Dave Alvin C or D

Dave Alvin seems to me to be a bit under served post The Blasters. His tunes never lost anything, but maybe his earlier solo records just don't have the edge of his live recordings. That said, he's one guy from the 80s that seems to me really is as good now that he has ever been.

This song 'Out of Control' is a crime movie as song. There are a few good live versions, but this one is pretty definitive. Last verse when they take it down low is really sublime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii1gm9MTdbA

I'd say if you don't know Dave Alvin outside the Blasters, check out the live records then check out his later studio records as they got a bit more edge. His folky records are good too, but to me maybe not as captivating. Blue Blvd really has some great songs for his earlier solo records. Alvin is not overly prolific, but he has wrote a nice book of tunes over his years.

That's a hell of a song. I love the Blasters, but have only ever heard the album Alvin did with Sonny Burgess back in the late 80s/early 90s.

Lotta stuff about Dave, Phil, Blasters here (the first duet album with Phil, from a few years back, was really good---for me, Phil is much more the guy to carry a whole album vocally, but together as never before in voice and other agreement, the famously fractious sibs pulled equal weight--the follow-up had its moments too) TS: Lone Justice or Cruzados or Drivin' & Cryin' or Green On Red or Del Fuegos or Jason & The Scorchers or Long Ryders or Bodeans?

Also Dave was cool with the early line-up of Flesheaters, and to this day or recently with the Knitters, and filling in for Billy Zoom during BZ's cancer therapy on some relatively recent X tours.

Also maybe some reunion shows with the Blasters? Although the touring Bs I covered a few years ago was 3 of 4 founders, and the successor to Dave had been with them for quite a while: very tight combo.

He wrote "4th of July" for/with X, that's a career highlight right there.

In 2012 Yep Roc Records celebrated its 15th Anniversary with a festival called YR15. Over the course of 4 raucous days and nights 26 Artists performed for Yep Roc fans from around the world at the legendary Cats Cradle and other venues around Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

Dave Alvin performed on Thursday October 11th both solo, with Christy McWilson, John Teer from Chatham County Line and 2 electric favorites with Los Straitjackets

Yeah. Starts with solo "Harlan County Line," suave cigar voice x Dylany phrasing seeming a bit complacent, also the gotta-woman-still-waitin' (he still gets back over the line every now and then). Christy McWilson starts with "Johnny Ace Is Dead" but mainly it's Dave savoring more colorful characters, with a longass chorus then the ever-durable "Dry River," one of his classics, really, then John Teer's fiddle stirs "Whose Been Here" way up, Dave too excited to go back to too-cool now, Christy whooping it up, "Fourth of July" maintains the level---then Teer's gone, Los Straightjackets are here, for "some California folk music," as Dave Alvin proclaims, though would be even better if he went electric at this point, but still there's a real nice quiet agile acoustic (and "five-string" at that, he says) solo on "Marie Marie" (Teer would be great on this oh well). And that's all, folks. Short but semi-sweet, not up to the ones w Phil or Jimmy Dale, still worth a listen:
https://davealvin.bandcamp.com/

But if it's electric creative Dave you crave,
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3920364060_10.jpg
I recently posted about this on What Are You Listening to? 2020:

1.
Journey in Satchidananda 05:57
2.
The Dolphins 05:15
3.
Claudia Cardinale  02:53 video
4.
Morning Dew 09:18
5.
East West 16:28
6.
Reverberation 03:5
Dave Alvin (Flesheaters/Blasters/X/Knitters) Victor Krummenacher (Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven), Michael Jerome (Toadies, Better Than Ezra) and David Immerglück (Counting Crows, Camper Van Beethoven), with Jesse Sykes (of Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter): Cosmic and Kozmik blues, "psychedelic folk rock," like it says on bandcamp (Dave's big ol' Fred Neilian voice, a tad world-weary, gets lifted a bit by Sykes on Neil's "The Dolphins," and she's cool down in the choruses of 13th Floor Elevators' "Reverberation, and she gets to do all the singin' on Tim Rose's "Morning Dew," which could get to be too much of a death slog way back when the Dead etc. used to haul it out on stage, but she keeps everybody awake and igniting at just the right times here. Unperson points out these Dick Dale Middle Eastern chunnelings of Alice Coltrane's "Journey," and Dale might be a gateway for all of this---also well-absorbed Link Wray, Sonny Sharrock, John Cippolina, Bloomfield & Bishop on "East-West," with crystalline outcroppings, moonlight drives, nice.
https://thethirdmind.bandcamp.com/

From an Old Guitar: Rare and Unreleased Recordings (7-3-20, Yep Roc)"

This 13 song collection features studio performances that I've recorded over the years for my own albums or for tribute albums but mainly they're just things I did for the pure kicks of playing music I love with musicians I love and admire.

