On My Way Downtown

The first time I heard Peter Case sing ON MY WAY DOWNTOWN was some years
back when he'd just finished writing it. I was in the audience at a "new
song" workshop featuring Peter and a few other songwriters. We've all heard
of "love at first sight," well, for me this was love at first hearing. The
song knocked me out then and it still does.

My version of ON MY WAY DOWNTOWN was originally recorded for a stunning 3 CD
tribute project called A CASE FOR CASE. A variety of great singers and
songwriters (from Joe Ely, James McMurtry and Todd Snyder to Tom Russell,
Chris Smither and Maura O'Connell) all contributed tracks to show their love
and appreciation for Peter's unique body of work.

Let me quote what I wrote about Peter for the tribute CD's liner notes:

"For over two decades I've been blessed to know Peter Case and his music.
I could ramble on with over two decades of stories and memories that
would illuminate what a good guy and under-recognized talent Peter is but
his songs do a better job at that than I ever could. As he and I have
passed through various scenes, good times and bad, Peter has always been
someone I respect as a person, as a musician, as a powerful songwriter
and as a bottomless well of soulfulness. Simply put, he's one of our
best."

My fellow Case fans joining me on the track are my late amigo, the always
excellent Chris Gaffney, on accordion and harmony vocals; the beautiful and
multi-talented Amy Farris supplying the sweet violin and viola; the Guilty
Men's long board surfer, Gregory Boaz, playing the solid stand-up bass and
my old pal from The Blasters, Bill Bateman, performing to his usual high
standards on the drums. Besides singing the lead vocal, I'm strumming the
acoustic guitars and plucking the electric baritone guitar. The consistently
patient and wise Craig Parker Adams recorded the track at his Winslow Court
Studio.

The CASE FOR CASE tribute set was released a couple of years ago on the
Hungry For Music label and it was put together by Jeff Campbell with the
proceeds going to his wonderful Hungry For Music organization that gives
musical instruments to underprivileged kids. Please check out the group's
website at hungryformusic.org for more information. If you want to hear
Peter singing his own songs as only he can, listen to any of his records
from his days with The Plimsouls through his various solo albums and,
especially, to his his most recent Grammy nominated CD, the inspirational
LET US NOW PRAISE SLEEPY JOHN on the brave and true Yep Roc label.

Dave Alvin, Aug 21, 2008

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Letter from Dave Alvin

Dear friends & fans:

I'd like to let you know about a 3 day benefit called the Dog & Pony Show that some close friends and I have put together for this coming Labor Day weekend, Aug 30, 31 and Sept 1.

The past year has been very hard health wise for many members of the California music scene. Four friends/musicians of ours (western soul singer Chris Gaffney, superb guitarist Duane Jarvis, blues diva Candye Kane, psycho-billy hot-rodder Drac Conley) were all diagnosed with different forms of cancer and need our help to deal with the expense of their various treatments. Instead of putting on four different benefits, I thought it might make more sense to do one BIG one featuring many of the bands and musicians that have played with Chris, Duane, Candye and Drac through the years. Thus, the Dog And Pony Show was born.

Seeing how my late friend (and spiritual advisor), Chris Gaffney, always referred our gigs together as "dog and pony shows," I thought that his descriptive phrase would be a perfect name for the benefit (though he never did tell me which one of us was the dog and which one was the pony).

Sadly, as many of you may know, Chris passed away recently but the good news is that Duane, Candye and Drac are doing fine and hanging tough through this rough time. Without going into a long dissertation on the state of health care in our country, I would like to point out that they still need financial help with their treatments and recoveries. All the money we raise at the Dog And Pony Show will be going directly to them (or in Chris's case, to his survivors) to cover their medical expenses.

If you are in California this Labor Day weekend, or even remotely nearby, I'd like to personally invite you to come to the shows. There will be great music, drinks, dancing, barbeque, some memories, some laughs, a couple of tears and a roomful of love. I'll see you there.

Myspace.com/musicmenageriedogandponyshow
www.musicmenagerie.net/dogandponyshow

Dave Alvin – Aug 6, 2008

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Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE written by Link Davis, Crazy Cajun Music BMI

Albuquerque available for download here


This version of ALBUQUERQUE is a tribute of sorts to my best friend and
spiritual advisor, the late Chris Gaffney. For many years this old Link
Davis Sr. song was a staple of Chris's barroom gigs with his great band, The
Cold Hard Facts. I dug this funky, little blues song so much that Chris and
I talked through the years about recording it together but, sadly for
whatever reason, we never got around to it. Oh well.

