POP MUSIC REVIEW : Texan Who Blew ‘Em Away at the Roxy Draws a Bead on O.C.

A Texas guitar hero whose sonic palette isn’t limited to 5,283 shades of blues? Sounds almost unbelievable? Yep, and--not coincidentally--that’s a semi-accurate assessment of the git-tar star himself, Eric Johnson, who plays the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano tonight.

Celebrating the impending release of “Ha Via Musicom”--only his second major-label LP in five years--at the Roxy on Sunday, Johnson wowed the crowd with a tone that could cut diamondback rattlesnakes and walk between the slices, with an ear-popping, sophisticated sense of harmonics, and with endless, cascading flurries of 32nd notes.

Johnson also sings, in a plaintive tenor that matches his rail-thin, blond page-boy looks. Supported by bassist Kyle Brock and drummer Tommy Taylor, Johnson’s vocal numbers took on an epic sweep--and a slightly harder edge--than their studio counterparts. Play it purty, son.

Of course, Johnson is nuthin’ but versatile, replicating pedal steel rags and pausing for a pair of acoustic numbers, before genuflecting to the ghost of Jimi Hendrix for the final encore of “Spanish Castle Magic.”

A picker’s picker, fer sure--three quarters of the guitar aces in the full house looked like they wanted to go home and practice--but his never-lose-the-beauty-of-the-melody approach may win him a wider audience--providing Johnson takes something less than five years before his next local swing.

Eric Johnson plays tonight at 8 at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. Tickets: $15. Information: (714) 496-8930.