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ROCK ON! This Week's Sound Bites...11/1/18
By Danny Coleman
originally published: 11/01/2018
"We toured together just the two of us for most of the year last year and then went out to L.A. in December and January and made the record. After the record was made we started touring with the band so it leaped up a notch," says Jimmie Dale Gilmore as he spoke about the current tour and the November 1 show at the South Orange PAC with duo partner, David Alvin.
Gilmore has more than 50 years of musical heritage and is a founding member of The Flatliners. Beyond that he has diversified into producing and acting; which may possibly be attributed to his early years coming along at an opportune time in musical history.
"I've pretty much always been a musician, I started performing in my late teens. I was in my early teens when I started playing, my dad was a guitar player so I was around it my whole life and he played some local stuff. He was never a full time professional but he was a really good guitar player and he did a lot of local dances and stuff like that but it wasn't his profession. I grew up listening to Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb, the really heavy country radio and honky tonk; Lefty Frizzell and Ray Price and then right around the time when I got old enough to learn how to play and I was learning the chords to accompany myself, the folk boom happened and I became devotedly interested in the old folk music with people like Woody Guthrie and of course Bob Dylan. Also in that period I was a real big blues fan, so some of my real influences were Lightnin' Hopkins and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and I also really liked the blues bands from New Orleans and Chicago. I was also at the age when rock 'n' roll was new so I got all the input from Fats Domino and Little Richard and Chuck Berry; I was steeped in a whole lot of different kinds of music from an early age."
Out on the road in support of, "Downey to Lubbock" with longtime friend turned partner Alvin; the smooth speaking Gilmore explains how the two arrived at this point after years of not performing or working together.
"We had been very, very good friends for a long, long time but we had never played music together," he stated as if he had trouble believing it himself. "We met each other through the music business; way back a long time ago there was a thing called, "The Monsters of Folk" and it still keeps going today but with a lot of the younger people but we did the original incarnation of it and it was organized by Tom Russell. It was me and Butch Hancock and Steve Young I believe and all singer songwriter people; mostly kind of folk singers except several of us had a foot in other worlds. Dave and I got to be friends on that trip but we never had played together and David is a really good writer and he had done some articles about me, so we had gotten to be really well acquainted but we didn't play music together. Last year my booking agent called me one day with this idea and he said; "What do you think about going out with just you and Dave Alvin together, just the two of you on one of these song swap things?" I said, I would love it and David said the same thing; because we already liked each other a lot personally and were sort of mutual fans but that was the first time that we played together. Pretty quickly into it we discovered that we had so much in common musically and even though we sound so different we found that our backgrounds were so similar and in January of last year we did our first show together in Denton, Texas."
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"By doing those duet shows, we sort of accidentally discovered that it worked really well. We hadn't really ever known about each other's common musical roots until we were hangin' around with each other and since we didn't have a band we could pull up just anything. I could pull up any old song and if Dave knew it he could join in or he'd learn it before it was over or he'd just sit out. We turned out to have so much in common that we had a repertoire."
"Downey to Lubbock" is named after each of their hometowns, Gilmore from Lubbock, Texas and Alvin from Downey, California. The recording of this critically well received effort was wrapped up with relative ease thanks to a smart decision by Gilmore.
"We did the album in a few sessions out in L.A. because it was easier to fly me to L.A. Originally we were going to do half there and half here in Texas but to do that would be flying eight or nine band and crew people instead of just flying one person out to where they all were; so we did it all in L.A. in the studio that Dave works in all of the time and it was great and so much fun."
Now if figuring out the genre which those same critics and industry types have placed their work in was that easy.
"Seems to me it's kind of been a catch all phrase for, music I like but we don't know what to call it," he said with a laugh as he too (like many others) seemingly struggles with the definition of, "Americana." "I think it's an amalgam of all of it; all of the folk influences that had such an effect on all of the musicians of our time blended in with rockin' blues and country. I can't figure it out; there's stuff to me that I'd call hard rock that they call Americana and then there's some sweet ballads, I'm not sure really."
The actual composition of the disc as mentioned before is collaborative. The duo may have much in common but they chose their own individual compositions with very little co-writing at all.
"We've not written much together, my main songwriting has been with The Flatlanders and that's a whole separate thing. Essentially this is my third career because I've had my own personal career and The Flatlanders have been going since the early '70's and that's a periodical happening and then this with Dave for the last couple of years has been my main focus."
Focus may be a bit understated as this tour has been on the, "Cozy" side and although their quarters aren't cramped; well let's just say they've all gotten to know and appreciate each other a bit more.
