It would be difficult to find an artist whose music spans more genres of American roots music than Dave Alvin’s does. Perhaps best known for his 1979-1986 stint with the Blasters, which also included his brother Phil, Alvin’s third and current solo album, “Museum of Heart,” is a musical trek through the territories of blues, rockabilly, country, folk and rock, all made of a piece by his deft, slice-of-life songwriting.
Alvin and his band, the Guilty Men, will perform Friday at the Cubby Bear and Saturday at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn. Since leaving the Blasters, Alvin served brief stints in X and its folk spinoff band the Knitters, contributed music to such films as “Wall Street,” “Bull Durham” and “To Live and Die in L.A.,” and produced an album for rockabilly legend Sonny Burgess. Mainly, though, he has pursued a solo career that has celebrated “American Music,” which is also the title of one of his best-known songs.
Oddly enough, while Alvin was the Blasters’ principal songwriter, contributing such classics as “Long White Cadillac” (later covered by Dwight Yoakam) and “Marie Marie,” he was content to let brother Phil handle the lead vocal chores. It wasn’t until he launched his solo career in 1987 with the “Romeo’s Escape” album that he felt confident enough to sing his own songs.
“I thought I couldn’t sing back then,” said Alvin by phone from his Los Angeles home. “I’d sing at rehearsals when I’d bring in a new song, and then Phil and I would argue back and forth about how to sing it. Eventually it came down to the fact that I couldn’t progress as a songwriter if I couldn’t sing my own songs.”
While Phil may be the better singer technically, Dave’s gruff vocals are perfectly suited to the dark material that makes up much of “Museum of Heart.” The songs touch on despair (“Thirty Dollar Room”), death on the mean streets (“Between the Cracks”) and loss (“As She Slowly Turns to Leave”).
Alvin, who in conversation comes across as an amiable enough guy, says that he finds songwriting to be “cathartic.”
“I can write about things that in our day-to-day conversations with people we usually don’t discuss,” he said. “Songs, poetry and paintings are where we feel comfortable or moved enough to discuss these things. Part of it is also the influence of the blues, with its fatalistic outlook on life. Also, it’s hard to write happy songs that don’t sound like cliches.”
Alvin, who just completed an acoustic-oriented album that will include new versions of such signature pieces as “Every Night About this Time” and “4th of July,” says his current stage set won’t disappoint his Blasters-era fans.
“We do a lot of the Blasters’ material,” he said. “My attitude is, if I wrote it, I’ll do it. I mean, those were some really good songs. We spent seven years beating our heads against the wall, and I’m proud of the band and the songs we did. It’s all connected to the songs that I write now.”
Opening for Alvin at FitzGerald’s is Ben Harper, who is also doing a show Friday at Schubas. He’s a talented young acoustic folk/blues-influenced songwriter whose new “Welcome to the Cruel World” album places him somewhere between the old-time blues of Taj Mahal and the confessional folk of Tracy Chapman. Particularly noteworthy is his “Like a King,” a clear-eyed look at the legacy of racism.
Short takes
Joe Satriani, Saturday at the Riviera Theatre: Guitar idols come and go, but world-class six-string shredder Joe Satriani appears to be in it for the long haul. Coming out of nowhere to sell an unprecedented 2 million copies of his 1987 instrumental album “Surfing With the Alien,” Satriani has gone on to influence a new generation of prospective guitar gods, including former student Kirk Hammett of Metallica. In addition to his virtuoso technique and lush tone, “Satch” has a great melodic sense, which gives his music an almost cinematic quality. There ought to be plenty of fellow guitarists checking him out at this sold-out show.
Tyrone Davis, Otis Clay, Dennis Edwards and the Chi-Lites, Sunday at the Chicago South Expo Center in Harvey (17040 S. Halsted St.): It may be billed as “An Evening of Blues,” but this show is one dynamite celebration of ’60s and ’70s Chicago soul music. The smooth Davis is best-known for the hits “Turning Point” and “Turn Back the Hands of Time,” while deep soulman and North Side club regular Clay is the master of the extended vamp. The Chi-Lites, which includes only Marshall Thompson from its original lineup, received a boost a few years ago via rapper Hammer’s version of “Have You Seen Her.” The only non-Chicagoan is former Temptation Edwards, who was with the Motown group in its “I Can’t Get Next to You” and “Ball of Confusion” days. About the only thing missing are Harvey homeboys the Dells.
Kathy Mattea, Sunday at the Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles: Mattea’s new “Walking Away a Winner” album is a welcome return to form after her disappointing 1992 release, “Lonesome Standard Time.” Mattea has a knack for ferreting out primo material by both well-known and obscure songwriters and making the songs her own. While she occasionally veers a bit close to predictable mainstream country fare, her warm vocals, hip persona and folk/bluegrass overtones make for a truly likable package. Mattea will also be appearing on March 26 at Centre East in Skokie.
John Zorn’s Cobra, Monday at the Vic: Avant-garde jazzman Zorn and his 11-piece group, which includes ace guitarist Marc Ribot, will perform “Cobra,” which he describes as a “gamepiece.” This musical game will feature different combinations of musicians who are given hand signals or get their directions from cards. The end result is unpredictable music that changes radically from show to show. It’s being billed as “high art and high comedy,” and sounds like a good-if somewhat bizarre-time.
Blind Melon, Tuesday at the Riviera Theatre: Blind Melon’s music is about as original as its name, taken from a lame ’70s Cheech and Chong “stoner” bit. From the borrowed Aerosmith electric guitar riffs, “Led Zeppelin III”-era acoustic pilfering and Grateful Dead-like noodlings, Blind Melon’s retro ’70s sound and neo-hippie trappings have made them unlikely stars. Their self-titled debut album has sold more than 2 million copies, and needless to say, this show is sold out.
Pearl Jam and Urge Overkill, Thursday at the Chicago Stadium: What’s left to say about Pearl Jam, led by Eddie Vedder, a soul so sensitive that he can’t bear to hear one of the group’s songs on the radio? We wonder if hometown heroes Urge Overkill will have No. 1 fan Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders present in their rat-pack for the sold-out show.
The Cactus Brothers, Thursday at Whiskey River: A bit too “out there” for country music’s mainstream, Nashville’s Cactus Brothers deconstruct country’s conventions on their self-titled debut album while displaying a genuine love for the genre. One minute they’re doing a raucous, near-metal version of Merle Travis’ “Sixteen Tons,” and the next a high-octane bluegrass instrumental. Smack-dab in the middle is original material like the hard-driving “Devil Wind,” making the septet one of alternative country’s most exciting acts.
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