The funny thing about the blues is that despite the sometimes forlorn qualities the music expresses, it's often the opposite kind of emotions that are most visible, especially in a live setting. As the Metro Fountain Blues Festival got underway last Saturday at SJSU, it was clear that the mood shared by several thousand blues fans gathered was as bright as the sunny skies above. The artists were also in good spirits, apparently relishing the opportunity to showcase their talents before an audience that was more than appreciative of a good boogie, shuffle, or ballad.

No one was more receptive to the crowd's outpour of approval than local guitar hero Tommy Castro. "It was really fun," Castro said backstage after his set, wearing a grin as proof. "It might not have been the best set I've ever played, but it was a lot of fun to get up and play in front of my hometown crowd."

Castro, along with another San Jose guitar legend, Chris Cain were clearly the fan favorites, churning out a solid batch of funky blues and rock tunes enhanced by a full band accompaniment. Castro took his black Stratocaster through a few extended solos, showcasing his flair while Cain held the rhythm part on his shiny hollow-body guitar. When it was Cain's turn to lead, his dazzling solos and on-stage flamboyance drew plenty of cheers from the crowd, and Cain himself appeared to be having as much fun as anybody. Wearing overalls and black sneakers, with a mop of curly hair bobbing on his head, Cain unleashed a cascade of scales that rose and fell in a flood of self-expression. A thunderous applause followed Cain and Castro's set, and an air of anticipation for the nights' headliner began to unfold.

Derek Trucks is only 30 years old, but he approaches gigs like a grizzled veteran. Clad in jeans and a plaid shirt with straight blond hair tied back in a ponytail, Trucks looked like a sober businessman stepping into a meeting; a slight smile; with a nod to his band, and he was down to business, opening the set with an extended slide-guitar solo. There's no mistaking where Trucks' found influence; from his style and method right down to his bright red Gibson, Duane Allman was all but resurrected in the flesh. Of course, Trucks has carved out his own sound using the Allman Brothers' guitarist as his template, and the Derek Trucks Band as a whole resembles little of the prototypical Southern rock band. Singer Mike Mattison is partly responsible for the divergence, lending his gravely, soul-filled vocals to the group's eclectic variety of songs.

Trucks and his group played through a set of originals that encompassed everything from jazz and funk songs to Latin-tinged numbers, all of which were rooted in the basic blues idiom. After a particularly blues-centric tune which captured the slow, hypnotic sound of the pre-war Delta blues, Trucks tore into a spirited cover of Hendrix's Band of Gypsies masterpiece, "Who Knows," topped with an incredible solo. As the Derek Trucks Band took its final encore, a rendition of the traditional "Rollin' and a Tumblin', I noticed Chris Cain making his way through the crowd, pausing to shake hands and take pictures with a group of beaming fans. Guess the blues just has a way of making people smile.

Send a letter to the editor about this story.