TexiCali marks the latest chapter in the partnership of L.A. roots-rock vet Dave Alvin and revered West Texas singer/songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore – old friends who had appeared on the same shows, but never together. After Gilmore’s agent suggested they try teaming up, in 2018 they recorded Downey to Lubbock.

The alliance surprised some.

“Dave has fans that go, ‘Why are you playin’ with him?’ and my fans said, ‘What are you doin’? That guy’s loud!’’’ Gilmore laughs.

“We had a lot in common,” Alvin adds. “But things are different about our approaches to the same music that makes it fun and interesting. Jimmie is such an evocative singer – one of the great modern blues singers.”

In the ’60s, they both hung out at the Ash Grove, L.A.’s folk and blues club and became friendly with blues icons Lightnin’ Hopkins and Brownie McGhee. But they never met.

After Downey to Lubbock went smoothly and was well-received, they started discussing a follow-up. Then came the uncertainty of the pandemic, and Alvin was temporarily taken out of commission by Covid.

On TexiCali, they delve into the Southwest mystique and reimagine some old tunes, backed by Alvin’s band, the Guilty Ones – guitarist Chris Miller, drummer Lisa Pankratz, and bassist Brad Fordham.

For their first session at The Zone, in the Texas Hill Country, Alvin didn’t bring an acoustic but used a Martin D-28 that happened to be at the studio and owned by legendary singer/songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard. He later brought his road-favorite Martin DC Aura and used it on “Betty and Dupree.”

Having retired the venerable ’64 Strat he used with the Blasters, Alvin is now using his Dracocaster, a copy made by friend Drac Conley. It weighs 61/2 pounds and they found a favorite set of Lindy Fralin pickups for it.

“I’ve got a ’91 Vibroverb reissue I’ve been using on my records since I got it in ’92,” he adds, shifting to amplifiers. “For some stuff, I had a ’68 Twin Reverb.”

While mixing in L.A., Alvin dubbed solos on “Death of the Last Stripper,” “Down the 285” and “Southwest Chief,” using a ’68 Deluxe Reverb and a Les Paul owned by engineer Craig Parker Adams, a “…beautiful ’68 goldtop with the original mini-humbuckers.”

“Borderland’s” atmospheric instrumental intro was recorded using the Vibroverb, and “Down the 285” “…was the Dracocaster and Les Paul through the Vibroverb. I’m in open tuning. You get the big, thick chords. That had a lot of reverb. But for the solo, I was playing the Les Paul through the Deluxe. I wanted guitar to sound like lights in the distance, drivin’ down a dark highway.”

Alvin praises Guilty Ones guitarist Chris Miller, who builds his own instruments. “There’s a Dave tone and there’s a Chris tone. They’re very compatible but very different.” Lauding Miller’s country skills, he notes, “He can use the same guitar and play soul or jazz. We’re trying to mix up these styles.”

For Gilmore, who is steeped in Delta blues and New Orleans R&B, Piedmont-blues legend Blind Willie McTell’s “Broke Down Engine” proved challenging.

“When Dave first played (the original), I thought, ‘I don’t think I can do that.’ But he said, ‘Yes you can!’ and I came to love it. There’s a melodious quality to (McTell’s) singin’ that I just love, but it took some work to find it, vocally.”

Alvin gave it a roaring New Orleans R&B arrangement and did likewise with country legend Stonewall Jackson’s “Why I’m Walkin’,” originally a gloomy ballad.

“Blind Owl” honors Canned Heat guitarist/vocalist and blues scholar Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson (1943-1970), who sang lead on “On the Road Again” and “Goin’ Up the Country.” Alvin knew several members of the original band. For the track, Miller played slide atop its boogie rhythms. Alvin calls the solo “my tribute to Magic Sam.”

Reverb comes courtesy of his amps and a TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb – his favorite pedal. “For overdrive, I’ve got a Keeley-modified Blues Screamer. For digital delay, I used to love Danelectro echo boxes, but they’re difficult on the road.” He now uses a TC Electronic delay pedal.

His string choices are well-defined.

“In the Blasters, I used incredibly heavy strings – .015, .016.” He now uses D’Addario EXL 116, .011 to .052. “They’re nickel-wound and the G string is an .018.”

Alvin and Gilmore are clearly content with their partnership, but for Alvin, TexiCali is deeply personal, especially the upbeat “We’re Still Here.”

“After going through three years of treatment, having stage four cancer at the same time Covid was going on, there were times I felt the world, for all us musician types, might be over. Many songs on this record – including one that flat out says it – we’re still here, have this underpinning of survival.”

This article originally appeared in VG’s October 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.