Los Straitjackets

Pittsburgh Blues Festival

July 18, 9 p.m.

Pittsburgh Brewing Company

… Los Straitjackets

Pittsburgh Blues Festival

July 18, 9 p.m.

Pittsburgh Brewing Company

$13 advance, $15 at door

(412) 460-2583

The sun is shining. The weather is warm. So, of course, you’ve got the blues, right? Well if you do have them, or feel like catching the blues this weekend, no place is better than the Pittsburgh Brewing Company in Lawrenceville and the 9th Annual Pittsburgh Blues Festival.

One band that will be appearing at the festival that certainly has their share of the blues, not to mention reds, yellows, greens and some other colors, is Los Straitjackets. The quartet revives instrumental guitar rock in a way that has not been heard since the days of great guitar bands like The Ventures.

But while their music may sound similar, it would be difficult to confuse Los Straitjackets with their swinging predecessors from the ’60s. These are not clean-cut white boys in suits and ties. Instead, Los Straitjackets sport Mexican wrestling masks, a different look for each member of the surf-rock quartet. Eddie Angel, in a black and gold mask, and Danny Amis, aka “Daddy-O Grande,” in blue and silver head-gear play guitar; “Caveman,” or Jimmy Lester, on drums sports a red and gold mask; and Pete Curry, or “Pedro Del Mar” when he’s playing the bass, wears a blue and gold mask complete with multicolored fish fins. Los Straitjackets are a show for the eyes, as much as for the ears.

Appearing this Friday with Los Straitjackets is Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, Chicago’s premier Indian headdress-wearing blues man, who will add his own flamboyant blues style to the masked quartet. Clearwater invited the group to appear with him on his upcoming album, Rock’n’Roll City, to be released this August. Coincidently, Los Straitjackets are preparing to release their seventh album, entitled Supersonic Guitars in 3-D, the same month. If you enjoy the concert, these may be two CDs to look into come next month.