Dave Westerbeke was a rock and R&B guitarist who took lessons from Quicksilver's John Cipollina and backed up Mike Bloomfield. That was before the Mill Valley musician's recent transformation into a country singer-songwriter named Buck Nickels.

Buck, aka Westerbeke, plays a clanging, mean Fender Telecaster on the 11 very fine original songs on this debut album with partner Larry “Loose Change” Cragg, who adds pedal steel, dobro and backup vocals.

Cragg, who has a guitar repair and vintage instrument rental business in San Anselmo, where he lives, has been Neil Young's guitar tech for decades, sometimes sitting in with Young's band on tour. On this CD, he gets to stretch out, playing more as Buck's sidekick than he

ever has with Young.

Westerbeke, who lives in Mill Valley, grew up on a cattle ranch in Sonoma County's Valley of the Moon that is now planted in vineyards, which inspired his song “Makin' Wine (In the Valley of the Moon).”

He used to drive his grandfather's 1930s 16-cylinder Cadillac across the ranch, which became the kernel of his song “Rum Runners.”

A song like “Belt of Orion” shows off Westerbeke's fine baritone voice, which Cragg encouraged him to use in his persona as Buck Nickels. You can actually hear when he became Buck by listening to his vocal on the lead song, “Musician's Lament (the Show),” which is pitched higher than the rest of the songs on the album.

Guitar

players will totally dig the eponymous song that ends the album, which lists all the coolest guitars and promises that they'll be coming soon to town near you. And they are. Westerbeke and Cragg are rehearsing with a bass player and a drummer and are getting ready to hit the road as an actual working band.

Buy It: “Buck Nickels and Loose Change,” Buck Nickels, independent, www.bucknickels.com; $10

Tell us about your band! If you're a musician or band from Marin or Sonoma with a recording that readers can buy or download, send your CD and contact information (if you have an upcoming gig, let us know that, too) to Press Play, P.O. Box 6150, Novato 94948-6150.