HIS ROOTS ARE SHOWING DAVE ALVIN REMEMBERS THE L.A. THAT SHAPED HIS MUSICAL LIFE.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer Dave Alvin is a name-dropper. Unfortunately, they are not the sort of names that will get him a good table at a trendy Hollywood restaurant or even better service at Pink's. T-Bone Walker, the Rev. Gary Davis, Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr., May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985)[1] was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. , Freddie King Freddie King (September 3 1934 – December 28 1976) was an influential American blues guitarist and singer best known for his recordings "Hide Away", "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" and "The Stumble". - Alvin would much rather discuss these late, great blues and r&b artists than play the smiling show-biz huckster and trumpet his own projects past or present. In fact, after about five minutes in the company of the stirringly articulate, sharp-eyed Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. singer-songwriter, you get the distinct impression he wouldn't especially care if you beg, buy, steal or entirely ignore his latest CD. And for that matter, you can skip his club date Friday at the Troubadour troubadour One of a class of lyric poets and poet-musicians, often of knightly rank, that flourished from the 11th through the 13th century, chiefly in Provence and other regions of southern France, northern Spain, and northern Italy. , too. The Grammy-winning Alvin, 48, isn't being arrogant. It's just that he knows at this late date, nothing's going to help. He's got a loyal audience in various pockets of the world, year-round bookings, what appears to be a pretty good record deal this time, a sturdy back catalog and a god-given gift for folk/blues/rock poetry as a composer, singer and guitarist. People in the know quite rightly place Alvin on the songwriter's Mount Olympus Mount Olympus: see Cyprus; Olympic Mountains; Olympus. alongside Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III and Lucinda Williams
This biographical article or section needs additional references for verification. Please help [ to improve this article] by adding additional sources. . But he'll never be as well-known as, for example, any of the Simpsons - Ashlee, O.J. or Homer - which is OK by him. ``I'm doing what I've wanted to do since I was a kid,'' Alvin says one sparkling day on the front porch of his Echo Park pad. ``I play music for a living. Yeah, I'm three paychecks away from eviction The removal of a tenant from possession of premises in which he or she resides or has a property interest done by a landlord either by reentry upon the premises or through a court action. - but I've never wanted to do anything else.'' He's been keeping the wolf from the door for decades. First drawing notice in the Blasters, the roots-rock band he formed with older brother Phil Alvin in the late 1970s, the Downey-raised Alvin put in a stint with X, and then launched a string of first-rate solo albums drenched in poignant songs of longing, nostalgia and regret. His latest, ``Ashgrove'' (Yep Roc) is named for the defunct club at 8162 Melrose Ave. (now home to the Improv), where a teenage Alvin saw life-changing sets by such greats as Walker, Davis, Turner and King. ``The place had residencies like jazz clubs used to,'' Alvin recalled. ``So, Muddy Waters would come in for a week and do two sets a night. But some of my favorite shows would be three nights of what might be the lesser guys, like Johnny Shines or Juke Boy Bonner Weldon H. Philip Bonner, better known as Juke Boy Bonner (22 March 1932–29 June 1978) was an American blues singer, harmonica player, and guitarist. He was influenced by Lightnin' Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, and Slim Harpo. . Maybe the first show there would be some people, then the second show would be three other guys and the act on stage.'' For 15 years, beginning in 1958, the Ash Grove presented music in a sociopolitical so·ci·o·po·li·ti·cal adj. Involving both social and political factors. sociopolitical Adjective of or involving political and social factors context without regard to fashion, race or ethnicity. A partial list of performers would take in Don and Dewey Don and Dewey were an American rock and roll duo, comprising Don "Sugarcane" Harris(1938 - 1999) and Dewey Terry (1938 - 2006). Both were born and grew up in Pasadena, California. , Lenny Bruce, Canned Heat, John Fahey, Lightnin' Hopkins, Ry Cooder, Doc Watson and Howlin' Wolf. The all-ages club contained an art gallery in the lobby where pieces with social or political themes were often displayed, along with a small record stall. ``A club like the Ash Grove would have a tough time surviving in today's climate, largely because they didn't have dancing or hard liquor hard liquor A popular term for beverages with a high–often > 30% by volume–ie, 60 proof alcohol content–eg, gin, rum, vodka, whiskey; HLs are preferred by alcoholics as a steady state of low-level inebriation is easier to maintain. See Standard drink. ,'' said Sherman Oaks author and producer Harvey Kubernik (``This Is Rebel Music''). ``It was a place to sit and listen to music. And the leftist left·ism also Left·ism n. 1. The ideology of the political left. 2. Belief in or support of the tenets of the political left. left bent of the club was obvious - you couldn't go to a gig there without being asked to sign a petition for women's rights The effort to secure equal rights for women and to remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions, and behavioral patterns. The women's rights movement began in the nineteenth century with the demand by some women reformers for the right to vote, known as suffrage, and or free speech or some equally heartfelt cause. They did a lot of benefit performances there, too. Plus, it was easy to park - there were no meters on that stretch of Melrose back then.'' Alvin fondly remembers scamming rides from Downey to the Ash Grove with friends who were old enough to drive. He was never disappointed. ``My first show there was in 1969 or '70 - T-Bone Walker and Big Joe Turner backed by Johnny Otis,'' he said. ``That was it for me. My path was set in life after that show. When you saw a show at the Ash Grove, you knew this wasn't just fraternity get-drunk music. You knew it was about good times, but it was also about something else, and it came from somewhere.'' On Friday, Alvin will be backed by his touring band the Guilty Men. While always comfortable at the Troubadour, he says he misses rooms like the Ash Grove. ``There are certain cities that have clubs run by visionaries - or fanatics - whatever term you want to use,'' he said. ``L.A. doesn't have one. There is a quasi-underground folk scene here, but there's not a functioning club run by visionaries. The thing about the Ash Grove was it was run by a guy (Ed Pearl) who had a vision about what American music was and where it came from - and that's what he was going to present. There was a social and political edge, too, and that's something we could all use more of today.'' Fred Shuster, (818) 713-3676 fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com DAVE ALVIN Where: Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. When: 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets: $15. Call (213) 480-3232 or www.ticketmaster.com. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The perpetually touring Dave Alvin brings his Guilty Men to the Troubadour on Friday. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer |
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