Since forming the highly influential roots rock/R+B band The Blasters, with his brother Phil in 1979, and throughout his long and critically acclaimed solo career, Dave Alvin has mixed his varied musical and literary influences into his own unique, updated version of traditional American music. Combining elements of blues, folk, R+B, rockabilly, Bakersfield country and garage rock and roll with lyrical inspiration from local writers and poets like Raymond Chandler, Gerald Locklin and Charles Bukowski, Alvin says that his songs are “just like California. A big, messy melting pot.”
Dave Alvin’s 30 years of recordings and live performances move through the loud, aggressive rock and roll of The Blasters to the contemplative acoustic storytelling of his solo albums, (KING OF CALIFORNIA, BLACKJACK DAVID, DAVE ALVIN & THE GUILTY WOMEN) and from the traditional folk of his Grammy winning CD, PUBLIC DOMAIN to the electric blues of his ASHGROVE CD. Alvin has always managed to unite seemingly disparate genres into a cohesive vision of contemporary roots music. You can expect no less from his latest album, ELEVEN ELEVEN, released on Yep Roc Jun 21st 2011.
Dave Alvin’s songs have been recorded by a who’s who of contemporary roots artists from Los Lobos, Little Milton, Robert Earl Keen, Marshal Crenshaw and Joe Ely to Dwight Yoakam, James McMurtry, Buckwheat Zydeco, Alejandro Escovedo and X. His songs have also been featured in many movies and television shows including Justified, The Sopranos, True Blood, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Crybaby, Miss Congeniality and From Dusk To Dawn.
“Not only did the effort display commitment, but it made the 20th anniversary show among the most memorable of his run.” – The Columbus Dispatch about Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin in Grand Valley Dale Ballroom.
