Lefthander coco Montoya can make his Strat weep and wail.
Lefthander coco Montoya can make his Strat weep and wail.
The southpawed guitarist can squeeze his Fender Stratocaster - nicknamed Frankenstrat for its purloined parts - and make it weep and wail, moan and whisper, shriek and thunder all during the same solo. His phrasing is articulate, and his sense of musical mischief is delightful.
Montoya's prowess is even more amazing when you consider that he spent his early years banging on the drums in rock bands.
But then, he has had the best musical mentors the blues could provide.
In 1972, legendary blues guitarist Albert Collins rescued Montoya from the tedium of playing drums in seedy bars by inviting him on a road trip, even though Montoya had never before played the blues.
Montoya was terrified that he would disappoint the blues master, but Collins gave Montoya the gift of the blues, and converted him from a drum pounder to a guitar strummer. For five years Collins gave Montoya a post-graduate education in the blues.
By the '80s, Montoya was so deep in the blues that when John Mayall heard him play, the British blues superstar offered him a spot playing guitar in his latest version of the Bluesbreakers, a position held previously by such heavyweights as Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Peter Green.
For a decade, Montoya traveled the world, including Hawaii, with the Bluesbreakers and stretched his wings to truly soar on the guitar. All the while, Mayall encouraged him to find his own musical signature on songs other Bluesbreakers guitarists had made famous.
And then he took the most frightening step of all, breaking free to perform with his own band. Now 46, Montoya has two exceptional albums to his credit, and while his performances pay tribute to the lessons his blues gurus taught him, he has created his own musical style, and found a bluesy tenor voice to accompany his multifaceted guitar.
Who: Coco MontoyaWhen/where/how much/lidat:
7:30 p.m. Thursday; Maui Arts & Cultural Center; $15 at the door, $13 for Maui Blues Association members; information: 242-SHOW.
8 p.m. Friday; Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, $15 in advance, $18 at the door; tickets available at MJS Music, Pahoa Home Video, Volcano Store, Kilauea General Store; information: 935-9361 or 885-5002.
8:30 p.m. Saturday; Kona Surf Resort Poi Pounder Room; tickets available at Kona Surf Resort, Byrds Audio, Rhythm and Reading, Volcano Store; information 332-3411 or 885-5002.
8 p.m. Sunday; Hawaii Theatre; $15 and $20; tickets available at Hawaii Theatre box office, Hungry Ear-Kailua, Tower Records-Kahala Mall, Tower Video-Kapiolani, Rainbow Books or by phone at 528-0506; information: 528-5535.