Chris Duarte’s new CD, “396,” is the perfect musical addition for any hardcore gear head's garage.    

My closest friends already know what you’re about to find out: besides being a gear head, I’m also a frustrated guitar player. I’ve been working on an old-school rock and blues album in my loft for over a year in my home studio, but this little thing called a magazine keeps taking up all my time. Not that I’m complaining; it’s a little like getting upset that you don’t have room for chocolate cake after eating a ribeye steak.

Living in both worlds, I’m always on the lookout for music that has feet planted firmly in the fast lane, and my latest discovery is a guy named Chris Duarte. Chris grew up in Austin, Texas, and is two weeks younger than me, which is to say he’s square in the bullseye of PHR’s demographic. Being a musician, I’ve actually known about Duarte for a while. Even though he's unheard of by the general public, he’s well known in music circles, and regularly gets interviewed by top music magazines. What I didn’t know was that he is a car guy. Then he uncorked this sonic salvo, “396.”

The title track is about Chris’ ’68 Camaro, which is an original 396 SS car—and a 375-horse one at that. If I had to sonically classify the title track, I’d put it right square between Clapton’s “Crossroads,” and Pat Travers’ “Snortin’ Whiskey.” If you like your rock hard—in a ’70s sort of way—then you’ll want to check out the whole album. Is Chris a true gear head? Does he wrench on the '68? Or is he a hands-off collector with a jones for an original restoration? I can’t answer that, but I’m going to dig for that answer until I know for sure. In the meantime, check out the title track “396” on Chris’ MySpace page.

www.myspace.com/chrisduartegroup