Dear Phil and the boys,
I bought Testament a few months ago. I saw it in a record store and
hadn't thought about The Blasters in years. They didn't get much airplay
in Chicago back then except on WXRT. I had the first album on vinyl but
it got lost somewhere down the line. Testament reminded me of why I liked
The Blasters so much. My sons, ages 4 and 7, started hanging around the
basement every time I played Testament. They really started digging it
and would dance around to the music. After a while they demanded I play it
over and over. I made a tape for the car and it is on all the time. Then I
discovered the Going Home DVD. They went nuts ! My home is now a 24 hours
Blasters zone ! They know every song, the names of all the bandmembers,
and are begging me to learn the songs on guitar. They've also taken
an interest in my CD collection. I've been turning them on to my blues
and rock 'n roll discs and they can't get enough ! If your goal was to
spread the gospel of music, you have accomplished it in our little town
of Morton, Illinois. Thank you to Dave, Phil, Bill, Gene, John, Lee and
Big Joe for making such great AMERICAN MUSIC !
Don
Andrade
Blasters a no-show at the Hootenanny gig on Sat. July 6
Don't know what happened, but John Doe made the following comment
during X's set:"So you're wondering where the hell the Blasters
are?[they were supposed to go on before X] So are we. We don't know
where they are..." Anyway, I stuck around until after Joe Strummer's
set(which was BY FAR the highlight of the day) and then I left becuase
it looked as though it was going to be a long break before Reverend
Horton Heat came on. The Reverend's great, but I get to see him a lot
out here, and I was pretty wiped out from the 5 hours in the sun.
Besides, I was pretty pissed about Hank 3 also not showing up, so when
the blasters didn't make it, the day turned into a little of a downer.
Plus, the crowd was pretty lame. Somehow the rockabilly/roots scene has
been taken over by classic car-driving scenesters who really like to
drink cheap beer and fight. Anyway, I hope all is well with the
band...
CG
Yeah, so, I was at my grandfather's birthday and who should walk in the door but Johnny Bazz... By the way, he's my second cousin...
Hi Guys. This is a personnal review. I hope you don't mind. Wasn't sure where to
park it..
So, I'm sitting at home in Milton Keynes in England watching TOTP2 on BBC2
19th August 2003, when the announcer introduces "The Blasters". I am intrigued
to begin with. Within seconds I am absolutely blown away by this American band
who I have been missing out on for God knows how many years!
I am 48 years old and love everything Country/Rythym&Blues & R&R, especially
from across the pond. I must have been asleep the last 20 or so years not to
have heard of you guys. I will now be scouring the shelves of all record stores
for any CDs available of "The Blasters".
I will be in Las Vegas again this year 7th to 15th December during the Rodeo and
would count myself as the luckiest SOB around if I found out you were gigging in
Vegas during that week. Maybe too much to hope for?
Thanks again guys for re-vitalising an "old" rocker with your own indomitable,
superb style.
Regards
Jim
Stumbled on to the Blasters page, while commiserating with a fellow rock fiend,on how the bands don't play S**t for rock anymore...lame covers, stupid sappy psuedo-love pap crap!!! re-lived the night 20 years ago, when the "B'S" closed MY FATHERS PLACE in Roslyn,N.Y.(Long Island) I'm 50 now, and would do anything in my power to re-live that one night ,when they totally blew the top of my head off...and set the standard for ALL OUT HEART!!! that I've yet to see again!!.... Live in Fla. now,.....They play? I'm there with every Man-jack I can drag with me!!!......,Rock On!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blasters Sighting. Date: Thursday July 31, 2003. Location American Airlines Flight 137 London Heathrow to Los Angeles. Boarding time 11:05 am.
Phil Alvin, arrived just before the plane took off. He barely made the plane. He was out of breath from running. I am sure it was him as he dropped his boarding pass and I read his name from it Alvin/Phillip.
He has carrying a book bag which was stuffed with what appeared to be paper and books. He was about to place his heavy book bag in the overhead which was already full and asked the passenger sitting in his section if the items in the overhead were fragile. The passenger said yes. He smiled nicely and sat 11 hours with the book bag on his lap.
Oddly enough, he put on his glasses and watched National Geographic on a small 5 inch screen.
Bill Bateman who sat a couple seats back was also on the plane. My brother in law sat next to him and told us on the way home that he was a "pretty cool dude". He wore Levis and brown cowboy boots.
Other members of the band may have been on the plane, but I wouldn't know them if I saw them.
