Paul Zunno, a talented young guitarist with clear roots in the blues, will be playing several more gigs at O’Neals [Ed. Note: Zunno has switched to City Center Studios]. O’Neals is a funky music venue disguised as a restaurant (or maybe it’s a restaurant masquerading as a music venue?). Zunno was seated on a plywood box just big enough for him and his two guitar stands, hardly a bona fide stage. However, everybody in the portion of O’Neals who could see Zunno was seated facing him and mostly watching and listening instead of having conversations amongst themselves, such as one would expect in a music club that also serves food, like over at B.B. Kings. Zunno’s amplified acoustic guitar was loud enough to permeate the room, far too loud to be background music. Despite its schizophrenic nature, O’Neals was a perfect venue to see Zunno.

The most distinctive aspect of his playing was his fast chord progressions up and down the neck, which he used to embellish almost every song he played. Zunno’s music had an energetic feel which was added to by his rhythmic, enthusiastic foot-stomping that shook the stage and provided a simple bass accompaniment. Occasionally, he would accent his vocals with little falsetto words occasionally, which added texture and emotion to his music. Zunno introduced many of his songs with little anecdotes, most memorably a really amusing one involving Michael Jackson. Zunno played a mix of his own material and classic blues/rock/pop covers such as a Ray Charles tune.

Don’t miss seeing a great guitar talent like Paul Zunno perform in such an intimate environment. One can tell that Zunno truly puts everything he’s got into each song he plays, lending his set a unique, pure feeling. He seems truly happy to be playing the guitar, frequently flashing the audience a little infectious smile. Luckily, unlike his smile, the sweat dripping off his brow did not mingle with the audience.