During a recent rehearsal with my band, The Guilty Men, we started
reminiscing about Chris and before long we were jamming on ALBUQUERQUE just
for fun. Fortunately, we were practicing at Craig Parker Adams's Winslow
Court Studio and Craig recorded the whole thing. Drummer Steve Mugalian and
bassist Gregory Boaz are the rock solid rhythm section and Jack Rudy is
blowing the tough harmonica. Guitarist Chris Miller is playing some soulful
R+B licks while I'm doing my Freddie King imitation on the wah-wah guitar.
Unfortunately, Joe Terry, the keyboardist for The Guilty Men, wasn't able to
be at the rehearsal. Also, sadly, Gaffney wasn't there either.

ALBUQUERQUE was written by Link Davis Sr. He was a veteran musician/singer
who started out playing western swing but, throughout his long career from
the late 40's until the 60s, he cut records in just about every roots music
style from Cajun (his biggest hit was the Cajun classic, BIG MAMOU), blues,
rockabilly, folk and country. My kind of guy. Most of the bars mentioned in
the song are long gone except for the Caravan East on Central Avenue (the
old Route 66) on the east side of Albuquerque. Maybe some night, I'll run
into you at the Caravan East and we can have a beer or two and raise a toast
to Link Davis Sr. and Chris Gaffney.

Dave Alvin - 7/16/08

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Man Walks Among Us

MAN WALKS AMONG US - written by Marty Robbins

The first record I ever owned was EL PASO by Marty Robbins. I was four or
five years old and forced my mother to buy it for me after hearing the song
on the radio. The first mechanical thing I ever learned to operate was our
family record player just so I could play EL PASO over and over and over and
over again. To this day if I'm in a barroom or a diner, and EL PASO is on
the jukebox, it's a damn safe bet what the first song I'm punching in will
be. I often wonder whether the reason that I'm drawn to writing narrative
style songs is based on the fact that EL PASO (perhaps tied with Chuck
Berry's MEMPHIS) is my favorite song of all time. A perfect piece of
songwriting.

Many people tend to think that EL PASO is a traditional old West folk ballad
or was written by some extremely talented yet anonymous Nashville
songwriter. Nope. It was written by the man who sang it, Marty Robbins. He
was not only one of the greatest singers/performers in country music history
but he was also one of country music's (or any kind of music's) greatest
songwriters. Born and raised in Arizona, Marty had a deep emotional feeling
for the West and it's history, myths and landscape and that connection was
expressed in the lyrics he wrote in some of his best songs. Which brings me
to my second favorite song that Marty Robbins wrote, MAN WALKS AMONG US.
Originally released on his 1963 album, The Gunfighter Returns, MAN WALKS
AMONG US is a bittersweet meditation on the tragic changes mankind was
bringing to his beloved desert and it's non-human inhabitants.

When I first heard the lyrics to MAN WALKS AMONG US years ago, I was
completely blown away. Not only was someone expressing thoughts and emotions
that I'd always felt but, what really floored me, was that these very
personal sentiments were coming from Marty Robbins. Marty Robbins, country
music icon and . . . tree hugger?!?! Or cactus hugger to be perhaps more
accurate. While I may be exaggerating the tree hugger thing a little bit,
Marty's wise and tender lyrics predate the modern environmental movement,
and our society's slow acknowledgment of the damages to our fragile
ecosystems, by several years if not decades. I'd always admired Marty
Robbins not only for his songwriting prowess and stunning voice, but also
because (like Ray Charles, Elvis, Sam Cooke and Bob Dylan) he was always
wiling to explore various musical styles and not be hemmed in by musical
genres or people's artistic expectations of him. Honky tonk, rock-a-billy,
cowboy songs, pop ballads, blues, spirituals, even Hawaiian and calypso
songs are all part of his recorded legacy. But after hearing MAN WALKS AMONG
US, I also admire him for composing, in my opinion, one of the best
environmental songs ever written.

Joining me on this track are some fellow tree huggers of one sort or
another. Former forest ranger and current musical visionary, Greg Leisz on
pedal steel and electric guitar, former Guilty Man Rick Shea is doing the
pretty acoustic guitar work and harmony vocals, former Roger Miller/Hoyt
Axton musical co-conspirator David Jackson plays the acoustic bass while
former drummer for the likes of Emmy Lou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Big Mama
Thornton and Bob Dylan, Don Heffington is keeping everything in time with
his unique and sensitive drum styling. The track was recorded and mixed by
the always patient and sonically astute, Craig Parker Adams at his Winslow
Court Studio.

