It ain't easy bein' blue.

And it's especially a problem if your father is John Lee Hooker, a certified blues superstar.

But that doesn't seem to bother John Lee Hooker, Jr., who will perform with his band at 9:30 Saturday night at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., with special guests The Nightcrawlers.

In fact, Hooker embraces the reality that he will forever be associated with his legendary father, who passed away in 2001.

Besides, the comparisons are nothing new. So rather than getting annoyed
by interview after interview kicking off with the same line of questioning, Hooker said he loves talking about such a great person and the privilege of carrying on his genes.

"Through him I was given the gift of talent, so for that I'm grateful," he said.

And perhaps in a way, Hooker's lineage is almost like instant credibility, a stamp of approval within the music community.

"God, you'd have to think he'd have something good going on if his name's John Lee Hooker, Jr.," said Mark Ross, owner of Alley Cat Music, 122 N. Atherton St.

Don't assume that Hooker is merely the blueprint of his father, though.

While the elder's music was steeped in swampy Mississippi Delta blues, Hooker, Jr.'s take on the genre is a more modern, not to mention electric, approach.

Lyrically, it's not hard to spot this distinction in songs from his new album, Blues With a Vengeance, which range in subject matter from Iraq to Internet chat rooms.

One recognizable element Hooker has inherited from his father is a quirky sense of humor. The song "Goin' Down to Baghdad" is a hilarious War-in-Iraq update on the good old "caught my wife cheatin' " schtick.

"Instead of shootin' the guy that took my wife with just a plain ol' .38, I'm gettin' a weapon of mass destruction to blow up everything," he said.

Whether or not this means he believes there were WMDs in Iraq to begin with, Hooker didn't say.

Blues With a Vengeance also includes performances of Hooker Sr. gems, including "Boom Boom" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer."

Hooker leaves his own identifiable stamp on these recordings, especially the latter, which revises the final chorus: "My baby she's home/home every night/we make love and we never fight/I don't get drunk. I'm in my right mind./One Coke, one Sprite and root beer."

It's a clear statement of Hooker as a blues statesman in his own right, and after little more than a month of Blues With a Vengeance on the streets, people are taking notice.

The album was recently named 2004's "Outstanding Blues Album" at the California Music Awards, for which Hooker said he and his band (which features drummer John Handy -- not in fact the grandson of W.C. Handy, the "Father of the Blues," as has been reported by some) are very grateful.

"Everyone wants a hit record and that's what we're trying to establish," he said.

From there, the ultimate goal for Hooker and his band is to be known around the world. So naturally, they're coming to State College.

Dave Wells, Crowbar director of operations, gives it to you straight.

"Bottom line is it's a blues show, it's only $5," he said.