Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore have announced the June 21, 2024, release of TexiCali, a new studio album, via Yep Roc Records. Listen to two tracks of the tracks below. The Grammy-winning Alvin, who first came to prominence in the Los Angeles band the Blasters, and Grammy nominee Gilmore, a founding member of West Texas’ country trio the Flatlanders, first joined together in 2017 for what they thought was a one-off tour, that instead turned into the collaborative debut album Downey To Lubbock.
TexiCali can be pre-ordered in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. The pair have also expanded their tour; see the itinerary below.
Says a press release, “Behind blistering blues licks, Alvin and Gilmore recount the road that’s brought them to TexiCali from wild nights at Houston’s dearly-departed Allen Park Inn to fateful run-ins with clueless record company men and harrowing drives down one way streets.”
The 11 tracks on TexiCali, the announcement continues, “double as a road trip across Alvin and Gilmore’s beloved home states and the memories within, honoring shared musical influences, friends gone too soon and all they’ve endured along the way. Two of Americana’s most celebrated storytellers, the pair now elevate their partnership from touring to recording to songwriting, with TexiCali incorporating more original work and collaborations than ever before. Together they reflect on experiences like touring the country via train with Roots on the Rails, working with contemporaries like Terry Allen and Butch Hancock, and formative shows from blues legends like Brownie McGhee at Los Angeles’ Ash Grove (frequented by both Dave and Jimmie, unbeknownst to them at the time).”
Listen to “We’re Still Here”
Of “Southwest Chief,” a song about touring via the rails, Alvin began writing the track years ago with New England songwriter Bill Morrissey, and completed it after Morrissey’s passing: “Remembering my friend, Bill Morrissey / we were gonna write a song but that never came to be,” sings Alvin, backed by Gilmore on harmonica.
TexiCali Tracklist
1. Borderland
2. Southwest Chief
3. Broke Down Engine
4. Trying To Be Free
5. Blind Owl
6. Death Of The Last Stripper
7. Roll Around
8. Betty And Dupree
9. That’s Why I’m Walking
10. Down The 285
11. We’re Still Here
Related: Our Album Rewind of the Blasters’ 1981 debut LP
“We’re Still Here” Tour Dates (Tickets are available here and via the individual venues)
Jul 06 – Nicasio, CA – Rancho Nicasio
Jul 07 – Nicasio, CA – Rancho Nicasio
Jul 09 – Arcata, CA – Arcata Theatre Lounge
Jul 11 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theatre
Jul 12 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
Jul 13 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
Jul 14 – Mount Vernon, WA – Lincoln Theatre
Jul 17 – Chico, CA – Chico Women’s Club
Jul 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Jul 19 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
Jul 20 – Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley
Jul 21 – Morro Bay, CA – The Siren
Jul 23 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
Jul 24 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
Jul 26 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
Jul 27 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM
Aug 01 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
Aug 02 – Austin, TX – The 04 Center
Aug 03 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater
Aug 04 – San Antonio, TX – Sam’s Burger Joint
Aug 21 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse
Aug 22 – Brownfield, ME – Stone Mountain Arts Center
Aug 23 – Boston, MA – City Winery
Aug 24 – Fall River, MA – Take Me to the River
Aug 25 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
Aug 27 – New York, NY – City Winery
Aug 28 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
Aug 29 – Alexandria, VA – Birchmere
Aug 30 – Richmond, VA – Tin Pan
Sep 10 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
Sep 11 – Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre
Sep 12 – Milwaukee, WI – Vivarium
Sep 13 – Berwyn, IL – Fitzgerald’s
Sep 15 – Pomeroy, OH – Fur Peace Ranch
Sep 19 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley for Americana Fest
Oct 30 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
Nov 02 – Chicago, IL – City Winery
Related: Links for 100s of classic rock tours
