Piano-playing blues man Victor Wainwright says some blues fans "sometimes get in an uproar about what kind of blues you're putting out. They're very particular about what they consider quote-unquote the blues. I think that's a shame."

When Wainwright, a Memphis resident by way of Daytona Beach, hooked up with Edgewater musician Stephen Dees and others to create Victor Wainwright and the WildRoots, they didn't feel the need to stick to traditional blues recipes.

Their album "Beale Street to the Bayou" includes the Allman Brothers-style groove of "Long Way to Go" (which cites Martin Luther King), and the folk ballad "Not Afraid," on which Wainwright turns down the barrelhouse boom in his voice to sing over acoustic guitar -- and cello.

The band, which performs March 5 in New Smyrna Beach, gets more traditional on such songs as "Mighty Man," a slice of jazzy, urban blues; "Sold Down the River," an acoustic delta blues; and the ballad "Blues in the Rain," which echoes the soul of Brook Benton and Otis Redding.

"You hear people say 'Keep the blues alive,'¤" Wainwright said. "The quickest way to watch the blues die off is for everyone to keep playing the same thing over and over again the same way it's been done for 50 years."

Wainwright and the WildRoots will perform at 6 p.m. March 5 at the Coronado Civic Center, 223 Flagler Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Admission is $15; preferred seating $25. A cash bar and light snacks will be available. For more information, call 386-423-9760.

The band includes Wainwright on keyboards and vocals (second from left in photo), Dees (far right) on bass and vocals, Brian Kelly (far left) on drums, Greg Gumpel (second from right) on guitar and vocals, and guests Ray Guiser on sax and Patricia Dees on sax and vocals.