O.C. POP MUSIC REVIEW : Roomful of Blues Keeps the Faithful

If you think the roadhouse blues band has gone the way of the roadhouse, think again. Unlike those longstanding R&B; outfits that have refashioned themselves into funkified pop groups (Tower of Power comes to mind), Roomful of Blues, the perennial party band from Providence, R.I., has kept the faith with its blend of boogie, bop and soul.

The 10-piece ensemble rolled into the Coach House Friday with a raunchy five-piece horn section, a cigar-smoking drummer and a harmonica-blowing singer sporting shades and an Edd (Kookie) Byrnes haircut. Though the lineup has gone through extensive changes over the years, the current band sounds as good as any of those on the available reissues that date back to the ‘70s.

The recent addition of doo-wop-styled singer Sugar Ray Norcia has moved the emphasis away from the group’s jazz-inspired image, evidenced here by a lack of the Ellington and Basie numbers that once graced the sets. Instead, the band concentrated on the roots of rock ‘n’ roll, bringing solid musicianship to such tunes as Junior Wells’ “Hoodoo Man” and Lee Diamond’s “Please Don’t Leave.”

Longtime member Greg Piccolo’s rough-and-tumble tenor sax sound (he also sang and played rhythm guitar) kept the joint jumping. He combined moments of riffing on a single note with be-bop fired runs and, at one point, took time out to quote from “Surrey With the Fringe on Top.” Guitarist Chris Vachon stalked the stage while adding plaintive phrases, beat-minded chords or well-bent single notes.

Other standouts included baritone saxophonist Doug James, whose deep-throated sounds bumped along like a roadster on a gravel lane, and trombonist Carl Querfurth, whose blustery tones brought the impact of a shout chorus to his solos. At one point, Piccolo and Querfurth exchanged a heated series of ever-shorter lines that climaxed with their unison wails, an effort that brought the house down.

While Roomful turned to the past for its successes, opening act Hammerhead Blue, a trio led by guitarist John Heussenstamm, looked to the future by injecting speed-metal riffs into its country-flavored sound.

Heussenstamm, who strolled across the dinner tables and into the crowd while tossing out long, smoking phrases, may be the most aggressive blues guitarist on the scene today. He paid tribute to fusion innovators John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana as well as to rock legend Jimi Hendrix, picking out searing lines during “Manic Depression” while lying on his back with his feet extended into the air. Bassist Matt Marshall gave the proceedings a tough, insistent feel while drummer Alan Diaz was strong, even pushy at times.

Though the program covered a refreshingly wide array of styles that ranged from gospel and straight-ahead blues to an original, chart-ready pop tune (“Steady Love”), label-conscious record companies probably will require a bit more focus from these three guys before taking them on. Now that’s a shame.