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L. Kent Wolgamott: Grammy winner set to rock final July Jamm

Friday, Jul 21, 2006 - 12:12:31 am CDT

When he released “Romeo’s Escape” back in 1987, Dave Alvin was, to be kind, barely a singer. But he had already established himself as a brilliant songwriter and guitarist with the Blasters.

Nearly two decades later, Alvin has not only become a very good vocalist, he’s got a Grammy for a collection of folk songs he didn’t write. And he has a new record out that’s just as good, made up of songs written by California natives or those who grew up there, not including himself.

Like the sprawling state it comes from, the music on “West of the West” ranges from folk to blues to country to rock ’n’ roll, including a killer countrified ballad version of Brian Wilson’s romantic masterwork “Surfer Girl.”

That’s a combination that fits Alvin to a T — a roots almagam from the man who celebrated “American Music” in one of his earliest compositions and has come to embody those traditions.

That alone is reason enough for Alvin and his top-notch band The Guilty Men to be one of the featured acts at the final July Jamm, an event that for all of its 15 years has showcased “roots music” with a heavy emphasis on blues.

But Alvin also gave one of the more memorable performances in the event’s history, sweating his way through a propulsive set in the 100-degree-plus heat in 1997 and nearly passing out backstage a moment after leaving the stage.

Alvin was far from the only performer nearly overcome by the heat at July Jamm shows.

I remember the Boss Martians, wimpy Seattleites they are, stripping off their shirts and sweating profusely during an afternoon show. Lincoln’s own Charlie Burton put on one of his best shows ever for about 100 people who braved a 100-plus day a couple of years ago. And the first thing Eddie Angel talked about when I called him earlier this week was Los Straitjackets’ fun in the sun at 12th and N streets.

Fortunately, it’s not going to be nearly that hot tonight or tomorrow.

But there’s at least a shot that the final July Jamm will yield some more memorable performances.

Los Straitjackets are great showmen. E.C. Scott can command a crowd and should be perfect for the blues lovers, who made up the core of the festival’s crowd in its early years.

But Alvin has never disappointed when I’ve seen him, even in the most inclement conditions — he once played in a thunderstorm at one of the Zoo Bar’s outdoor anniversary events and was killer. And when he and the Guilty Men are on, the shows are incendiary.

Word from a recent Omaha performance is that Alvin and company only did a few songs from “West of the West.”

The rest of the set was made up of Alvin favorites and, dare I say, classics, such as “Fourth of July,” “King of California,” “Marie, Marie” and, of course “American Music.”

Praising “jazz, country/western and Chicago blues” in a classic ’50s-rooted rock ’n’ roll song, “American Music” summarizes everything that what we now call “roots music” is about. And those are the sounds that have been the staples of July Jamm for 15 summers.

Like all such events, July Jamm wasn’t perfect. But it will be missed.

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or at kwolgamott@journalstar.com.