Dave Alvin at the Black Swamp

 

Last year, my dad started talking a lot about Dave Alvin after hearing some of Alvin’s work on a public radio station on his car radio.  For his birthday that year, I bought my dad Austin’s Live from Austin TX CD.  This past summer, while I was looking up who would be playing at the local annual arts fair–the Black Swamp Arts Festival in Bowling Green, Ohio–I noticed Alvin on the program for the night of Friday, September 10.  Almost immediately, I called my dad to let him know.  Instantly, he marked it in his calendar to take the hour trip up to Bowling Green to join my wife and me in seeing Dave Alvin play for free at the festival.

Friday night was the night.  We got there around 6:30, just after Alvin and his band, the Guilty Women, took the stage, and they did not disappoint in the least.  As a blues guitarist, Alvin has the whole package.  His playing is brilliant, his voice is smooth, and his style is impeccable.  The band, which included five-time Grammy winner Cindy Cashdollar on guitar, Sarah Brown on bass, Lisa Pankratz on drums, and Christy McWilson on backing vocals, could not have been better.  Hearing them play was truly an experience … and one that if you ever get the chance to have, particularly if you like good blues (and this is among the best), you’d be hard-pressed to beat.

Additionally, if you’re ever around Bowling Green, Ohio, in early September, you might consider stopping in at the Black Swamp Arts Festival, which is held either the first or the second weekend of the month each year.  Admission is entirely free, as is parking (though you might have to find a spot down a side street several blocks away depending on when you arrive).  During the day on Saturday and Sunday, artists from around the country sell their wares.  Food vendors, youth arts activities, and the downtown Bowling Green stores add to the feel of the event.  For the music lover, the main stage features music starting Friday evening and running all day Saturday and Sunday.  A couple of side stages also offer music during the day on Saturday and Sunday.  This year’s lineup, in addition to Alvin and the Guilty Women, featured Charlie Louvin and Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave, among many other acts.  Recent years have also seen the likes of Leon Redbone, Robbie Fulks, the Fixx, and Richie Havens perform at the festival.