The winning formula mixes reverence for the genre’s rich traditions with the showman’s unique talent for house shakin’ grit and soul. Bakersfield will get a dose of Bonamassa’s traveling rock and blues experience at Rabobank Theater on April 25.

His new collection of originals, “Blues of Desperation,” debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard Top 200 last month, the latest in a string of successes that keep the guitarsmith in perpetual tour mode.

“I must say that with over 100 tour dates and being on the road around 200 days a year, the only thing that really helps is routine,” said Bonamassa in a recent interview conducted via email. “I have the same boring routine every show day and that helps get me through those long six- to seven-week stints on the road. About 30 minutes to showtime, I put on my game face, and the on-stage persona is on and ready to go.”

Bonamassa is like a rock star overseas, where he regularly sells out venues across Europe and in the UK. His 2009 concert film and recording from Royal Albert Hall helped establish him as a blues rocking tour-de-force. Still shown regularly on public television, the all-star concert proved to be more than just an average career boost.

“That was truly one of the best moments of my life and such an honor to play with Eric Clapton. That performance helped push my career to the next level and I am so glad that the fans can share in that moment with me on public television,” he said.

Today, Bonamassa’s status as one of the world’s premier guitarists continues to grow.

While electrifying performances have been his bread and butter, the guitarist stressed the importance of fine tuning his songwriting, as well as collaborating with some of the industry’s best.

“I would say that over the last five years, I have focused more on the songwriting aspect of my career as my way to really push myself to the next level for my fans. My last two studio albums have been all original material that I spent a lot of time working on. I just got to thinking that I wanted my legacy of music to be more than just covers and I wanted to really focus on getting in the right creative headspace with writing new songs. Of course I had a lot of help from my friends in Nashville.”

On “Blues of Desperation,” his 12th solo album, Bonamassa enlisted the help of some of Music City’s top songwriters to craft one of his most potent releases to date.

Bakersfield will get an opportunity to see Bonamassa fresh and ready before he sets off across the country, ocean and back again through the end of the year.

“It is because of the fans that I work so hard and push myself to the limits worldwide and won’t slow down any time soon.”

Source: Bakersfield