BELLOWS FALLS-Roots musicians Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore are bringing their blend of country, blues, folk and “guitar-bashing rock and roll” to the Bellows Falls Opera House Saturday, May 9.
A few years back, Grammy-winner Alvin and multiple-Grammy-nominee Gilmore decided to join forces and play music together. Although Texas-born Gilmore was thrice named Country Artist of the Year by Rolling Stone, and California native Alvin first came to fame in the hard-rocking rhythm and blues band The Blasters, they discovered that their musical roots in old blues and folk music were exactly the same.
Naturally enough, that led to collaboration, and the duo has recorded two albums, TexiCali and Downey to Lubbock, and have toured behind both with a full band.
As they’ve hit the road in 2026, they are billing themselves as the Almost Acoustic Duo.
Friends for over 30 years, they have performed shows featuring songs from their collaborative albums, as well as original compositions from their individual albums, while swapping songs, telling stories, and sharing their life experiences on stage.
“Jimmie and I have been extremely blessed,” said Alvin in a news release. “People will go with us through a lot of our musical moods because a good song can be done a million different ways.”
Joining the duo will be, as Alvin recently put it, “rock ‘n’ roll legend, guitarist, writer, songwriter, garage DJ, Patti Smith bandleader, and all-round solid cat,” Lenny Kaye.
Kaye, at age 78, has just released his debut album, and was recently the subject of a long feature in Rolling Stone.
So what should audiences expect? Alvin reports from the road that “Mr. Kaye joined us on guitar for more than a few songs and we had a good ol’ rocking and rolling blast. Afterward he happily exclaimed, ‘I guess we’re a band now!’ You never know, Mr Kaye. Stranger things have happened.”
Both Gilmore and Alvin have played Bellows Falls before: Gilmore as part of the Green Mountain Express music train and Alvin as headliner at the late, great Roots on the River music festival. This show is being presented by Ray’s the Roof Productions.
The Bellows Falls Opera House is at 7 Village Square. Doors open at 6:30 p.m, showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets and information at BellowsFallsOperaHouse.com.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.