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.