Normally I don't do this kind of thing but if you want to check out some
environmental groups I support, I sincerely recommend looking into The
Nature Conservancy, The Center For Biological Diversity and The Wildlands
Conservancy to name a few. If you ever do run into me out on a hiking trail
in the desert or in the hills, it's a damn safe bet what song I'll be
humming to myself.

Dave Alvin - 4/15/08

12:24 AM - 6 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Two Lucky Bums - Memorial Edition

TWO LUCKY BUMS (Memorial Edition)
Written by Dave Alvin – Performed by Dave Alvin & Chris Gaffney

My other big brother, Chris Gaffney passed away
Thursday morning, April 17, 2008.

I had another song prepared for this months download but with the recent
sudden and tragic passing of my best friend Chris Gaffney, it just seemed
proper to re-release TWO LUCKY BUMS. Nothing could better express what
Chris's friendship meant to me than this duet I wrote for the two of us.
This version is a bit different than the previously released one.  Just a few
days before Chris died, I added two old pals of ours to the track, David
Jackson on the stand up bass and Don Heffington on the drums. Both musicians
have played on various recordings and in various barrooms with Chris and I
over the years so it made sense to fill out the track a little bit with
their subtle but invaluable assistance.  Our trusted engineer, Craig Parker
Adams, did a beautiful re-mix that brought much more dynamics and color to
the track while keeping it's essential intimacy intact.

I really don't know what else to say right now, but I feel that I have to say
something.  First of all, I want to again thank everyone that sent messages
to Chris and donated funds to his cause.  It means more than you'll know to
Chris, his family and me.   We are still raising money at www.helpgaff.com to
help with the existing medical bills and other various expenses including a
forthcoming memorial service.
 
After twenty-some years I have thousands of memories of Chris.  Through those
years of songs, laughs, countless barrooms, eternal highways, broken hearts,
screw-ups, bail outs, close calls, busted strings, elusive dreams, flat
tires, stalled engines, hard hangovers, bad gigs, great gigs, in between
gigs, tragedies, triumphs, secret jokes, bad TV, worse food and now, tears,
Gaffney always had my back.   I never had to worry about nothing or nobody if
Gaffney was with me.   I don't know what I ever did to deserve it but, God, I
was blessed to have Chris Gaffney as my best friend.
 
Chris's and my friend, B.J. in Omaha, said it best for me in a email
yesterday.  She said that I now have a "wild angel looking out for me."
Yeah, I do believe that's true.
 
I'll still see you in Cuervo, brother.
Dave  4/20/08
 

Dave's words behind the song, Two Lucky Bums:

Out in the lonely, high desert plains of New Mexico is a tiny, semi
abandoned town called Cuervo. Fifteen or twenty mostly dilapidated buildings
made of rock, adobe and wood. My best guess is that they were built around
one hundred years ago but they could be much older. In their current state
the buildings appear not to have been constructed by human hands but to have
risen out of the surrounding sand, rock and chaparral landscape under their
own power. That's about all I know about Cuervo.

Now, what does Cuervo have to do with TWO LUCKY BUMS, a duet that I wrote
for myself and my best pal, Chris Gaffney (from the Hacienda Brothers)?
Well, for many years after Gaffney and I first stumbled on to Cuervo late one night while on tour, he
and I have fantasized about buying the quasi ghost town and moving there,
dragging all our other friends along with us. Of course we don't have the
cash to do it but it's a nice little dream for a couple of musician/bums.
We've spent more than a few hours on various highways and continents making
wildly improbable plans for our small desert paradise. Whenever we're
driving near Cuervo, we always stop and say something wistful along the
lines of, "Someday, Gaffney" or "Someday, Alvin." Eventually I figured if we
ever did find ourselves in the unlikely position of possessing Cuervo, that
the potentially ludicrous experience would probably be like an old Bing
Crosby and Bob Hope "road" movie. THE ROAD TO CUERVO, I guess. And that
movie would need some songs so I'd better write some. TWO LUCKY BUMS might
just be the theme song.

