Dave Alvin: Strolling Into Folk With Just Plain Folks

In the best tradition of American folk music, Dave Alvin gives voice to those rarely heard from. He’s a mouthpiece for the lonely and forgotten, the frequently frazzled regular folks who struggle to get through each day without losing any more of their dignity.

Alvin, a one-time short-order cook and the son of a union organizer, sings and writes about people and places that ring true to him. One of the Downey native’s more memorable lyrics comes from “Dry River,” a hopeful song from his 1991 LP titled “Blue Blvd”: “I was born by a river/but it was paved with cement/Still, I’d stand in that dry river . . . and dream that I was soaking wet.”

Whether sharing hard-luck tales of betrayed lovers out for revenge or a guy “smoking cigs down to the filter because the pack’s running low,” Alvin offers vivid vignettes of working-class life. His cast of rough-edged characters--who populate seedy bars, motels and coffee shops with regularity--are indeed flawed and often desperate. But for the most part, they possess enough redeeming qualities to hold our interest.

Alvin has taken his story songs beyond the acoustic borders of the traditional folk idiom. As a member of the Blasters, X, Knitters and Pleasure Barons, and as a solo act since 1987, he has roamed into the blues, rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, country and roots-rock with unflinching honesty.

“The biggest advantage [of] being on my own is I can use more of the whole palette of American music, where sometimes in bands, you’re limited to only one or two colors,” offered Alvin, who performs tonight with his four-piece Guilty Men at the Long Beach Museum of Art.

“Now, I can do whatever I want, whether it’s blues, rock ‘n’ roll or a mountain-hillbilly ballad . . . like a Carter Family thing,” the 42-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist said in a recent telephone interview from a Denver hotel room.

“Bands always have rules, like ‘We don’t play ballads or polkas.’ That’s the rule either because they don’t want to, or simply can’t, play a particular style. I don’t have to live by the constraints of a band, and that gives you tremendous freedom.”

*

Although you won’t find any polkas on Alvin’s sixth solo release, the new “Blackjack David,” it is a fine collection of modern folk-blues. Darkly mysterious and sounding like a cross between John Hammond and Leonard Cohen, the acoustic-based album shows compassion for the plight of characters lurking on the fringe, whether it’s ill-fated Mexican immigrants (“California Snow”), a Vietnam War vet (“1968,” co-written with Orange County’s Chris Gaffney), or a love-obsessed ex-con driven to murder (“Mary Brown”).

Perhaps the most moving portrait is “From a Kitchen Table,” a heart-wrenching lament that recalls a man’s missed opportunity for a better life. In a letter never delivered, the song’s protagonist offers a confessional to a one-time flame who’s moved away from their old neighborhood.

Is the tale of regret personal or purely fictional?

“Oh, whether it’s real or illusory, love does drive the machine, ya know?” hinted Alvin. “You’re just hopeless under that kind of spell. ‘From a Kitchen Table’ is pretty tender. . . . There are some raw nerves exposed in there. That’s not one we play live very often.”

*

For Alvin, songwriting is a trying yet rewarding endeavor. Although he’s been working at it for at least 20 years, he says the process remains as challenging as ever.

“You’d think it would get easier the older you get, but it doesn’t. You try not to repeat yourself--or others. . . . I do not relish it.

“On the other hand, when you write a song that’s good, that stands up to your best work, then it’s very joyful. For me, that’s the greatest high you can imagine,” he said.

Not all of Alvin’s fans appreciate the depth of his lyrical insights, however. Party-minded holdovers from his rowdier days simply want to rock-out to Alvin’s scorching electric guitar work.

Still, Alvin thinks he and guitarist Rick Shea, pianist Joe Terry, bassist Gregory Boaz and drummer Bobby Lloyd Hicks can play it tough and tender.

“I enjoy [playing] both loud and a bit quieter, and I prefer when I can do both at one time,” said Alvin, who’s also worked as a producer on albums by Chris Gaffney, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys, and the Derailers, among others.

“To me, I’m basically playing the same stuff--it’s all really folk-rock. One’s just louder than the other, that’s all.”

*

So far, none of Alvin’s musical vehicles have steered him down a path lined with monetary riches. Still, he’s developed a core, cult-sized following that enables him to make a decent living while staying true to his art.

“There’s definitely a market for what we do, although it’s slow-building and somewhat splintered,” he said.

“We’re taking it one step at a time, which can be a frustrating thing after a while.

“But it pays the rent; I get to play just about every night, make whatever kinds of records I want to make, and I don’t have to answer to anyone. So really, what’s there to complain about?”

*

* Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men and Chris Gaffney & the Cold Hard Facts perform tonight at the Long Beach Museum of Art, 2300 E. Ocean Blvd. 7 p.m. $9-$12. (562) 439-2119.