Ted Drozdowski is on a mission to spread the gospel of the blues to anyone who regards the genre as a dinosaur.

Carrying on the tradition of R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, both now deceased, Drozdowski plays slide guitar with wild abandon.

“We live in that world between rock and blues,” said Drozdowski, whose blues duo, the Scissormen, play the Tap Room on Friday. “We play the blues, but we’re received well at rock and punk rock shows.”

Drozdowski has been known to use some lunatic objects on his guitar neck in place of a slide, including a cigarette pack, a boot, a full plate of pasta, a machete, a blow torch and a 9 mm. The antics are designed to bring the music – and the crowd – to life.

“A lot of young people don’t like blues anymore because most bands play it like it’s preserved in amber,” said Drozdowski, who was a rock bass player before he embraced the blues. “A lot of blues players forget that the best blues artists were innovators. The blues are supposed to change and evolve or the audience dries up.”

Drozdowski fell in love with the blues after meeting Burnside, who would become a mentor.

“He redirected me in music and life. He gave me a mission,” said Drozdowski, who reluctantly played the blues for the first time only after Burnside called him out one night. “He said, ‘Get your ass up here and play and I don’t want to hear any s— about it.’ It was an amazing experience. I played rock and roll for 20 years when I should have been doing this the whole time.”

The Scissormen’s next album, “Luck in a Hurry,” (VizzTone) will be out September 2.

Scissormen with the Wormwood Scrubs (Belgian Beer and Mussel Mania fest)

Schlafly Tap Room, 9 pm

2100 Locust St.

314-321-BEER

www.scissormen.com

www.myspace.com/scissormen