Courtesy photo

HE IS: Will Owen Gage

THE SOUND: Blues/Texas music

THE WEB: myspace.com/willowengage

THE BACKGROUND: The 19-year-old Gage has made himself a name as a guitar phenom in South Texas, regularly playing with established musicians more than twice his age. Music is in his blood: His father is a folk singer, and Gage grew up singing hymns with his father and maternal grandfather, both preachers. Gage began playing electric guitar when he was 4 and became hooked on the blues when he was 5, listening to Albert King while his classmates were into Hanson.

HIS WORDS: Gage started out as a blues purist but began branching out into country, Southern rock and Texas music. His influences now range from Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Chet Atkins to Pantera. But he maintains that it's important to have a fundamental understanding of music tradition and disdains dilettantes who pick up a guitar and call themselves singer/songwriters. “If you want to play country, you have to know the roots. You need to find out where it came from,” he said. “What happened to the musicianship? Everybody now has a CD that they can throw at you.”

THE BANDS: The lineup of the Will Owen Gage Band varies, but it usually includes bassist Daryl Chadick and drummer Niko Laven. He's working on a CD of “aggressive Americana” with the South Texas Destroyers, which also includes Laven and Chadick along with James Pardo as lead singer.

WHERE TO SEE HIM: At Waring General Store in Waring, where he plays Steaknite with Jay Boy Adams and Roadhouse Scholars every Wednesday, and where they will soon begin Barbecue Nite on Fridays; at the blues jams the last Tuesday of every month at The Cove.

THE 210 TAKE: Gage is young, but he has the talent and the determination to go far. Look for his upcoming CD with the South Texas Destroyers.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA Contributor