Like fellow 70s-inspired band Dawes, Blitzen Trapper has locked in on some of the best aspects of that era’s music to create albums that feel both familiar and new. But whereas the former looks to the SoCal scene for its inspiration, BT opts for a mix of ragged glory and psych rock to form its sound.

The Oregon band returned to Indianapolis Monday night for its first show in the circle city in a couple of years. The estimated 250 on hand at Deluxe — a good, rowdy crowd for an early week performance — witnessed a show that expertly balanced softer, country-rock Americana with occasional metal-inspired shredding. It was a rush.

Blitzen Trapper opened with the keyboard heavy Astronaut from most recent album, American Goldwing, followed by a unique cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic Hey Joe. In some ways, the show felt like a three-act play. Act one included the funky, establish-a-groove bounce of tracks like Saturday Nite and Sleepytime in the Western World. Act two was softer, highlighted by songs like oldie Texaco, the campfire sing-a-long of Furr, and the subdued menace of Black River Killer. The final act was where the band let it all fly, alternately shredding like Sabbath on Street Fighting Sun and ripping out the full psychedelic power of main set closer Big Black Bird.

Other songs that packed a punch included a muscular Wild Mountain Angel, a soulful Love the Way You Walk Away, and Destroyer of the Void’s Love and Hate, which ended the show.

Also worth noting: The sound in Deluxe was particularly sharp. The mix at a few of the early shows at the venue wasn’t always great — not the case Monday night.

A very enjoyable evening in the basement of Old National Centre. Were you there?

Here’s the setlist:

Astronaut
Hey Joe
Not Your Lover
Saturday Nite
Sleepytime in the Western World
Texaco
Love the Way You Walk Away
God and Suicide
Taking it Easy too Long
Furr
Girl in a Coat
Black River Killer
Fletcher
Wild Mountain Nation
Fire and Fast Bullets
Street Fighting Sun
Gold for Bread
Wayward – MST3K
Big Black Bird

Encore:
The Man Who Would Speak True
Might Find It Cheap
Love and Hate