Dave Alvin (born November 11, 1955, in Downey, California), is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Dave Alvin (born November 11, 1955, in Downey, California), is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been one of the leading proponents of 'roots' or 'American' music, bringing together elements of rock-and-roll, blues, rural and tejano music.

Alvin and his older brother Phil Alvin grew up loving Americana, country and blues. In 1979 they formed The Blasters with friends Bill Bateman and John Bazz.

Shortly after leaving the Blasters, Alvin joined X as lead guitarist after the departure of Billy Zoom. Alvin amicably left the group to work on a solo project shortly after the recording sessions for their album See How We Are. Alvin is also a member of country band The Knitters (composed mainly of members of X), appearing on 1987's Poor Little Critter on the Road and the 2005 follow-up, The Modern Sounds of The Knitters.

In the early 1980s Alvin, along with fellow Blasters members Bill Bateman and Steve Berlin, performed on several albums with the Los Angeles punk band The Flesh Eaters. These albums are considered precursors to what is now called "deathrock". Alvin also played with the band The Gun Club briefly, playing guitar on "Eternally Is Here" & "The Stranger in Our Town" from the 1984 album, The Las Vegas Story.

Alvin's first solo album, entitled Romeo's Escape (1987) in the United States and Every Night About This Time in England, added a purer country influence along with a larger side-portion of the blues; while the album was critically well received, it didn't fare well in the marketplace, and Alvin was dropped by his American record label, Columbia. Alvin suffered health problems which sidelined him for a while, except for a wild tour with friends Mojo Nixon and Country Dick Montana as the Pleasure Barons, which was described as "a Las Vegas revue from acts who aren't going to be asked to play Vegas." (A live album was released of a second Pleasure Barons tour in 1993.)

In 1989, Dwight Yoakam scored a hit on the country charts with Alvin's song "Long White Cadillac," and Alvin used the royalties to start work on his second solo set, Blue Blvd. Released by the California-based roots-music label Hightone Records in 1991, Blue Blvd received enthusiastic reviews and sold well enough to re-establish Alvin as a significant artist in the roots rock scene.

After releasing Museum of Heart in 1993, Alvin began to turn his attention to acoustic music with 1994's King of California, and over the next several years Alvin moved back and forth between hard-edged roots rock and more introspective acoustic material that still honored his influences (and allowed him to display a greater range as a vocalist).

In 2000, Alvin recorded a collection of traditional folk and blues classics, Public Domain: Songs From the Wild Land, which earned him a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

In 2011, Alvin released the album Eleven Eleven on Yep Roc Records. The album was a return to Alvin's rock roots. According to Rolling Stone, "Though Alvin has often switched between electric and acoustic, almost everything here is plugged in – above all Alvin, an under-recognized guitar hero."
www.davealvin.net

Ashgrove
Dave Alvin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well when I was a young boy, I used to slip away
Down to the ashgrove to hear the old blues men play
There was big Joe and lightnin' and reverend Gary too
Well I'd sit and stare and dream of doin' what they could do

Well it's been thirty years since the ashgrove burned down
And I'm out on this highway travelin' town to town
Tryin' to make a livin', tryin' to pay the rent

Tryin' to figure out where my life went

I wanna go back to the ashgrove
That's where I come from
I wanna go back to the ashgrove
That's where I belong

Well you don't have to go searchin', pretend to put on airs
'Cause the blues are gonna find you someday, somewhere
Now my mother's gone, now my fathers gone
And all the old blues men have all passed on

And I'm out on this highway travelin' town to town
Settin' up my gear and then I'm tearin' it down
Turnin' up my guitar, standin' up on the stage
I'm just tryin' to raise the ghosts up out of their graves

I wanna go back to the ashgrove
That's where I come from
Yeah I wanna go back to the ashgrove
That's where I belong

Well I can't say I been all sinner, can't say I been all saint
I've done some good deeds and I've made big mistakes
I've been in and out of love, said words I regret
I've been drunk, been sober smoked too many cigarettes

And I'm out on this highway travelin' town to town
And the news on the radio just brings me down
Intolerance and fear, ignorance and lies
It's the same old same old I heard a million times

