The Guilty Men, fronted by Chris Gaffney, played a five-song set before Dave Alvin and his acoustic joined them. They opened the show with an up-tempo song that combined retro-rock with a country vibe. It was an innovative blend of genres. The second song was slower – flowing on country tones and showcasing a stellar piano solo blending into a strong guitar lead. The third song was a soulful, blues-based blend that flowed into the fourth arrangement, which was another slower-tempo country type track. The last song rocked with extended instrumentation. Heavy bass lines layered over experimental guitars and keyboards were energized. At some point during the jam they covered 'Just My Imagination' in their own unique style.

The Guilty Men returned with front man Dave Alvin, who joked about the event "as the 30th Englewood High School reunion." Alvin was clad in black and soon commanded the room with his expressive baritone and extraordinary guitar leads. The first song had an incredible tempo that captured the sprit of traveling by horse. The pace at times was soft and slow, increasing to thunderous.

Dave announced to the receptive audience that he had a new record coming out soon before starting a slow guitar rift that graduated into a snappy rhythm. Alvin and The Guilty Men are tight. Everyone in the band stands out adding textures and tones to the music as a whole. Dave played a number of songs from his upcoming CD as well as the crowd pleasers.

Alvin is an accomplished finger-picker who can craft dynamic sounds out of his acoustic. As he picked and sang the story of 'Dry River' the band kick it into high gear with a strong drum pace and a jam with the pedal steel.

Next Dave switched to an electric and stated "the seat belts are on" before playing some heavy riffs overlaid with dynamic drumming, soon the rest of the band is contributing as the pace picks up. The electrics are dueling as the bass and percussion drive the song and the keyboardist's fingers are flying. A potent jam that had the room rocking. 'Sinful Daughter' had a sexy, blues vibe as the drummer tapped the tambourine while drumming a very distinctive technique. 'Abilene' ebbed and flowed from hard rock rhymes to subtle styling with innovative solos.

At one point in the show a fuse blew but Dave and The Guilty Men are true professionals. Alvin picked up his acoustic as the others circled the working mikes to play a few softer more intimate songs. The keyboardist picked up an egg. At first, I did not realize that there was a problem as I presumed that the band was just changing direction. Soon full power was restored and they played a "traditional folk" song that kicked ass.

The concert ended around eleven, the show rocked and Dave and The Guilty Men received a number of standing ovations during their energized set. This was Kweevak.com's first encounter with Alvin and The Guilty Men and we were highly impressed. Following is a tentative set list found on davealvin.com review pages, where fans have listed songs played at different shows.

Blackjack David
Out In California
Abilene
Halley's Comet
Ashgrove
East Virginia Blues
Sinful Daughter
Dry River
Fourth of July
9 Volt Heart
Museum of Heart
Romeo's Escape
Marie Marie

Related Links: For more information on Dave Alvin and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- DaveAlvin.com | Buy Ashgrove | PDP Concerts

Originally Published: 07/20/2004 on Kweevak.com