Blues guitarist lives and learns

The musician opened for B.B. King here in 2004.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
When you're a guitar slinger from Texas and living in Austin, comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughan are inevitable.
For modern blues performer Chris Duarte, it's all part of the package.
"It doesn't bother me a bit," said Duarte, calling from a tour stop in Upstate New York. "I have confidence in my own ability and what I can do. Plus, I think over the years I've kind of moved away [from the Vaughan comparison]. When people come to see my shows, they know they're going to see a full spectrum of musical styles."
With four studio albums over the past decade to his credit, the 43-year-old performer remains largely underground with a cult following keeping him employed. Duarte is honest when reflecting on his career, admitting not all of his releases -- 1994's "Texas Sugar/Strat Magik," 1997's "Tailspin Headwhack," 2000's "Love is Greater Than Me," and 2003's "Romp" -- have lived up to his standards.
"I think my albums are good but when I listen to some of the guitar playing, I think I could have played better," Duarte said. "I'm supposed to be a guitar hero and then when you hear my albums, it's like I didn't really hear a whole lot of guitar hero stuff on there."
It's a live-and-learn world and Duarte is hoping the next chapter of his career is filled with more success. Having recently left Texas and relocated to Atlanta, he's formed a new backing band -- Dustin Sargent (bass) and Damien Lewis (drums) -- that is starting to gel on this current tour, which brings him back to Youngstown with a Saturday date at The Cellar.
Repeat performance
When he thinks of Mahoning County, Duarte remembers opening up for blues legend B.B. King in December of 2004 at Stambaugh Auditorium.
"Ohio is great because the fans are real knowledgeable," Duarte said. "It's no frills with the fans. If you're sort of fake or trying to play some music that doesn't sound at all like your album, they can tell. They're astute. They want to see the goods. So you have to deliver the goods."
But does he have the goods? "I think so," Duarte laughed. "At least that's what Ohio seems to think."
With his trio road testing plenty of new songs for the next Duarte album due out in late 2006 or early 2007, the blues man is committed to honing his craft one gig at a time.
"The really, really good shows are few and far between where you know everything that was in your head came out of your hands," Duarte said. "And yet there are shows where I've had the worst nights and people will come up to me and say, 'That is the most intense concert I've ever seen.'"
The Chris Duarte Group will be at the Cellar, 162 S. Bridge St.,Struthers on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12. Call (330) 750-0199.