Washington, D.C.'s Nighthawks are the Ramones of '70s blues, a foursome that approaches the dark Chicago blues of Muddy Waters and Little Walter with a lean ferocity. Led by the sharp-edged harmonica and resolute vocals of Mark Wenner, and featuring heartbeatlike drumming by Pete Ragusa -- both original members -- the Nighthawks maintain the ardent fire of a bar band determined to win over the toughest audiences. They're not stuck in the past, either; note their reinvention of Frank Zappa's prophetic "Trouble Comin' Every Day" on their Pain & Pleasure platter.