Tag: Dave Alvin

Film review: Troubadour Blues

By Paul T. Mueller If you’re looking for revelations, Troubadour Blues may leave you disappointed. There’s not too much in the way of new truths in Tom Weber’s independent documentary about singer-songwriters. Most of it comes down to (A) these folks do what they do because they love it, not for money or fame, and (B) what really counts is…

Dave Alvin: Eleven Eleven

What’s the deal with Johnny Ace? A modest figure in R&B history (“Pledging My Love”), Ace achieved some level of pop immortality due to his untimely death in a gun accident on Christmas Day 1954. Nonetheless, he’s inspired two outstanding songs about his demise: Paul Simon’s “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and now Dave Alvin’s “Johnny Ace is Dead.” Alvin’s…