Shane Dwight is so accomplished he can write songs in his sleep.

He said complete storylines come to him in dreams.

“It’s like a movie,” he said. “It’s very bizarre, and it’s happened several times.”
Naturally, the movies come with soundtracks.

Dwight, who performs at the Crystal Bay Casino Saturday, Nov. 7, plays blues and he plays rock ‘n’ roll.

He released two albums this year, a rocker called “Gimme Back My Money” and a straight-ahead blues CD entitled “Plays the Blues.”

“We were going to do one album, but I had a lot of songs that don’t really fit the blues genre at all. ... It made sense not to shelf the material just because it didn’t fit on one CD.”

Considering his childhood, it’s surprising the guitarist doesn’t play an entirely different style: country.

“I had my choice when I was a kid,” Dwight said. “It was listen to country music or wear earplugs. I grew up with a lot of old country in my house. There was a lot of Hank Williams. Lot of Johnny Cash, George Jones. I didn’t particularly care for it as a kid, but I always liked Hank Williams. From the time I was 4 years old I liked him. But I didn’t (understand) Johnny Cash until I got older.”

After making enough money customizing motorcycles and hot rods, Dwight’s father moved his family in San Jose to a horse ranch in Morgan Hill.

While “Gimme Back My Money” is a rock album, several songs could easily fit in the country category, including the title track.

“All these years later I’m playing like I approached music when I first starting playing,” he said. “I’d play anything I liked, whether it was a metal song or a rock song or a blues song.”

But Dwight eventually followed the blues path, which included a bluesman’s lifestyle, playing more than 200 gigs a year for more than a half-decade. He’s clearly influenced by Albert King: “He’ll give you carpal tunnel trying to play like that guy.”

However, he also loves Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, and now unabashedly plays both rock and blues. If he’s at a blues festival, he’ll stick to that genre. Otherwise, expect a blues and rock show.

“Good Life” from Dwight’s rock album has received the most radio airtime and had the greatest number of downloads from either CD.

“I’ve come full circle to what I loved about music,” he said. “I’m not racking my brain trying to come up with something that sounds like nothing else but just trying to just be creative. Just in the moment with it. Look at it song by song.”

Dwight will appear at Tahoe in a trio with new band mates. Kit Bergman plays drums and Kevin Stewart is on bass.