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Dave And The Guilty Men Live Album Due Out May 21

Latest News ((cont. from page 1))  You'll hear from producer Dave Alvin and see a photo of Dave in the studio with Christy. -- On 5/6/02 Dave Alvin taped 5 songs and an interview for "Sessions at AOL," an internet only radio station on AOL. It is expected to start airing in mid-May. Dave played with Rick Shea, Chris Gaffney, and Brantley Kearns. Go to keyword "Sessions at AOL." -- Rhino records will release on CD the X album See How We Are on May 21. Dave Alvin was a member of X for the recording of this album. His 4TH OF JULY is on there. Six bonus tracks will be included such as: demo remixes of HOLIDAY STORY, I'M LOST, IN THE TIME IT TAKES AND SEE HOW WE ARE;  an outtake/rough mix cover of HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED , and the cassette version of SEE HOW WE ARE. Dave remembers: "We did about three sessions with different producers so there are a lot of unreleased stuff. A song called JUST ANOTHER PERFECT DAY and a Dylan song called POSITIVELY FOURTH STREET. When I finished the record putting my last guitar part down, I handed in my notice.  Then they went in and on a couple of songs they took my guitar off and had Tony Gilkyson to play." -- On April 25, 2002 Dave Alvin along with a backing band of Rick Shea, Chris Gaffney, and Brantley Kearns appeared on the Craig Kilborn Late night TV show on CBS. Dave: "The show was fun, but it was a little weird because they don't film it in one fell swoop. The Rock (wrestler) was taped a few hours before us in the morning. We were on in the afternoon and the girl who was interviewed before us on the aired program, was taped after us. I thought it was great that they did a tight close up of the album cover (Out In California live album). They checked the songs on the record and asked that I do FOURTH OF JULY." -- Jill Olson's MY BEST YESTERDAY album (produced by Dave Alvin) is due out 5/28 on "125 records." There is a special pre-release price of $10 for the disc available now at www.125records.com. The special ends on 5/27.

--Read the Blasters / Dave Alvin newsletters on the web at www.BlastersNewsletter.com --

HighTone Records releases a Dave Alvin and the Guilty men live album called OUT IN CALIFORNIA

That's where Merle Haggard and Buck Owens and all those guys played. The song is a little bit of a tribute to the west coast country guys."
ALL ROUND MAN - "When I was doing
Public Domain, I was looking for a hokum-style-blues number to put on the record. I had a few things in mind and that was one of them. I wound up going with WALK RIGHT IN because it was more well known. I started doing ALL ROUND MAN live on the John Hurt tribute tour. The lyrics are very different than all my other songs. So it's a nice change from sad songs. Bo Carter originally did that in the early thirties."
On BLUE BLVD Dave does a nice recital during the lead in to the song about his cousin Donna. Dave: "That recital is not something that I planned; it just happened. I wasn't gonna put the song on the record. But as we listened to the tapes, it kind of explains the song. I do like the song. I got a bad review years back, where he just gave me hell for that song. I took the review pretty hard -- the song means a lot to me --I dropped the song for a long time. Only recently, I brought it back. I'm pretty sensitive when it comes to that stuff."
The last song on the CD is a Little Walter song that Dave does as an instrumental called EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT. Dave used to call this THE R & B EXIT song. Dave: "That's because a lot of the R & B guys do an exit on that song and I kind of liked that (laughs). The first time we ever did it was in Colombia MO. It was strictly as a joke. But what was nice about it was I could get off stage put my guitar away, change my sweaty shirt, and the band is still playing. Then it gives me time to put my stuff away so I can go settle up, sit down, or meet people and sign autographs - you know before the post gig hub-bub starts. It's also one of my favorite songs. I can't sing it, but I love the lick and it gives me a chance to play a blues shuffle (laughs).
Lou Beach did the album artwork. Dave: "He did the artwork for the jazz band Weather Report and my first solo album. We drifted apart for some years and have now become really good friends again. He's done every cover for me after
Interstate City. He is a great artist."
"The idea for the cover started out as a psychedelic Haight / Ashbury kind of cover. One thing they would do on the old psychedelic posters is they would use old graphics. So we used old California graphics from turn of the century post cards -- All the classic California visual natural archetypes. On the cover there's the grizzly bear, which is the state symbol and is extinct now. We couldn't find an old postcard of a California condor, so we used an eagle. Then there are the orange trees, the redwoods, the Santa Barbara mission, and Mount Shasta in the background. On the back cover is the desert, various cactuses, the scorpion, and on the inside you have the Guilty men conquering the rattlesnake (laughs), and we threw a mountain lion in there for good luck. The snake shot is from an old postcard. Lou put us in there and I thought that's brilliant!"
Inside is a nice shot of Dave kneeling in an orange grove with an unusual but interesting over exposure of orange coloring. Dave: "That was taken by Issa Sharp. She did the photos for
Black Jack David and Interstate City. We took that about a year ago. It was gonna be the cover for Public Domain, then I decided to go with the nineteenth century photos instead. When she developed it a few weeks later, I was like, wow, the sunset was very orange. When they printed it for the cover they brought the orange out more.
It was taken at sunset in an orange grove in an area in Ventura county that I like a lot because the valley is like what Downey was like when I was a little kid. That area has small towns - places like Fillmore and Santa Paula with orange groves, and avocado groves. It's still like that to this day. I always loved that photo, and when Lou saw it he said it had to be on this record."
The album will be released on May 21, 2002. Dave says: " We are going to be on tour all summer supporting this. I have to keep my guys all working." 
~~AM

most are not.
But in any case, the fact that the old stuff is finally available is a great relief to everybody, and it's great to see Dave, Phil, Johnny, Bill and Gene (plus Lee) recognized again for the great band they were and the influence they've had.
If you talk to Dave, please let him know that I appreciate his thoughtfulness and concern a great deal, and I look forward to seeing him again at some Blasters gig, whether it's him or me on stage. Long live the Blasters.    best regards, Keith"

THE BLASTERS ORIGINAL RECIPE TOUR        Day-by-Day diary by Billy Davis

Blasters March 2002 reunion tour introduction page
3/3/02 Blasters Rehearsal Day 1
3/4/02 Blasters Rehearsal Day 2
3/5/02 Blasters Rehearsal Day 3
3/6/02 The Blasters San Diego 4TH and B soundcheck
3/6/02 The Blasters San Diego 4TH and B show
3/7/02 The Blasters Santa Ana Galaxy Thearter soundcheck
3/7/02 The Blasters Santa Ana Galaxy Theater show
3/8/02 The Blasters Hollywood House Of Blues soundcheck
3/8/02 The Blasters Hollywood House Of Blues show
3/9/02 The Blasters San Francisco Slim's soundcheck
3/9/02 The Blasters San Francisco Slim's show
3/10/02 The Blasters Petaluma Mystic Theater soundcheck
3/10/02 The Blasters Petaluma Mystic Theater backstage
3/10/02 The Blasters Petaluma Mystic Theater show