Dave Alvin shares tribute to Blasters piano great Gene Taylor

The Gene Taylor Band's live versions of "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights" and Jimmy Liggins' "Drunk" are available here. 

Here's the scoop from Dave Alvin...

As a small memorial to the recent passing of my lifelong friend, mentor and fellow Blaster, Gene Taylor, I wanted to share two songs by The Gene Taylor Blues Band. This band was really The Blasters (minus my brother Phil) and we'd occasionally get together to play some shows up and down California just to play the blues we loved as well as showcase Gene's monumental keyboard talent. Sometimes friends like Rick Estrin, Steve Freund or even my brother, would sit in with us. One night we were honored when my best friend, the late Chris Gaffney, joined us and sang his heart out on the Earl King/Johnny "Guitar" Watson classic, "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights." The flipside of this record is Gene singing and pumping the piano on Jimmy Liggins heartfelt ode to inebriation, "Drunk." I hope you'll join me in celebrating Gene's prodigious skills as a pianist, vocalist and bluesman par excellence. I miss my comrades Gene and Chris every day but the music keeps them alive and, in it's way, the music keeps all of us alive.

– Dave Alvin 3/4/21

Watch a clip of Gene Taylor and Dave Alvin performing a great version of "Before You Accuse Me" shot at McCabe's which probably should've been included. 

Blasters reconvene for Dave Alvin's Eleven Eleven

There are some interesting new details about Dave Alvin's forthcoming Eleven Eleven album coming from the Yep Roc label who have announced a June 21 release date. It's very good news for Blasters fans.

Dave Alvin (whose birthday falls on November 11) is joined on his 11th solo outing by his old Blasters' bandmates, namely ace piano pounder Gene Taylor – who hasn't recorded with Dave since 1995's Hard Line album – along with Phil Alvin who has reunited with his younger sibling for a rare one-off duet on the bluesy What's Up With Your Brother?  Although the Alvins have worked together on-and-off for years, Phil always sang lead in the Blasters accompanied by Dave on guitar so this marks the first time they've actually sung together face-to-face on a studio album.
 
"While we were growing up there was a firm line between Phil and me," explains Dave, referring to Blasters' division of duties: Phil sang, Dave wrote the songs and played lead guitar. "The main reason I decided to have him sing with me was that we¹re not going to be here forever; we might as well have fun. Life is too short."
No doubt the sad passing of Alvin's best friend and longtime musical compadre Chris Gaffney had some influence on his decision to put aside any issues between him and brother Phil to get together for Eleven Eleven. Gaffney also appears on the song Two Lucky Bums which would be their final recording together.
"The songs on Eleven Eleven," says Dave "are all about life, love, death, loss, money, justice, labor, faith, doubt, family and friendship. The usual stuff.
"Mortality has been an issue on my mind ever since Ashgrove. Since finishing that album, I lost some great friends -- Gaffney, Amy Farris and Buddy Blue of the Beat Farmers. That weighed on me."

Harlan County Line by Dave Alvin