Mercury Lounge NYC
49 West Annapolis
The Linda Albany
The Big Easy Boise
Hotel Cafe LA

 "Stephen Clair is in a fine position to secure that big breakout he’s been building towards over the course of ten albums and a career that’s found him in the role of a tireless troubadour.”
— American Songwriter

"Clair's talents—deadpan delivery, keen wordsmithing, and deceptively intricate fretwork—
are at the fore, shining through ..."
—Chronogram Magazine

Performing Songwriter calls him “the kind of citified troubadour that the roots songwriting world needs these days.”

“The Small Hours makes me feel the way I used to back in the 80’s about new Mellencamp records, where I would listen to them over and over again, absorbing every detail and nuance until I knew them as well as I did my own life.  Yeah, I can see Clair’s music inspiring that kind of devotion… "
— Gonzookanagan

How does a genuinely visceral rock songwriter like Stephen Clair not get feted like the second fuckin’ coming?” —Power of Pop

“Stephen Clair’s Strange Perfume is a perfect homage to 1970s garage rock. Think in terms of Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers or if David Bowie had gotten a crack at producing The Velvet Underground. The major thing separating Clair from those artists, and artists like them is the joy within his music. While there’s emotional complexity and variety across the album, Clair and his band, in general, sound happy and excited to be bringing his ten songs to life and that excitement is transmitted to the listener."
— Steve Ovadia/Glide Magazine

"Some of the best rock 'n' roll music you'll hear this year. Raw and in-your-face, Strange Perfume reminds us all of the visceral power of rock ‘n’ roll, without pretence or artifice."
— Power of Pop

“Blending the kind of jaggedly cool guitar and piano that put Spoon on the map with a deadpan, almost spoken-word vocal delivery, the song quickly evolves into a righteous bar band anthem that feels as much linked to acts like the Hold Steady as it does to Wilco”
— Glide Magazine