Events

[ROCK] In the early 1980s, as the synthesizers that would define new wave began taking over pop music, an interest in what’s often called “early rock” emerged as a backlash—a reclaiming of rock and roll basics that held appeal for fans of Bowery punk bands like The Ramones who were less enthused with the drone of hardcore. Led by brothers Dave and Phil Alvin, The Blasters churned out a sound that was both rootsy and forward moving, preserving the libido-fueled energy of early rockers like Elvis Presley and fusing it with elements of rockabilly (which the Stray Cats would bring back into the charts just a couple years later), and an old-world western sensibility we now call Americana. The results occupied the tamer side of the same space occupied by bands like X, which Dave Alvin went on to play and record with (and alongside in The Knitters and the Flesh Eaters). Dave Alvin, 61, still records with his brother, but he’s also gone on to release a prolific stream of solo records. The most recent, Eleven, Eleven (Yep Roc, 2011) showcases his gift for character sketches told through his gravel-and-smoke pipes with a rough-hewn, country rock barroom feel. It’s a perfect match for Sportsmen’s Tavern where he and his band The Guilty Ones will play on Tuesday, May 2.