Dave Alvin and his big brother, Phil, made roots-rock cool in the ‘80s with The Blasters. Between Phil’s phenomenally soulful singing and Dave’s incisive songwriting and searing licks, they stirred up something special. But they parted ways in 1986, with Dave going on to a distinguished solo career and Phil continuing to lead various lineups […]
Jim Allen
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Chris Smither stays on the levee 50 years later
For someone who’s spent the last 50 years making music, Chris Smither seems remarkably nostalgia-free. “I’m actually playing better than I ever have,” he asserts, “and I’ve got better crowds — these are the good old days.” Nevertheless, the tour that brings the troubadour to Forty Acres in Durham on Sunday, November 9, finds him […]
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Miranda Lambert’s song selections confirm her status as modern country’s best outlaw
Miranda Lambert Thursday, Aug. 21 7:30 p.m., $29.25–$54 Walnut Creek Amphitheatre Jamey Johnson has the Waylon Jennings baritone and the David Allan Coe beard, but make no mistake: Miranda Lambert is, to date, the most successful exponent of outlaw country in the 21st century. Every one of Lambert’s five records has been a No. 1 […]
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The Monkees understand: Micky Dolenz on the band’s reunion
“It was a hell of a shock,” says Monkees singer and drummer Micky Dolenz about the loss of bandmate Davy Jones, who suffered a fatal heart attack in February 2012. But the passing of the British-born ’60s teen idol actually jumpstarted the Monkees reunion shows last fall and the current tour, which brings them to […]
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Reluctant country star Don Williams returns
Don Williams plays Durham Performing Arts Center Thursday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $36.75–$84.75. Colm Kirwan opens. When Bon Iver played the Ryman Auditorium, country music’s so-called Mother Church, in 2011, he pulled out a surprise cover, a 1983 country hit called “If Hollywood Don’t Need You (Honey I Still Do).” Few No. […]