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JORGE SANCHEZThe Accelerators will lend a funky air to downtown Inverness.
Courthouse Square will be singin' the blues tonight, as Keith Caton and the Accelerators plug in and play during the second Music on the Square concert.
The Accelerators, veterans of the blues circuit in the East, have taken some time to stay local, said Caton, who is the band's leader on electric guitar and vocals. During the touring days, it was not unusual for the band to play 200 gigs a year, he said.
With all that roadwork behind them, the Accelerators are focusing on finishing recording and studio production work on two CDs, he said.
"It's been a long, slow process," he said. "It's taken a lot of time and involved a couple of surgeries for me. We just want to slow it down and play for local folks, such as the people in Inverness."
The first CD in production is a live show at the Bamboo Room, a popular blues club in Palm Beach County. The second is a studio effort, Caton said. As with their first CD, Long Time Coming, the band's mentor and jamming buddy Bo Diddley contributes some guitar licks.
Caton said he has been recording at the same studio frequently used by Dickie Betts, former Allman Brothers guitarist and songwriter now enjoying a resurging solo career.
"I actually got to play through one of his Marshall amps. It was pretty cool," Caton said.
The Accelerators lineup includes Caton on guitar and vocals, Casey Jones on bass, David Bates on drums and Skip Olenick on harmonica. As with most polished blues bands, the Accelerators know how to put on a live show. Their performances feature extended solos from Caton on electric guitar, using both flat picks and slide. In the style of players such as Stevie Ray Vaughn and T-Bone Walker, Caton's solos build up the musical intensity after each verse and often stretch over several verses.
The concert will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. today on the lawn of the Courthouse Square in downtown Inverness. Most downtown merchants will stay open during the show to allow for shopping, browsing and dining. Admission is free. Bring lawn chairs.
Jorge Sanchez covers arts and entertainment in Citrus County. Call 352 860-7313 or e-mail sanchez@sptimes.com