Dave Alvin featured at Sisters Folk Festival

Fresh off the release of his rave review album "Eleven Eleven," Americana pioneer Dave Alvin will perform two sets during the Sisters Folk Festival, September 9-11.

"Having recently discovered Dave, I'm incredibly excited to see his performance. He's a guitar virtuoso whose songs span from dive bar blues to Steinbeckian musings of California," said SFF operations manager, Pete Rathbun.

Festival chairman Jim Cornelius has been following Alvin for years.

"Dave Alvin is one of the best songwriters in the business," Cornelius said. "I rank him with Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Tom Russell, Bruce Springsteen. He's a storyteller who also happens to be a kick-ass guitarist. We've been trying for years to get the stars to align to bring him here, and it's finally happened. Can't wait."

Dave and his older brother Phil grew up in a music-loving family in Downey, California. As teenagers, they regularly snuck into blues, rockabilly, and country nightclubs where they saw performances by greats like T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner, and Lee Allen, who later joined Dave and Phil in The Blasters.

His music moves effortlessly from ballads to driving blues, a musical bent he describes this way: "There are two types of folk music: quiet folk music and loud folk music. I play both."

Alvin shows off his skill on both sides of the volume divide on Eleven Eleven, where he reaffirms his status as one of the best and most distinctive American songwriters alive.

There are few artists who can match Alvin's gift for creating vivid characters and bringing them to life through music, and Eleven Eleven finds him near the top of his game as a tunesmith, while also showing off his estimable skills as a guitarist.

Tickets for the Sisters Folk Festival are available online at http://www.sistersfolkfestival.org, from the SFF office at 541-549-4979 or from its remote ticket locations: Paulina Springs Books of Sisters and Redmond and FootZone of Bend.