I used to listen to the Blasters years ago, but I could only remeber one song.
For 11 hours I hummed Marie Marie silently to myself and wished I could at least remember another of their tunes. I am now looking them up to see what I have been missing.
Phil,
I think I saw you on the 405 Fwy several months ago. You were driving maybe 55 mph and playing a uke. I couldn't get your attention.
If you have time, get back to an old close friend, e-mail or call.
Mike Carter
Maybe we can get togeather and celebrate 50. March 6, 1953
After reading all the great stories about the band back in 'the day', and feeling enormously jealous that I didn't get to see any of the reunion shows, I thought I'd re-live my memory of seeing them for the very first time by typing it out while listening to the excellent 'Troublebound'...
My first live experience of the Blasters, with the full line-up including Steve Berlin and Lee Allen, was at Toronto's only rock bar of renown, the El Mocambo, in the spring of 1983, the week that Nonfiction had just been released. It was a double bill with Rank & File, whose first Slash album had also come out that week if I recall correctly. Rank & File played a great set, and although I was impressed, it was the Blasters that I was there to see. They of course played a blistering set, one of my five favorite live music experiences ever (and I've been to hundreds of shows).
As I think about it, I recall them doing a Muddy Waters song, I think it was 'Hoochie Koochie Man', but Phil dedicated it to Muddy who had died that day...so the exact date of the show must be April 30, 1983. Afterwards, I can recall it being one of those post shows where you feel as if you're walking about three feet off the ground, and all you want to do is have a few more drinks and get off on the exuberant energy you're feeling. That was far from the ony time I saw the 'original' Blasters, and I saw them in other incarnations (Hollywood Fats, etc) post Dave too, but that will always be the best one.
Flash forward to this past summer ('02), Edmonton, Alberta. Dave Alvin was playing wthe Edmonton Folk Festival with his band, as were Los Lobos. On Saturday night after the festival finished for the night there was a party back at the hotel where most of us (the industry people and musicians and some festival staff) were staying, and Los Lobos were playing the party. I said to the people I was with 'You watch, Dave will get up with them and play', and no sooner had I said that then I saw him come in with his guitar. And he did indeed get up with them (as did Big Sandy), and they played 'Marie Marie' and 'American Music' and another Blasters tune, and jammed on a few chestnuts...I was in absolute heaven. My favorite show of this past year. I went up to Dave later on (very late by now) and introduced myself, told him I'd been a fan forever and mentioned Blasters shows and Dave solo shows I'd seen over the years. He took a step back and looked me in the eye and said 'Man, you don't look old enough to have been at those shows, you wear it well.' What a gent.
One of my many BLASTERS shows stands out. Colfax, Ca.,'86 or'87. My girlfriend was only 20 and the door man would'nt let her in. We stood out front wondering what to do. A van pulls up, the doors open, and out of it walk THE BLASTERS. All in leather jackets with instruments in hand. Walking up to us, asking us if this was Club Soda. I must of looked like a deer in headlights. I remember nugding her saying "thats was them, THE BLASTERS!" She replied, "That was cool." I begged the door man to let her in. Promising him that I would'nt even drink alcohol. He left us hanging outside until the last minute. He did let us in just before they hit the stage. Their was only about 20 people at the show and THE BLASTERS still rocked as if there were 10,000 people. That night, THE
BLASTERS showed the 20 of us their method. It doesn't matter how many people
are at the show, you still rock your best for those who are there. And that they did, as always. She's my ex-wife now, but she was still kind enough to buy me the American Music CD when it was released on September 16,1997(my birthday). A birthday present I will never forget.
Marty Ferro
Blastersrocker@aol.com
Was Phil Alvin currently on the Television program "BLIND DATE"?
I tuned late to a "date from hell" episode and this guy looked like
Phil Alvin to me. I even made an out loud comment to my fiancee. Then
seconds later, the girl called him Phil. Now I am in limbo wondering if this
was him.
Any info would help.
Thanks & Smiles,
Melissa
At a Blasters show in the L.A. area sometime in the early to mid-eighties, some stupid guy got up on stage in front of Dave and stage dived into the audience. Problem was, everyone parted, no one caught him, and he hit the floor below with a resounding thud. Dave got this really shocked look on his face, and right in the middle of the song, he went to the edge of the stage, looked down at the guy, and mouthed, "Are you okay?" It was one of those moments that was really funny in a politically incorrect way. We laughed about that story for many years.
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