Dave Alvin

Comments (0) By William Michael Smith Wednesday, Nov 12 2008

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7 and 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 18, at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk, 713-528-5999.

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Dave Alvin has been one of the enduring pillars of American roots music for the past 30 years. One reason the seasoned Californian remains evergreen is his knack for reinvention and reinterpretation; Alvin never lets his massive catalog or his stage shows grow stale. Since he split from seminal '80s roots-rockers the Blasters, Alvin has been in constant physical and musical motion. His full-band shows are the stuff of legend, but there have been periods when Alvin has shelved the band for acoustic shows and, although his acoustic playing is just as jaw-dropping as his electric work, these shows have given us a glimpse at a different side of Alvin. It's ironic that such a great electric player won a Grammy for his 1994 acoustic album King of California, but as Alvin always notes, there's two types of folk music — quiet and loud — and he plays both. Alvin's former label Hightone Records has just released a greatest hits album, while his current label Yep Roc has just released Live!!! 605 Boogie!!! by ex-Blaster piano man Gene Taylor featuring Alvin and the Blasters' rhythm section. Alvin is also producing a tribute to his longtime accordionist and best friend Chris Gaffney, who died a few months ago. We get him this trip in a new configuration with second guitarist Chris Miller; few acoustic shows will ever match the duo for guitar firepower. This one will be special.