The song is a bit different for Gaffney and me. I've always been a fan of
Crosby's laid back vocals and also a fan of the great 1930's and 40's pop
songwriters but I have never attempted writing anything in that swing/pop
style but I figured, "What the Hell?" I guess it's a tribute of sorts to
Crosby, Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer, etc. Beside singing with me, Chris
plays some sweet, accordion licks while I strum some rudimentary 40's jazz
guitar. Craig Parker Adams did his usual superb recording job at his Winslow
Court Studio in Los Angeles and our buddy Kurt Mahoney took the photograph.
Gaffney and I had a real gas recording TWO LUCKY BUMS and I sincerely hope
you get a kick out of it. Until we meet again, see you in Cuervo.
 
Dave Alvin 12/3/07
 

8:52 PM - 2 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Chris Gaffney 1950-2008

Chris Gaffney 1950 - 2008

My other big brother, Chris Gaffney passed away Thursday morning, April 17,
2008.

I really don't know what to say right now but I feel that I have to say
something.  First of all, I want to again thank everyone that sent messages
to Chris and donated funds to his cause. It means more than you'll know to
Chris, his family and me.  We are still raising money at www.helpgaff.com to
help with the existing medical bills and other various expenses including a
forthcoming memorial service.

After twenty-some years I have thousands of memories of Chris. Through those
years of songs, laughs, countless barrooms, eternal highways, broken hearts,
screw-ups, bail outs, close calls, busted strings, elusive dreams, flat
tires, stalled engines, hard hangovers, bad gigs, great gigs, in between
gigs, tragedies, triumphs, secret jokes, bad TV, worse food and now, tears,
Gaffney always had my back.  I never had to worry about nothing or nobody if
Gaffney was with me.  I don't know what I ever did to deserve it but, God, I
was blessed to have Chris Gaffney as my best friend.

Chris's and my friend, B.J. in Omaha, said it best for me in a email
yesterday. She said that I now have a "wild angel looking out for me."
Yeah, I do believe that's true.

I'll still see you in Cuervo, brother.
Dave

1:13 AM - 19 Comments - 20 Kudos - Add Comment

Chris Gaffney

Dear friends, fans and everyone else:

I want to sincerely thank everyone who has gone (and will go) to
helpgaff.com and donated to the Chris Gaffney cause. I’m really at a loss
for words regarding the overwhelming response from so many people to our
call for help. Beside your financial donations, your many heartfelt messages
of love and support have deeply moved Chris, his family and me. I don’t
think Chris ever realized how much his music touches people and how truly
beloved he is. These are rough financial times for many of us, but your
selfless generosity in the face of that hard reality, has gotten me a bit
misty eyed on more than a couple occasions lately.

I’d also like to thank all the people who are putting together benefit shows
across the country. Shows are currently being planned in Austin, Omaha,
Houston, San Francisco, Nashville and several other locations. Please let us
know at helpgaff.com if you’re doing a benefit for Chris so that we can plug
it on the site. Later this year I plan on doing a benefit performance in
southern California with many longtime friends of mine and Chris’s. Check
back here or at the Gaff site for information about when and where that will
be happening.

My "other big brother" Chris is a fighter and having all of you in his
corner has made me even more positive that he will win this fight. Thank
you all very, very much.

Dave Alvin
April 8 2008

2:23 PM - 4 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Live in Pasadena!

Nationally-renowned author Gerald Haslam and Grammy Winner Dave Alvin will appear for a free program on Saturday, April 5th at 7 p.m. in the South Pasadena Library Community Room at 1115 El Centro Street. Gerald Haslam is one of the most acclaimed California authors now working and the Long Beach Press-Telegram called him "the writer’s writer." His widely-praised books include That Constant Coyote, The Great Central Valley, The Other California, and Coming of Age in California, selected as one of the 20th Century’s Top 100 nonfiction books from the West in a San Francisco Chronicle poll. His presentation will center on his groundbreaking book Workin’ Man Blues: Country Music in California. It won Rolling Stone Magazine’s Ralph J. Gleason Award as best music book of the year and was made into a feature documentary for PBS. Haslam’s publisher, Heyday Books will be selling his books during the event and all profits will be donated to the Friends of the South Pasadena Library.
 
Also, appearing will be L.A. singer, songwriter, and musician Dave Alvin who won the Best Traditional Folk Grammy Award for his 2000 album, Public Domain: Songs from the Wild Land. His new album is West of West: Songs from California Songwriters, Vol. 1. The Author Night Event is presented by the South Pasadena Public Library, the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library, and the South Pasadena Chinese American Club. The Bissell House and S& B Sound Engineering are co-sponsors. No tickets or reservations are required.

