Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore have announced a new album ‘TexiCali’ which will be released on YepRoc on 21st June. Both Alvin and Gilmore are well known to AUK readers, the former for his output with the trail-blazing Blasters, his solo work including lately with the Guilty Ones and, most recently, the psych rock supergroup, The Third Mind whose first tour recently concluded. Gilmore is of course well known from the Lubbock trio The Flatlanders which he founded with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock. Recently, Gilmore has been playing shows with son Colin’s band the West Texas Exiles. Alvin guested with them at their Hardly Strictly Bluegrass show last autumn.
Alvin and Gilmore previously collaborated on ‘Downey To Lubbock’ (2018) where the combination of a couple of originals and an eclectic range of covers resulted in a storming set of performances. It gave them a no 1 blues album on Billboard and plenty of critical plaudits.
They have resumed their partnership with ‘TexiCali’ whose title, like its predecessor’s, nods to their respective origins. The record is described as a road trip across their home states and the memories within, honouring shared musical influences, friends gone too soon and all they’ve endured along the way. Artwork is provided once again by Jon Langford.
‘TexiCali’ incorporates more original work and collaborations than before. The pair reflect on experiences like touring by train with Roots On The Rails, working with contemporaries like Terry Allen and Butch Hancock, and formative shows from blues legends like Brownie McGhee.
The aptly-titled first single ‘We’re Still Here’ finds Alvin and Gilmore recounting the road that’s brought them to ‘TexiCali’ – from wild nights at Houston’s now-departed Allen Park Inn, to fateful run-ins with clueless record company men and harrowing drives down one-way streets.
great news