Dave Alvin, the guitarist who helped push roots-rock to a wider audience with The Blasters, has ranged from the punk-rock Flesh Eaters to the acoustic country-folk Knitters.
Alvin performs Feb. 12 at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle.
He’s been recording in Austin with an all-female band for a 2009 CD most likely to be called “Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women.” He still performs with The Knitters.
He wrote “Long White Cadillac,” a country hit for Dwight Yoakam; picked up a Grammy in 2001 for the Best Contemporary Folk Album with “Public Domain: Songs from the Wild Land”; and has had two books of poetry published.
His Seattle show will be an acoustic concert.
Opening is Martha Scanlan (ex-Reeltime Travelers), a singer-songwriter who recorded a song for the “Cold Mountain” film soundtrack and toured with Alison Krauss and Ralph Stanley.
Mumiy Troll: It’s a long way from Vladivostok to Seattle, yet here is a chart-topping Russian band (pronounced Moo-me Troll) performing (in Russian) the self-defined rockapops.
While they’ve been a hit for many years in Russia and helped create an independent music scene, not everyone appreciated the band.
It performed illegally in Russia at first and members were occasionally jailed. A local Communist Party leader called them “one of the most socially dangerous bands in the world.”
Mindi Abair: Enjoy the pop-influenced jazz saxophonist, vocalist and songwriter who is touring with music from her recently released “Stars.”
One of the few female professional saxophonists in the country, Abair’s 2006 CD, “Life Less Ordinary,” topped Billboard’s contemporary jazz chart.
She’s also had three number-one singles. “Stars” is more pop-oriented than “Life” but still includes ear-catching jazz instrumentals.
Jim Malcolm: One of Scotland’s highly rated traditional singers, Malcolm (Old Blind Dogs) recently released a tribute CD to the Scottish national poet, Robert Burns. It honors the 250th anniversary of Burns’ birth in 2009.
Sweet Water: The Seattle rock band celebrates the release of its first new album in a decade, “Clear the Tarmac,” with a show at Neumos on Feb. 7.
The group got caught up in the Seattle music boom in the early 1990s, when it released two albums on major labels. But after 1999’s “Suicide,” an independent release, the group fell off the radar. Now playing live again, the group plans to bring its catchy, raw rock to the massive SXSW festival in March.
Left Hand Smoke: Back for the third time at the Triple Door, Left Hand Smoke delivers raucous rock and neo-soul music. LHS had opened for Maroon 5 on a Northwest leg of a national tour; played with Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready; and had the song “Down the Road” licensed for use on the Discovery Channel.
Juana Molina: The indie singer-songwriter is best know in Argentina as a comedy television actress but expanded her interests to singing atmospheric songs that include electronica.
Entertainment Weekly called her CD”Segundo” the Best World Music Album in 2003, and the New York Times put the CD “Tres Cosas” in the Top Ten Records list in 2004.
Out and about: The Gourds bring soul, swamp rock and gospel rhythms that are the foundation of its music (Feb. 7 and 8, Tractor Tavern) … Twice Grammy-nominated pianist, singer and composer Mose Allison performs swing, bop and the blues (Feb. 10 and 11, Jazz Alley) … Delta Spirit, Other Lives and Dawes perform in Seattle (Feb. 6, Tractor Tavern) … Grammy-nominated rockers Buckcherry and heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold perform with guest metal band Papa Roach and rock band Saving Abel (Feb. 7, Tacoma Dome).
Where to hear it
Dave Alvin: 8 p.m. Feb. 12, Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle; $20; 800-965-4827.
Mumiy Troll: Doors open 8 p.m. Feb. 6, Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., Seattle; $20; (206) 324-8000.
Mindi Abair: Various times Feb. 12-15, Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave. Seattle; $29.50-$39.50; 206-441-9729.
Jim Malcolm: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7, Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave., Seattle; $7.50, $15; 528-8523.
Sweet Water: Doors at 8 p.m. Feb. 7, Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., Seattle; $15; 800-325-7328.
Left Hand Smoke: 7:30 and 10 p.m. Jan. 7, Triple Door, 216 Union St., Seattle; $15; 206-838-4333.
Juana Molina: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, Triple Door, 216 Union St., Seattle; $16, $18; 206-838-4333.
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