Just ahead of Dave’s 70th birthday, the brothers were in Austin, TX to play Continental Club – promoting their latest album Lost Time out on Yep Roc Records.
The two brothers started The Blasters in 1979 and basically kickstarted the LA roots-rock revival. Eventually an onstage blowup in Montreal lead to Dave going solo in 1986. Phil kept The Blasters going while Dave joined X and co- founded the X side-project The Knitters. For the next three decades, the brothers were basically estranged. A near death experience brought the two together and in 2014, released Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy. The album was nominated for Best Blues Album.
Phil and Dave Alvin perform “World’s In A Bad Condition” a traditional gospel-blues number the Alvin brothers had first heard on a scratchy old 78rpm by The Golden Gate Quartet and “a song about a flood” titled “Southern Food Blues” from last year’s Common Ground album.
