Blues-rocker Chris Duarte and his Stratocaster are close. Very close. The axe was crafted in 1963, the same year Duarte himself was born. Now, after more than three decades into a music career that started in his native San Antonio at the age of 15, Duarte has been known to play the Strat until his fingers bleed. Ouch. The Chris Duarte Group has also seen a lot of action - it plays more than 200 shows a year - as the members have rotated in and out of the stellar back-up band. Duarte's latest CD, "396," continues the exploration of the fertile musical field that falls between blues and rock; the same field farmed by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a slew of other like-minded visionaries.

Chris Duarte Group

Tuesday, June 23

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 99 Court St

10 p.m. | Free | 325-7090