Denver – Swallow Hill Music Association is pleased to welcome Roots Rock pioneer Dave Alvin for a double concert engagement on Friday and Saturday, May 11 and 12 at 8 p.m.

Dave Alvin helped to kick-start the American roots rock scene in the early '80s with the band the Blasters and has since gone on to a career as a solo performer, songwriter, producer, and sideman that's been as well respected as it is eclectic. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the blue-collar inner suburb of Downey, Dave Alvin is a songwriter whose music has always been influenced by fellow Californian songwriters. His music is a braid of different American genres—blues, country, rock, pop, folk, and R&B—and in each strand, he favors the California accent. His ability to draw from so many sources and to work in so many contexts reflects his home state's jumble of cultures. And so, his new album, West of West: Songs from California Songwriters—Volume 1, is, in some ways, as autobiographical as any of his albums, even though he only wrote one half of one of the 13 songs. “The best California songs come from the intersection where hopes and reality collide,” he says.

As a member of The Blasters Dave Alvin released four of the best rock albums of that time period with his brother Phil singing the lead vocals. Alvin left the band in 1986 and briefly joined X and The Knitters, two bands led by his L.A. pal, John Doe. In 1987, Alvin launched his solo career with the album, Romeo's Escape, and except for such side projects as The Knitters, The Pleasure Barons and a Blasters reunion, has been a solo artist ever since. In 2000, Alvin recorded a collection of traditional folk and blues classics, Public Domain: Songs from the Wild Land, which earned him a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

“Alvin (is) a brilliant songwriter…” — Variety.com.

Dave Alvin won't come alone ... Roots legend Chris Gaffney is also in the bill. For nearly a decade, Chris Gaffney has been a fixture on the burgeoning Southern Californian roots-rock scene where he has steadily refined his irresistible blend of country, rock-n-roll, soul and Norteño.

For tickets and workshop registration visit www.swallowhillmusic.org or call (303) 777-1003. Discounts are available for Swallow Hill members.

About Swallow Hill Music Association:
Helping people make music since 1979 years, Swallow Hill Music Association is one of the largest institutions of its kind in the United States as a source for folk, roots and acoustic music. With more than 2,100 members—some of whom are also volunteers—Swallow Hill provides a place to celebrate music that is rarely heard elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. Three concert venues house more than 150 performances a year, featuring some of the world's great artists as well as up-and-coming new talent. The Julie Davis Music School at Swallow Hill provides a valuable and affordable extra-curricular educational resource to the community with more than 60 music instructors involved in more than 240 adult classes and 70 children's classes annually.

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