Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore Are Proudly Still Standing

By John Roos

It does seem curious at first glance that Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore would be so musically harmonious as a duo.

Influenced by blues greats T-Bone Walker and Big Joe Turner, Alvin co-founded with his brother Phil the rockabilly-influenced Blasters, rocked hard and loud as a brief member of punk legends X, and has enjoyed a successful solo career. A native of the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, he's also a tremendous lead guitarist and well-respected record producer who sings with deep, grainy tones and textures.

A native of Amarillo who grew up in the west Texas town of Lubbock and now lives in Austin, Gilmore is a country music-bred Flatlander who sings with a soaring, angelic-sounding tenor who plays primarily acoustic rhythm guitar, and only good enough to accompany himself (his words, not mine.) A gentle soul, and student of Eastern philosophy and follower of the guru Maharaji, Gilmore lived in a Colorado ashram for seven years back in the 1970's before deciding that his spirituality was best expressed through his music.

Looking deeper, though, Alvin & Gilmore makes perfect sense.

"We've had a friendship going way back, and Dave and I are mutual admirers of each other's work," said the 79-year-old Gilmore last week by phone from a tour stop in Portland, OR. "People kind of had me stereotyped by (musical) category, called me a Zen or Cosmic Cowboy, and assumed I didn't have a broader background than I do. And the same for Dave. So, when we finally got together, we went out on the road for a year and discovered that we had a lot more in common than even we thought, especially loving all the same styles of music."

Judging by the evidence--2018's Downey to Lubbock and their brand new Texicali, both released on YepRoc--the pair has established a personal and musical chemistry that seem as natural as a morning sunrise. While one can point to their prowess as talented Americana singer-songwriters as their common thread, Gilmore suggests that it's their desire to push one another beyond their comfort zones that defines the essence of their partnership.

Texicali has a mixture of originals and covers that roam freely from folk and country to roots rock and blues. Among the timeless songs covered are Brownie McGee's "Betty & Dupree," Blind Willie McTell's "Broke Down Engine," and Stonewall Jackson's "Why I'm Walking." Nothing better presents the duo's experimental nature than their reimagined version of the Jackson song, which is transformed from a 1960 classic honky-tonker into a more modern, New Orleans-sounding jump blues number sung by Gilmore and bolstered by Alvin's scorching electric guitar riffs and Bukka Allen's rolling piano fills.

Interestingly, Gilmore was reluctant at first to record the song.

"Because I'm a big Stonewall fan and used to play some of his other songs, I knew 'Why I'm Walking' was done so well that I just couldn't imagine doing it," said Gilmore, who cites Lefty Frizzell, Hank Williams, Ernest Tubbs, and Kitty Wells amongst his biggest influences. "But Dave (who also produced the album) pushed me, the band cut loose, and then something just clicked. We knew right then we had done something different and special with it. Turned out to be so much fun."

Perhaps the most memorable song, though, on Texicali is "We're Still Here," a song on the surface about the duo's longevity in an industry catering to the fads and trends of youth. Co-written by the 68-year-old Alvin and Gilmore, it features the lyrics: "The music business man/With the music business smile/Said the songs I write are old and out of style/But I've been boppin' these blues for over 40 years now/Hell, I don't know where he is now but we're still here."

Yet there's a literal, deeper, and more poignant meaning for Alvin, one that simply shares his gratitude for survival.

Alvin has been in self-preservation mode since he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal (colon) cancer in 2020. He underwent rounds of radiation and chemotherapy before having surgery to remove the tumors remaining in his body. Alvin received the best news possible when doctors told him that he was cancer-free in June 2021, and he continues to be in remission.

Now Alvin and Gilmore are touring once again with a stopover Thursday night at the Chapel in San Francisco. The twosome is backed by the stellar Guilty Ones, which is Alvin's longtime band featuring guitarist Chris Miller, bassist Brad Fordham, and drummer Lisa Pankratz, all of whom played on the recording of Texicali and have toured previously with the Alvin & Gilmore duo.

Gilmore attributes his longevity in this often-fickle business, at least in part, to good fortune.

"I've had the good luck of blundering into this great band at this stage in my career," he insists. "It's been pretty incredible. The Guilty Ones are an A-Team that's fully on board for both the album and this tour we're on right now. This entire thing is a band-one band-and not just studio session players backing us."

"The other thing that's just as important is everybody has a gigantic sense of humor, whether it's dry, sarcastic, witty, or just laugh-out-loud funny. We lived together in a van for a year and never got tired of each other. I think that says a lot about the friendships we have."

Alvin feels honored to collaborate with Gilmore, who’s had an enduring solo career in addition to being a member of the legendary trio, the Flatlanders, which includes fellow Texans Joe Ely and Butch Hancock.

“Like life in California, Jimmie is never dull,” Alvin deadpanned in a separate interview with me last year. “I love playing with him. He’s uniquely him and he can’t be anything but him. My brother Phil is the same way, and that’s what I like about them both. Jimmie is a great, great blues singer, and is no slouch with country, folk, and R&B.”

*Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore with the Guilty Ones perform Thursday at the Chapel, 777 Valencia Street, San Francisco; (415) 551-5157. Red Meat opens at 8 p.m. $45-$50, plus fees. www.thechapelsf.com.