JOSH CHASE / PVT Street Corner Blues Project lead guitarist Bob Letterio (far left) solos during a over of "All Along the Watchtower." Letterio and his band mates (from left) drummer Chuck "Bam-Bam" Leighton, bassist Harry Manning and rhythm guitarist Paul "One More" Johnson played Saturday night at Our Bar/Charlie's Place. Advertisement

Despite impressive growth in recent years, it's doubtful Pahrump will become the destination of big-name guitar gods any time soon.

That's okay, though, because thanks to the Street Corner Blues Project, who needs 'em?

The four-piece blues rock band has what it takes to put on a great show, and they did exactly that Saturday night when they played Our Bar/Charlie's Place.

After kicking off their show with the "Our Bar Song" -- written just for the local watering hole -- the played a four-hour jam session, consisting of original tunes and multi-genre standards like "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield and "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple.

Lead guitarist Bob Letterio, whose guitar chops alone could fascinate a crowd, wailed through a cover of "All Along the Watchtower" (the Jimi Hendrix version, of course). He nailed all the signature Hendrix licks, and improvised some of his own. He was backed up by bass and rhythm guitar parts that were more blues-y than even Hendrix attempted. Letterio, who also sang for the song, took "Watchtower" to another level.

Not many guitarists can even attempt to fill Hendrix's shoes. Despite not burning his guitar on-stage, Letterio definitely is one of them who can.

However impressive the band's lead guitarist, the Street Corner Blues Project would no doubt be nothing without its other members.

Rhythm guitarist Paul "One More" Johnson, who shares vocalist duties with Letterio and bassist Harry Manning, has a voice reminiscent of Bob Dylan without the nasally whine. He led the band through "Don't Tell Me," a melancholy original tune that -- strange as it may seem -- sounded like a perfect blend of Lynyrd Skynard and Third Eye Blind.

Chuck "Bam-Bam" Leighton, the band's drummer, is great at keeping rhythm and doesn't clutter up the sound by getting too fancy or pounding out too many forced and unnecessarily complex fills. While other drummers may try to take some of the limelight for themselves, often making their bands' music more busy and complicated than it needs to be, Leighton seems perfectly content keeping his band mates in line. He does his job and he does it well.

Filling out the lineup is Manning, who plays a five-string bass, rather than the more common four stringer. That sort of thing is getting more common in rock these days, but here's the thing: Manning actually knows how to use that extra string. He's not your average stand-in-the-back bassist, playing the exact same notes as the guitarist, only lower. Manning plays all up and down the neck of his instrument. It's fitting too, since his active playing style mirrors his on-stage presence. Whether he's singing, playing the bass or simply jumping around on stage, everything Manning does is with limitless energy.

Manning, who also acts as his band's unofficial spokesman, says the Street Corner Blues Project formed about a year ago and started playing shows almost right away.

"We all knew how to play our instruments and all, so it was like, 'Let's get right to work,'" he said.

Although the band's goal is to get a gig in Las Vegas, he says the bands roots are in Pahrump and they plan to continue playing here.

They play again at Our Bar/Charlie's Place (3770 W. Bell Vista Avenue) on Aug. 30 and again Sept. 13.

Street Corner Blues Project also has plans to headline a benefit for Relay For Life, Aug. 16 at Petrack Park.