I love concerts at House of Blues. I was forced to sneak my camera in past the guards, quickly snapping a shot whenever they weren’t looking, so you’ll have to excuse the pictures. Once I ordered my scrumptious food and cold a beer, I was ready for whatever Rocca Deluca wanted to bring me. He and his band, The Burden, consisting of a lead guitarist and drummer, came out looking rather dapper in nice fitting suits. The first song began with a high pitched crackle by Deluca, a long whine that I realized, by the fourth song, was his “thing.” The length of the note combined with the extremely high pitch created this mysterious ambiance – it was melancholic and dreary, and juxtaposed against up-tempo electric chords and pounding, urban rhythms – the overall taste of the music was … weird. I wasn’t sure if he was going for meditative, American Indian spiritual-type music, or alternative rock.

His voice is very, very R&B. Being soprano and sounding urban, he reminded my of the indie version of Justin Timberlake. Sometimes the band would get funky, popping chords and licking strings, and Deluca’s high voice would skip around his lyrics in such a way that I was reminded of Prince – another sound Deluca is probably not trying to replicate. Don’t get me wrong, Deluca isn’t pop, nor does he embody a mainstream sound. There were songs where the electric guitar completely held down the show, plucking the strumming so hard, so fast, so skilled – it looked like his hand was vibrating. Deluca’s rhythm guitar was made more interesting by the use of a slider, encapsulating a slight bluesy-feel. Out of the whole line up there was one down-and-dirty, southern style blues song where the chords and beat were so nasty, you had to twist up your face and nod your head like you just got your heart broken.

Deluca never, ever, not even attempted to make nice with the crowd. I understand he was trying to concentrate on the music, but he just came off as a guy with no personality. His show was extremely boring, and without alcohol, it could have been mistaken for Sunday church. The House was half-way full, and the crowd seemed to love the guy – he just didn't do it for me. Most of the time, if I don’t like the music, I’ll like the performance, but Deluca delivered neither. I don’t recommend a Deluca show on a Friday night. He’s more of a Monday-why-the-hell-not kind of musician to see live.