Pop Rock Revisited

Pop rock music, perhaps perfected by Buddy Holly, is characterized by songs around three minutes long that have a discernible beginning, middle and an end. Pop rock not only sounds good, it remains just right for singing in the shower, for those interested in torturing the termites or scaring the neighbors.

The local, peerless pop meister Frank Barajas and his band JuJu Eyeball will have a CD release party tonight at Nicholby’s in Ventura, where they will offer selections from “All Systems Go!” After many vinyl albums and tapes with other bands, this will be Barajas’ first CD.

Barajas has been playing locally for well over a decade in such outfits as Film at Eleven, Crashing Plains, the Strangers, Durango 95 and Tijuana Hound Dogs. And he had the proper musical upbringing.

“I listened to Buddy Holly and the Beatles, the Kinks, the Who and I like the Byrds,” said the singer. “Plus, I like a lot of one-hit bands from the ‘60s, like the Remains, sort of ‘60s garage bands. I’ve always liked to sing, and my mom always had Elvis on the stereo.”

Named for a line in the Beatles’ “Come Together,” JuJu Eyeball started about four years ago, then went away when some of the players did. Recently, Barajas resurrected the group. The current lineup includes Tom “T-Bone” Connell on lead guitar, Mark Winley on bass, Kenny Baiza on drums, and Barajas on vocals and guitar.

As for the new CD, Barajas says, “It took about two years to do it because I decided to go back and use some of the older material I had written over the years. I think it’s a deal for 10 bucks--there’s 53 minutes of music on it.”

JuJu Eyeball only does Barajas originals, including yet another good one about everyone’s pesky ex, “You Let Me Down Again.”

“I try to put a little bit of sadness in the songs--the lost love type of thing. People can relate to that because it’s universal.”

For now, this is the only scheduled JuJu Eyeball gig, but that will undoubtedly change. In the meantime, Barajas plays every Wednesday night with the Tijuana Hound Dogs at Bombay Bar & Grill in Ventura. Also, next year a label in Spain is going to reissue on CD all the old Durango 95 songs, which were written by Barajas.

Opening the show is another local veteran, Robert Ramirez and his latest band, Big Wheel Deluxe.

* JuJu Eyeball and Big Wheel Deluxe at Nicholby’s, 404 E. Main St., Ventura. Tonight at 9. $3. (805) 653-2320.

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Jimmy Adams, who has opened for a number of country rock acts at the Ventura Theatre over the years, will make his debut when he opens for Little Feat on Saturday night.

It’s great to have friends, and the amiable Texan has a bunch of them, including several of the best musicians in the county. Adams’ CD, “There Comes a Time,” features among others Dan Wilson on bass, Alan Thornhill on guitar, Phil Salazar on fiddle, Lee Rollag on pedal steel guitar, and Roy Jones on harmonica. Most of these players will back Adams when he kicks off the 9 p.m. gig.

Jon Wilcox, guitar player for Marley’s Ghost and the Rincon Ramblers describes it all thus: “Jimmy Adams looks like Jimmy Buffett on a bad day but sings like John Prine on a good day.”

Whether or not Adams makes a ripple with the Little Feat fans is irrelevant since his fame is already assured. Adams not only has his own T-shirts but also his own coffee mug inscribed with: “Cafe Voltaire, Home of the Legendary Jimmy Adams.”

Because the Voltaire will be closed for the last half of December, Adams’ usual last-Tuesday-of-the-month gig will be this coming Tuesday.

* Jimmy Adams opens for Little Feat at the Ventura Theatre, 26 S. Chestnut St., Ventura. Tickets are $22.50; (805) 653-0721.

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Home to the other thousand local bands that don’t play at Nicholby’s, Cafe Voltaire will host one of its big-time blues gigs on Monday with Harmonica Fats & Bernie Pearl. With three CDs of acoustic blues to their credit and a W.C. Handy Award nomination, Pearl will be the guy with the guitar, and Fats the guy on harmonica who is rarely late for dinner.

Fats, or Harvey Blackston, was born in Louisiana in 1927 and headed west in 1946 with his harmonica, which made him a legend on the Los Angeles blues scene. Pearl, whose brother opened the Ash Grove in L.A. in the late ‘50s, is a noted musicologist who had a blues radio show for years.

Most of their songs are pretty funny, including “You Got Your Mouth Stuck Shut” and “Just Like Richard Nixon.”

* Harmonica Fats and Bernie Pearl at Cafe Voltaire, 34 N. Palm St., Ventura. The 7:30 p.m. show is $5 advance, $7 at the door. Call (805) 641-1743.