Billy's News: Jun 2000

Latest News: Dave Alvin has recorded an album of traditional folk and
blues songs. The album is due for release in August. -- The Blasters have
postponed their Scandinavian tour due to an illness in the family. Phil
and Dave Alvin's father has been sick and we all wish him well. - The
other band members have been keeping busy with side projects. Keith Wyatt
has been playing blues every Tuesday at a well known L.A. club called
the Baked Potato. Keith: "Jerry (Angel) and I plus a bass player have
done a couple of Wednesdays at a restaurant/bar/hangout in Hollywood
called Lola's playing instrumentals- everything from jazz to spy to
surf to blues."  John Bazz has been playing with Top Jimmy and other
pick-up gigs. -- The Blasters played a gig at the Blue Café in Long
Beach at the end of April. Some who saw the show said the band, who
hadn't played together for months, were on the top of their game. - Dave
Alvin will be producing Red Meat's next album in July. -- Jack's Sugar
Shack in Hollywood closed down in April, and Dave played a final show
there 4/15 with the Guilty Men trying out songs recorded for the Public
Domain album. - Dave Alvin just taped segments as a guest DJ for the
House of Blues digital radio station. Dave: "I play some of my favorite
blues records and talk about each artist." The hour long show will air in
June. Check www.HOB.com for details. -  Dave Alvin and the Guilty men have
contributed a song to the upcoming Mickey Newberry Tribute album. Newberry
is a country songwriter known for writing Elvis's AMERICAN TRILOGY as well
as many country hits. Dave: "I cut a song called MOBILE BLUES. Everybody
does a solo, but Rick's is incredible!" It will be released in Germany
this summer on Glitterhouse records. A U.S. release is planned later. --
Dave Alvin's October tour will support the acoustic album. Rick Shea
and Brantley Kearns will accompany Dave with possibly more Guilty Men. -
Keith Wyatt has been writing monthly profiles for Guitar World magazine on
influential blues guitarists. Most recent has been Freddie King, Lightnin'
Hopkins, Gatemouth Brown, and Les Paul. -- Christy McWilson's CD produced
by Dave Alvin will be out in June on HighTone records. Dave: "It's called
The Lucky One. I think it's one of the best things I've produced and
I even get in a couple of good guitar solos, including my first ever
wah-wah guitar solo." - In June,  Candye Kane's new Rounder record is
due out. Dave played guitar on a rockabilly song and a blues. Dave:
"I did my best Johnny Guitar Watson." - Time Bomb records will release
a live Hootenany CD which will include a live version of Dave's OUT IN
CALIFORNIA from last years' Hootenany set. - Watch the official web site
WWW. DAVE ALVIN.COM for Dave's frequent contributions and answers to
fans' questions. -- Rick Shea released his second full-length CD called
Shaky Ground. On Wagon Wheel records. The CD includes all of Rick's
1991 (and out-of-print) album Outside of Nashville, along with five
recently recorded tracks. The CD is a limited release, and is available
by mail-order by sending $16 post paid to Rick Shea, PO Box 294, Covina,
CA 91723 - Rick Shea reports: "I'm working on an album of new songs now
with Cody Bryant's label, Wagon Wheel. Hopefully, it will be out soon.
All new songs.  Brantley will be singing and playing and Dave will do
a guest appearance." -- Chris Gaffney's  Live And Then Some 2-CD set is
available directly from Tres Pescadores records by sending $20 postpaid
to: Tres Pescadores Records PO Box 4 Anaheim CA 92815-0004 For more
info on the web --   http://www.primenet.com/~thewett -- James Intveld
has recorded a radio commercial for Corona Beer, in which he speaks and
sings his song LOVE CALLS. - Bobby Lloyd Hicks has been playing with
a new band called the Kelley Hunt band. Bobby Lloyd reports, "Kelley
is a "Chick"singer/songwriter/pianist doing original r&b/blues stuff.
The guitarist, Miles Joseph, from Studio City, has played with Aretha,
Dylan and others.  We just did a live album last weekend, taping at the
Grand Emporium in Kansas City and Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas. It's
a rockin little record!  Should be out in June...about the time I join
back up with the Steve Forbert tour." - James Intveld can be heard playing
acoustic guitar on all of Dale Watson's upcoming major label album.

Dave Alvin report: "Countdown to the Black Jack David Follow-up Album"
Dave: "The Public Domain record is turning out to be better than I
expected. There's everything from Chicago blues to mountain ballads
to rockabilly to country blues to  cowboy ballads to R+B ballads to
Cajun and a little honky tonk. And, with the exception of David Jackson
playing bass on some stuff and Greg Leisz and Juke Logan sitting in, the
CD features ALL the Guilty Men! Boy, what a band! Rick and I are sharing
the guitar (both electric and acoustic) duties. And some of this stuff
ROCKS! Go figure. I go in to make a folk CD and it winds up rocking.
So, The Guilty Men finally make a CD!"