The songs range from some originals to interpretations of compositions by dear friends like Peter David Case, Chris Smither and the late Bill Morrissey to tunes written by heroes like Willie Dixon, Bob Dylan, Lil Hardin Armstrong, Earl Hooker and Marty Robbins. The music ranges from acoustic blues and ballads to electric barroom blues, folk/rock and even a little country/rock.

There are contributions from dearly departed comrades like Chris Gaffney, Amy Farris and Bobby Lloyd Hicks as well as from old Blasters pals like Gene Taylor along with various members of The Guilty Men/Women/Ones plus help from brilliant accompanists like Greg Leisz, Cindy Cashdollar, Bob Glaub, Don Heffington, Danny Ott, Skip Edwards, Rick Shea, Chris G Miller, Wyman Reese, Dale Spalding and David J. Carpenter.

That suave Dylan-as-baritone thing seems to put too much weight on the first two tracks, "Link of Chain"(good words come through the voice doesn't pull the links too much), and the arrangement of "Highway 61" seems wasted, but usually he singing, more like his early solo LPs, serves the songs well enough--faves are the ones where "Had a fight with the mother of my kids, I can get along with anybody what if I did, gonna go back where me and my friends used to hang around, see what's shakin' while the leaves turn brown, I'm on my way downtown." Even got maybe old buddies appearing for harmonies, steel guitar, whole thing makes me think these guys are Dead/New Riders fans--not 'heads, they gotta work, but it's not that far from downwardly mobile, wised-up but still a California love song, so yeah there's sunshine, "Inside" and out.
Also some ace instrumentals, "(Variations on Earl Hooker's Guitar Rhumba," "Perdido Street Blues, " and "Krazy and Ignatz." Even when the Dylany voice comes back, on "Peace," to an extent "Man Walks Among Us," the music has no prob, ditto on the fast shuffle finale, "Beautiful City Across The River."
So, a few I could live without, but overall seems as strong as any of his regular releases.
https://davealvin.bandcamp.com/album/from-an-old-guitar-rare-and-unreleased-recordings

"good words come through *when* the voice doesn't pull", also, "usually *he's* singing more like *he does on* his early solo LPs, *and it* serves the songs well enough"---sorry!

I interviewed Alvin back in May for my podcast; never posted the link. Here it is. We talk about a lot of stuff - he's got some great stories. You can also find it on iTunes and Spotify.

Thanks! Forgot to mention another recently posted set, an EP, Live In Austin], which is Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin captured live in Austin, Texas March 14, 2014 in an intimate performance of songs written by Big Bill Broonzy, accompanied by Lisa Pankratz on drums and Brad Fordham on bass. More off-the-cuff than their Broozy-centric studio full-length, described upthread: this is non-deep but crisp---fave is inspired, though: "How You Want It Done," making me think of Mississippi hill country blues in relation to Appalachia, also a bit like the version of Jimmie Rodgers' "Never No More Blues" on a Blasters comp I hope I've still got.
https://davealvin.bandcamp.com/album/live-from-austin-dave-alvin-phil-alvin

JUst got the Third Mind with the bonus tracks from Dodax.com BUt can't see it on the website any more or at least can't see the release date taht one had which was how i knew it was taht version or could at least suspect it was.
Well got it now so must get the latest Dream Syndicate too.

Close calls, currently in the clear (and has track on comp Americana Railroad, out in June)
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/dave-alvin-cancer-interview-1336284/

Airing tonight! Catch Dave Alvin and Dwight on Greater Bakersfield. Tune into Dwight Yoakam & The Bakersfield Beat on @SIRIUSXM radio (ch. 349) at 8pm PT / 11pm ET.

- D Team#dwightyoakam #davealvin #dwightyoakamandthebakersfieldbeat

📸: Emily Joyce Photography pic.twitter.com/pr5G0w2Is8

— Dwight Yoakam (@DwightYoakam) July 6, 2022

Just got the word that a second Third Mind album will be out in October.

New original (wheeeee): https://thethirdmind.bandcamp.com/track/tall-grass-2

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1405173987_10.jpg

That sounds really good.

huh, so Alvin, a couple of CVB guys, awesome drummer Michael Jerome ... I'm in!

Have you heard the first one? All on there, v. groovy:

1.
Journey in Satchidananda 05:57 video
info
2.
The Dolphins 05:15 video
3.
Claudia Cardinale  02:53 video
4.
Morning Dew 09:18
5.
East West 16:28
6.
Reverberation 03:53

meaning *a* Tchad Blake remix

Wow, thanks for hipping me to this (first) album, it's great! Reminds me of ... Fairport Convention?