Jason Meza sings like Eric Clapton, plays his own rhythm and isn't afraid to take well-known songs and turn them into something entirely different.

A recent set at the Cowboy Cafe on Lee Highway, Meza, joined by Bob Hume on lead guitar, opened the night with a little "Folsom Prison Blues" and slid into Elvis Presley's "It's Alright Momma," a pairing instantly familiar to anyone who saw the biopic "Walk the Line" a few years ago. The two men, slinging their electric acoustics, nod slightly to the beat while Meza sings.

Followed by the Beatles' iconic "Something," a calypso take on Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl"-- that's right, calypso--and another round of the boys from Liverpool on "The Long and Winding Road," Meza's got a good musical education and isn't afraid to rely on the classics.

Meza traded his Clapton croon for the bluesy soul of Joe Cocker in "The Letter," but what a voice!

Meza has been playing guitar since he was 15 or so but has only been performing in public for the past two or three years. He splits his time between a band, in which he plays mostly original songs, and playing covers with Hume.

"I can play lead, but Bob's so good, he always takes it," Meza said.

Luckily, the two share a lot of music in common, Meza said.
"I like a lot of older stuff, like Cat Stevens, Johnny Cash, Elvis, but also Bob Marley and Nirvana," he said. "I've got an uncle who plays in a Latin jazz band, so if I can work that in, I will."

If a song is good, it's worth playing live, regardless of when it came out, he added. "I like a good tune, whether it's blues or Muddy Waters or the Beatles.  If it wasn't for a good melody, it can't be listened to. I think music is more about the sound than what year it came out."

Good music is just good, he said.

With his other band, Solar Echo, he plays more original songs, and sometimes branches out other instruments.

"I love playing piano," he said, something he can't do in smaller venues like Cowboy Cafe due to the tight playing space. When he's playing with Solar Echo, he's more likely to take lead guitar as well, but occasionally the piano will sneak in, when possible.

"We tend to play in places like Jammin' Java and places in D.C.," he said. "We were going really strong for a wile, but then we had to get a new drummer and guitarist, so we haven't been playing as much recently."

When Solar Echo has all its parts together, the band will rehearse three or four times a week to work on original songs. With Hume, Meza said, the two of them will figure out the set list as they go along.

"A lot of it is going by memory," he said. The two of them have a solid repertoire of songs they know in common, which makes for performances sprinkled with songs most people in the audience can sing along to if they're in the mood.

When told he sounds like Eric Clapton when he sings, Meza laughed. "Well, I love Eric Clapton," he said. "That's pretty cool."

The Jason Meza Duo has a busy spring lined up, with shows scheduled for April 7 at the Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church; a return to the Cowboy Cafe on April 15; Clyde's in Alexandria on April 16; Ragtime in the Courthouse area of Arlington on April 20; and back to Clyde's in Alexandria on April 30. More information is available at http://www.myspace.com/jasonmeza, or look for Solar Echo on Facebook.