And I'm thinkin' of friends and lovers and how they come and go
Like look-alike houses on the side of the road
Full of everyday people tryin' to get ahead
Tryin' to find a reason just to get out of bed

'Cause we all need somethin' just to get us through
Well I'm gonna play the blues tonight man
'Cause that's what I do

I'm goin' back to the ashgrove
That's where I come from

I'm goin' back to the ashgrove
That's where I belong

Overall Meaning

Dave Alvin's song "Ashgrove" is a wistful reflection on the passing of time and the cyclical nature of life. The song begins with a recollection of the singer's youth, when he would sneak away to the ashgrove to hear the old blues musicians play. The young speaker is transfixed by these older musicians, and he dreams of doing what they do. The ashgrove burned down thirty years ago, and the singer is now traveling from town to town, playing music as he tries to eke out a living. He longs to return to the ashgrove, to the place where he feels he truly belongs.

As the song progresses, the singer recognizes that life is full of ups and downs. He sees that he cannot claim to be all good or all bad, and he has made his share of mistakes. He is disillusioned with the state of the world, as he hears news of intolerance, fear, and ignorance on the radio. Despite these challenges, the singer finds solace in the blues. He recognizes that life is full of people just trying to get ahead, but he still wants to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning. For him, that reason is playing the blues - a reminder of the ashgrove and the musicians who inspired him as a young boy.

Line by Line Meaning

Well when I was a young boy, I used to slip away
As a child, I would secretly leave home

Down to the ashgrove to hear the old blues men play
I would go to Ashgrove to listen to the elderly blues musicians perform

There was big Joe and lightnin' and reverend Gary too
At Ashgrove, there were several musicians-artists performing, including big Joe, lightnin', and reverend Gary

Well I'd sit and stare and dream of doin' what they could do
I would watch the blues musicians perform and aspire to be like them someday.

Well it's been thirty years since the ashgrove burned down
It's been thirty years since Ashgrove was destroyed by fire

And I'm out on this highway travelin' town to town
Nowadays, I travel from town to town on the highway.

Tryin' to make a livin', tryin' to pay the rent
I'm trying to make ends meet and pay for housing.

Tryin' to figure out where my life went
I'm also questioning where my life has gone.

Well you don't have to go searchin', pretend to put on airs
You don't need to pretend to be someone else or act wealthy or superior to find the blues.

'Cause the blues are gonna find you someday, somewhere
Blues music will find you someday, somewhere, regardless if you actually go looking for it.

Now my mother's gone, now my fathers gone
My parents have passed away.

And all the old blues men have all passed on
All the iconic blues musicians from my past have also passed away.

Settin' up my gear and then I'm tearin' it down
I set up and then later take down my music equipment.

Turnin' up my guitar, standin' up on the stage
I'm playing my guitar and performing on stage.

I'm just tryin' to raise the ghosts up out of their graves
I'm trying to honor my predecessors' grave by playing their music and invoking their spirits.

And the news on the radio just brings me down
Listening to the news on the radio stresses me out

Intolerance and fear, ignorance and lies
The news I hear frequently covers intolerance, fear-mongering, ignorance, and lies.

It's the same old same old I heard a million times
It's a recurring pattern I've heard many times before.

And I'm thinkin' of friends and lovers and how they come and go
My mind wanders off to the people I've known, and how they've entered and exited my life.

Like look-alike houses on the side of the road
Those people live in houses that all look very similar.

Full of everyday people tryin' to get ahead
Those people are just like me, trying to better their lives.

Tryin' to find a reason just to get out of bed
All of us just need a motivating reason to get out of bed every day.

'Cause we all need somethin' just to get us through
We all need something to uplift us and give us hope and purpose to move forward.

Well I'm gonna play the blues tonight man
I am going to perform the blues tonight, friend.

'Cause that's what I do
Playing the blues is my thing.

I'm goin' back to the ashgrove
I reminisce a lot about going back to Ashgrove.

That's where I come from
Ashgrove is where I emerged and grew up as a blues artist.

That's where I belong
I feel at peace and at home at Ashgrove amongst the blues.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Dave Alvin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS