Pick a band or singer, in any genre, between the 1960s and last week, and chances are, Gene Gregory can play it, sing it, stomp it out or re-envision it.

During a recent stint at Cowboy Cafe, where he's becoming a regular feature, he kicked off a set with Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop the Rain," followed by Nina Simone's "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," a bluesy two-fer that eased the crowd into the set. The latter was grittier than usual, almost unrecognizable at first, not as twangy but just as catchy.

My roommate, Michael, pipes up during Gregory's cover of The Eagles' classic "Hotel California."

"He's kind of like Bruce Springsteen, but he sounds depressed," he interjects. This is not an insult but a kind of defining moment—my roommate and his girlfriend don't normally join me in my band-checking-out adventures, but the added perspective of a new set of ears is nice.

However, our agreements for the course of Gregory's set list become few and far between after this.

Gregory pulls out a rarity after an original song, a cover of Alice in Chains' "Don't Follow," a song off their EP released in 1994. Breaking from professional codes of music review conduct, I ran in and thanked him for playing one of my all-time favorites, and a song seldom played by the original creators at that.

Fangirl squeal of delight aside, Gregory returned to a strong, close-to-the-original "Dead or Alive" by New Jersey's favorite sons. This song was, of course, immortalized on one of the first MTV VMAs, and without a Richie Sambora to accompany his Jon Bon Jovi, it's slightly less soulful.

"That feels a little contrived," Michael pipes up.  It's a little hard to play both parts of a legendary duet, but he's trying, I add.

We both agree with Gregory's cover of The Beatles' "Let it Be," which sounds like it passed through the soul of Bob Marley before arriving in the bar. It's sharper, less melodic and with a little more of an edge, but also more driven.

Following a pair of covers—Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" and Pearl Jam's "Black"—Gregory plays Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Mary Jane's Last Dance."

"Either he doesn't know who he is or he's trying to play to other people's tastes instead of his own," Michael says. "I can tell the requests from the songs he'd rather play on his own. He's much better when he's being himself."

The next song, The Cure's "Just Like Heaven," might have proven his point.

"Ok, now he's having fun," my roommate says.

This is followed by the beloved Johnny Cash song "Ring of Fire," to which my roommate comments that Gregory is "good at everything, but not quite great."

This was one of Gregory's first gigs at Cowboy, a venue he learned about through some friends who live nearby. He's a fan of many kinds of music, he says, which explains his eclectic mix of covers.

"There are some standard songs I get asked to play in most places, but I don't get requests for some of the songs very often," he says, including a Blind Melon song that he seems to want to play more often and played that night as a request.

"It's challenging, but it's something I like."

A musician since third grade when he learned how to play the drums, Gregory picked up the bass in high school and eventually worked into a guitar, a perfect fit for a Kiss fan who was expanding his taste to classic rock and, he admits, 80s hair bands.

For a while, he played in a Led Zeppelin cover band that had a few followers, but "after that flamed out, I started writing my own songs." Gregory still likes to work a few originals into his gigs when possible, but only when he's feeling comfortable with the crowd.

His influences, and the bands he likes to cover, include Neil Young, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Pearl Jam, Steve Earle and Johnny Cash.

"I write from an introspective point of view," Gregory says. "I'm not blatantly trying to get into writing from someone else's point of view. It's very therapeutic this way." 

Gregory said he has some steady gigs near Baltimore, closer to where he lives but he's eager to try new places, including Cowboy.

Samples of his music can be heard at www.genegregorymusic.com or facebook.com/genegregorymusic. With a mixed bag of influences and interpretations, there's sure to be something for just about everyone.  Check him out Saturday night, starting around 9 p.m.