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No one writes songs about California like Dave Alvin writes songs about California ...The guy must sleep with a map of the state, small pieces of blacktop from Highway 99, a stack of Mike Davis books and a tiny Joshua tree under his pillow. And he wonders why he has neck pain! Anyway, after crafting captivating California chronicles like "Dry River," "King of California," and "Out in California" (to name only a few), I figured he must not have many Golden State tunes left in him. Then along comes his latest album, Blackjack David -- which by the way manages to be his best record ever -- and the song "California Snow," which is arguably his most stunning tribute to California-ness yet.
So I was really looking forward to seeing Alvin at the Strawberry Music Festival. I've seen him all over this state, but somehow I can't imagine a more uniquely Californian setting in which to hear this fabulous songwriter and equally talented showman do his thing (okay, a honky-tonk in Bakersfield would be a close second). And he did not disappoint at either of his Friday shows, first on the Main Stage and later that night at his Amy's Orchid Cafe acoustic set.
The Main Stage show was predictably focused on fan favorites like "Fourth of July," "Haley's Comet," and all of the California songs I mentioned before. He slipped in his Woody Guthrie cover "Do Re Mi" and Chuck Berry's "Promised Land," and broke out the Blasters' classics "American Music" and "Marie Marie." To put it simply, he rocked. Songs from Blackjack David like the title track and "Abilene" sounded great, too.
But what I noticed most was how comfortable he now seems mixing songs from different eras of his career on stage. It wasn't always that way -- for a few years there it seemed like he felt obligated to burn it up on electric guitar, Blasters-style, for a big crowd, or do an all-acoustic set in a more intimate setting. At his Strawberry show he mixed-and-matched like crazy, and didn't mind letting right-hand man Rick Shea handle a lot of the guitar rave-ups. Maybe he felt especially at home with the Strawberry crowd, or maybe that's just the point he's at in his career. Either way, it was nice to see.
His set at Amy's Orchid was equally flawless. I don't think he repeated a single song, opening with the sinister "Barn Burning" and then jumping into the traditional "Railroad Bill." After that was his Merle Haggard cover "Kern River," which is notable not just because it's a breathtaking version of one of the Hag's best songs, but also because it offers a clue as to where Alvin learned to write so damn well about California. He also did Tom Russell's "Blue Wing," and dusted off two of his own crowd-pleasers, "Romeo's Escape" and "Wanda and Duane." In between, he talked about his recent time on the road with Bob Dylan and his memories of the late Country Dick Montana.
Most of Alvin's band is pretty new, though drummer Bobby Lloyd Hicks has been playing with Alvin since 1994's King of California, and bassist Gregory Boaz has been a Guilty Man since at least the 1996 live album Interstate City. All things considered, though, I can't believe how tight the band is -- they seem to have a real understanding of Alvin's musical vision.
"This is the most fun we've ever had at Strawberry," Alvin mused as they closed their Amy's set. "Maybe if we don't break anything, they'll have us back one of these years." I, for one, hope it's soon.
-- Steve Palopoli
(Yell at Steve about this piece, why dontcha!)
Photos and martinis by Steve Palopoli too.