From Lee Hildebrand's review of 9/18/98 performance at
Pete Escovedo's Mr. E's in Berkeley:

"Serving up a meaty mix of blues and soul inspired by Bobby Bland's orchestra, as well as by horn-fueled Bay Area outfits like Tower of Power and Cold Blood (of which DELTA WIRES trumpeter Larry Jonutz had been a charter member), the band gigged at such now-defunct Oakland venues as the On Broadway and Lucky Lion until 1976... Harmonica blower, Ernie Pinata put the band back together eleven years ago; the present edition also includes '70s holdover Michael Quinlan, who doubles on trumpet and valve trombone and supplies the crisp charts.

Pinata is a commanding harmonica player in the Little Walter tradition, and the juxtaposition of his harp with the horns recalls that of Junior Parker's classic Duke recordings...

...Rene Escovedo's solidly syncopated funk grooves locked into Tom Gerrits' propulsive bass patterns during new arrangements of such selections as Roy Head's "Treat Her Right", John Brim's "Ice Cream Man", and Bobby Bland's "Don't Cry No More". With Pinata's searing harp and Bobby Delgado's rock-singed guitar creating climax after climax over the rhythm and horn sections' expertly controlled dynamics, the DELTA WIRES brought fresh excitement to time-honored tunes that would have sounded stale in less inspired hands."

Lee Hildebrand, East Bay Express