Wray Keeps On Rumbling in a One-Track Guitar Set

There’s no denying that Link Wray is one mean guitar slinger. Heck, back in 1958, he helped usher in a raw and gritty style of rock ‘n’ roll with his menacing instrumental hit “Rumble.”

As he illustrated before a half-empty Coach House crowd on Thursday night in San Juan Capistrano, the North Carolina-born, Denmark-based musician can still bring on the noise--and plenty of it. Backed by drummer Danny Heep and bassist Atom Ellis--both on loan from the San Francisco roots-rock band Dieselhed--the 68-year-old Wray unleashed heavy, relentless sheets of metallic- and punk-tinged riffs.

Played fast and furious, the sonic fury was indeed viscerally engaging and reached a feverish pitch during several selections, namely “Jack the Ripper,” “Rumble” and the title track from his latest release, “Shadowman.”

Still, for those craving something more than this primordial display of aggression, Wray stumbled over the course of an 85-minute set sorely lacking in subtlety. How nice it would have been to hear his guitar gently weep even once. As impressive as his technique can be--particularly his distortion, vibrato and wah-wah effects--Wray’s performance as a whole truly suffered from its singular focus.