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Those Lonely, Lonely Nights

THOSE LONELY, LONELY NIGHTS
Earl King/Johnny Vincent
Demon Music Ltd. BMI

This month’s song is very, very special for me.  Last December, Chris
Gaffney joined me on stage with The Gene Taylor Blues Band and sang Earl
King’s classic 1955 blues ballad, THOSE LONELY, LONELY NIGHTS.  As great as
Earl King’s original recording is, Chris and I have always loved the version
by Johnny "Guitar" Watson also cut in ’55.  Besides a typically passionate
vocal, Watson’s version features one of my favorite guitar solos of all time
- as simple and effective as a Zen haiku or a punch in the face (I try to
replicate Watson’s furious, one note attack in the first chorus of my solo
before heading off in my own direction).  Needless to say, Chris sings the
hell out of it.  As some of you who are fans of his solo
recordings and his CDs with The Hacienda Brothers already know, Chris is one
of
contemporary roots music’s greatest singers.  Whether the song is country,
soul, blues, rock and roll, norteno or even Sinatra pop, Chris delivers the
musical and emotional goods like few others can these days.

All this brings me to some very sad news.  My best friend Chris Gaffney is
seriously ill and requires some costly medical treatments.  Unfortunately,
most of us understand the tough financial reality of the health industry
these days and know that every little bit helps in paying the various bills.
To help Chris cover his medical expenses, his family has put together a
website where all of his friends and fans around the world can donate to the
Gaffney cause.   Please go to www.helpgaff.com   You’ll be able to make a
donation there through this site as well leave get well messages for Chris
and get updates on his situation.   I know times are tough for just about
everyone right now, but any contribution you can make would be deeply and
sincerely appreciated by Chris, his family and me.

Our version of THOSE LONELY, LONELY NIGHTS with Gaffney is another outtake
from the upcoming Gene Taylor Blues Band live CD, and whatever income is
generated from the downloads of this recording will be going directly into
the Gaffney medical fund.  I’d like to thank the members of The Gene Taylor
Blues Band (Gene the piano monster, bass specialist John Bazz and drum deity
Bill Bateman), genius recording engineer Mark Linett, visionary executive
producer Hudson Marquez and the good folks at Yep Roc for their generosity
and help in making this possible.

Get well brother Chris. I’ll see you in Cuervo!  - Dave Alvin March 17, 2008

11:25 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Drunk

Who says a song needs more than one chord? Rhythm and Blues pioneer Jimmy
Liggins didn't think so and his 1953 jump blues hit DRUNK, a tribute to the
joys and travails of inebriation, certainly proves it.

Jimmy Liggins was the guitar playing brother of another R+B legend, pianist/
singer/songwriter Joe Liggins (composer of blues standards like THE
HONEYDRIPPER and PINK CHAMPAGNE) and Jimmy was also a boxer who fought under
the name Kid Zulu. The Liggins brothers were mainstays of the fertile 1940's
and 50s Central Avenue music scene in Los Angeles. Joe Liggins was still
performing in the 1970s when my brother Phil, Gene Taylor and I would catch him playing
piano and singing in little dive bars around LA and Long Beach. He was an
extremely talented and nice man. I wish I would've have also met Jimmy. I
bet he could've taught me a lot about the complex mysteries of a one chord
song. 

Over the years Jimmy Liggins' one chord classic has been a staple in the
repertoire of many barroom blues, western swing and rockabilly bands (I've
even sung it once or twice with my band, The Guilty Men). This version of
DRUNK, though, was recorded live last December at the Café Boogaloo in
Hermosa Beach, California when I was part of a short west coast tour with
THE GENE TAYLOR BLUES BAND. Keyboard master Gene Taylor is singing and
rocking the piano, Bill Bateman is swinging the drums and John Bazz is
walking the stand up bass while I imitate some honking saxophone riffs on my
electric guitar. The gigs were a special holiday reunion with my hometown
pals and I had a blast to say the least. Our off the cuff take of DRUNK was
recorded and mixed by the genius engineer, Mark Linett and executive
produced by noted R+B scholar Hudson Marquez. This track is a bonus outtake from a live CD by THE GENE TAYLOR BLUES BAND that will be available later this year. Until then, I hope you enjoy DRUNK and remember to always drink
responsibly. - Dave Alvin 2/23/08

1:27 PM - 9 Comments - 18 Kudos - Add Comment