Blasters' co-leader solo adventures are musically exhilarating, vocally unique and full of exulting humor. Be it with jazz or brass bands (The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Sun Ra's Arkestra, The Faultline Syncopators), accompanied by his Blasters, or by a tasty choice of guests (Billy Boy Arnold, James Intveld, Jerome Bowman, Mary Franklin, Top Jimmy, Fayard Nicholas, Eddie Baytos, Ike "Diz" Williams, Jerry Angel…), or alone on guitar, Phil Alvin's journey through the roots American music is absolutely rejoicing.
Phil musical career started in his native California in 1979 when he and younger brother Dave formed the cult roots rock revival band The Blasters. Although receiving largely positive reviews and developing a devoted fan base, mainstream commercial success didn't follow. When Dave left in 1985, Alvin returned to California State University to complete a master's degree in mathematics and artificial intelligence (he would have got a Ph.D. later) while working on his first solo project, “Un 'Sung Stories'”, which was released the following year (1986). Meanwhile he had reformed the Blasters without Dave and through various line-ups in time. A second solo album, “County Fair 2000”, appeared in 1994, featuring, among others, the “new” Blasters and members of his side project, The Faultline Syncopators.
The first thing that strikes is Phil's powerful and special vocal texture according quite well with the type of songs he sings, humorous songs for the majority of them.
Phil didn't penned one single track in this album, he went back in time to dig up old forms of American music instead : New Orleans brass band style (“Someone Stole Gabriel's Horn”); ragtime (“Next Week Sometime”); 1930s-40s Cab Calloway/Benny Goodman swing style (the three part suite build around Calloway's famous “Minnie The Moocher” titled “The Ballad Of Smokey Joe”, “The Old Man Of The Mountain”); gospel (“Death In The Morning”, featuring background vocals from The Jubilee Train Singers); early R'n'B (Otis Blackwell's “Daddy Rollin' Stone”); old blues (“Titanic Blues”, Peetie Wheatstraw's “Gangster's Blues”); Broadway jazz review style (“Brother Can You Spare A Dime?”); or Irish-flavored folk ballad (“Collins' Cave”).
Phil's taste for roots music was already perceptible with the Blasters. On this first solo opus, it explodes into a firework of throwback numbers all greatly arranged and executed by excellent musicians.
Phil didn't write a single song neither on this second album which is more varied than his debut one, exploring early country (“County Fair”, “Starlight”, “Keep In Touch”), blues (“Wreck Your V-8 Ford”, “That Thing”, “She Loves So Good”, “Callin' Corrine”, “Oh, Doctor”), rockabilly (“The Blue Line”), tap dancing and swing jazz (“What's The Reason I'm Not Pleasin' You”, “The Terror”, “Mr. Satellite Man”, “Low Down Rhythm”), New Orleans brass band music again (“Turnin' Blues Into Gold”, the “Danny Boy's Mourning Sunset” suite).
In fact, this classification is purely indicative because those varied genres are tightly mingled together : country with rockabilly, blues with country or early rock'n'roll, swing jazz with brass band music, etc. Most of the lyrics are joyfully humorous and enhanced by funny banters-like interventions, the musicians are perfect, and just like on the first album, the result is a unique dive into some of the roots of American music, a kind of traveling vaudeville show.
Difficult to choose outstanding tracks on both albums and I won't even try, leaving each listener decide according to his/her personal taste. I'll just conclude by this : to try it is to adopt it ! ●
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| Phil (center) with Willie Dixon |
Live videos... are better than long speeches
► Interview
■ Phil Alvin, 2016 : https://youtu.be/QjunjrkToAI?t=77
► Phil Alvin solo
■ Copenhagen, Denmark, 2011 : https://youtu.be/3Mk-2eDTG4c
■ Redwood Bar and Grill, Los Angeles, 2012 : https://youtu.be/e6pPgGSFwbw
■ "I Can't Live My Life Without You", Viva Cantina, Burbank, CA, 2012 : https://youtu.be/HNG5lr9CCrU
■ The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA, 2013 : https://youtu.be/a41ZNY9RZBo
► The Blasters (with or without Dave Alvin)
■ The Blasters, Santa Cruz County Fair, CA, 1985 : https://youtu.be/3jfOrxEM-64
■ Stages Music Hall TV program, Chicago, 1982 (feat Carl Perkins & Willie Dixon) : https://youtu.be/txdDt_nFftA
■ Maloe Melo, Amsterdam, Holland, 2006 : https://youtu.be/lFRPg-GXPx0
■ Castaways, Ithaca NY, 2010 : https://youtu.be/BmDBTsRcW5w
■ Las Vegas, NV, 2016 : https://youtu.be/WjXiGT_OXDI
■ The Blasters, the Yost, Santa Ana, CA, 2018 : https://youtu.be/i7zdV_Gjxus
■ Philadelphia, PA, 2018 : https://youtu.be/3BdBRoCL6jo
■ Chiari, Italy, 2018 : https://youtu.be/d_axpaSzPHU?t=244
■ Alameda, CA, 2021 : https://youtu.be/hJcc04snyyg
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| Dave (left) and Phil (center) |
■ “Marie Marie” in Spanish, Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, CA, 2012 : https://youtu.be/GloV6mquRng
■ Joining the 44s for "Come Back Baby", 2012 : https://youtu.be/Ih53XixzYnY
■ Bang Festival, Santa Ana, CA, 2014 : https://youtu.be/v87ySib0el0
■ “Fourth of July”, Lucy's Fried Chicken, Austin, TX, 2014 : https://youtu.be/9dXvuTb8qds
■ “What's Up With Your Brother”, Conroe, TX, 2014 : https://youtu.be/7EmPqDAVetg
■ Phil talks about his near death in Spain, 2014 : https://youtu.be/78kNRnMPxIA
■ With The Guilty Ones, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest., 2014 : https://youtu.be/JtaCgLobvrk
■ “Marie Marie” & “So Long Baby Goodbye”, Helsinki, Finland, 2014 : https://youtu.be/JE29eDPVeSs
■ Mystic Theatre, Petaluma, CA, 2015 : https://youtu.be/xQQEBJVNO7Y
■ With the Guilty Ones, Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, OH, 2015 : https://youtu.be/dU8KMUwXLDM
■ The Flycatcher, Tucson, AZ, 2015 : https://youtu.be/qJmqZVoMNbs
■ City Winery, NYC, NY, 2015 (followed by Dead Rock West at 21 :50) : https://youtu.be/qdWlnk0Htos
■ Playing Big Bill Broonzy, 2015 :→ "Southern Flood Blues" : https://youtu.be/TnxnuzIxnY0
→ https://youtu.be/us8YGQti-8E
→ "All By Myself" and "Key To The Highway" : https://youtu.be/lcpFzAy7vnw
:■ Empire Music Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2016 :
→ #1 : https://youtu.be/PHPptIOmH6U
→ #2 : https://youtu.be/9GbVL17OA8w
■ "Turn On Your Lovelight", Lucerne Blues Festival, Switzerland, 2016 : https://youtu.be/eUpCaT_Zzl0
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