"We've been out a lot earlier this year and we're just coming off a little break right now, we're really just hitting it; I haven't toured this much in 15 years. I love it, we have such a good band, musically it's exciting; it's good every night and they're all people that I like to hang out with. So it's a fun thing but I don't necessarily like being away from home so much at a time but being away from home and have it be such a positive road experience is second best. We're doing this tour in a van and a car but there's actually plenty of room for us to spread out and there's room for the merch; it's not exactly a shoestring budget but it's also not a big expenditure. This isn't unusual for Dave, he's been a workhorse year round for many years. I'm a little older than Dave so I had slowed down a little bit and I've been jokingly saying that I've been retired even though it wasn't true. I was still playing but I just wasn't playing every night."
There are three area shows this week with the SOPAC first, followed by November 3 at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY and November 4 at The Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA. Gilmore says that there's a mix of intensity and beauty to be found at each.
"You can expect some really intense blues rock guitar from Dave; he's one of the best and he's high powered and intense. Then we veer off into beautiful ballads and poignant sort of music; there's a little touch of country in all of it, country and blues."
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To discover more about the tour, the album, Jimmie Dale Gilmore or purchase tickets to any show, please visit www.jimmiegilmore.com.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
This week's event listings
Alchemist & Barrister 28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. "Pasta and Sinatra Night"
Wed. 10 p.m. (TBA)
Artworks Trenton19 Everett Alley Trenton
(609) 394-943
Sat. 12 p.m. "Art All Day"
Bill's Olde Tavern 2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Thurs. 9 p.m. Trivia
Ages 21+
Blend Bar & Bistro 911 Highway 33 Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia Jam
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke
Bowman's Tavern 1600 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2972
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Fermenters
Fri. 8 p.m. Bob Egan
Sat. 7 p.m. Dave Dales Trio
Sun. (12 p.m.) Brunch w/ Ottmar (6 p.m.) Lorenzo
Mon. 6 p.m. Andy Prescott
Tues. 6 p.m. Ed Wilson
Wed. 6 p.m. Lorenzo
Brickwall Tavern & Dining Room 19 E. Union Street Burlington
(609) 733-3562
Fri. 10 p.m. ENJOY!
Sat. 10 p.m. Screaming Rockets
Broken Goblet Brewing1500 Grundy Lane Bristol, PA
(267) 812-5653
Wed. 8 p.m. Quizzo from the Darkside
BSB Gallery143 East State Street (Suite 4) Trenton
(609) 599-3268
Fri. 2 p.m. "The Collaborators" Exhibition
Sat. 12 p.m. OMN7
BT Restaurant & Tavern2031 Route 130 South Burlington
(609) 499-1355
Fri. 8 p.m. Malpractice Show Band
Candlelight Lounge 24 Passaic Street Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Thurs. 6 p.m. Thursday Night Blues Jam
Sat. 3 p.m. (TBA) $10 (cover charge/$10 Minimum includes buffet)
Tues. 6 p.m. "Tuesday Jazz Jam" Open Session feat. James Stewart / Tom Littwin Trios. $5 (Lite appetizers)
Championship Bar931 Chambers street Trenton
(609) 396-5457
Mon. 8 p.m. "Art Chill Night"
Tuesday 8 p.m. "Jam Night" Hosted by Nikki & Caleb
Chickie's & Pete's 183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night
Wed. 9 p.m. Quizzo Trivia
City Streets 510 Highway 130 South East Windsor
(609) 426-9400
Mon. 9 p.m. "Malibu Mondays"
Tues. 9 p.m. Trivia w/ Jessie & Chelsea
Wed. 6:30 p.m. "Wine Down Wednesdays" w/ Rich Genoval
COARadio.com 125 South Main Street Hightstown
(609) 241-7103
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. Evangelia / Drew the Recluse
Diamond's of Hamilton 661 Route 33 Hamilton
(609) 981-7900
Fri. (6 p.m.) Piano Rock Top (10 p.m.) DJ Frank Oliveti
Sat. 9 p.m. Sam McDonugh
Sun. 10 a.m. "Live Jazz Brunch Buffet"
Dog & Bull Brew House 810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
Sun. 11 a.m. "Sunday Brunch" feat. Dick Gratton
Freddies Tavern 12 Railroad Avenue Ewing
(609) 882-0978
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia Night
Fri. 9 p.m. South Side Wanderers
Sat. 9 p.m. Jim Delre Band
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Joe Vadala
German American Society215 Uncle Pete's Road Hamilton
(609) 585-5200
Sun. 12 p.m. "Schlachtfest"
Grounds For Sculpture80 Sculptors way Hamilton
(609) 586-0616
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Sing Along with Sculpture" w/ Seward Johnson
Fri. 8:30 p.m. "Comedy Night" Hosted by Helene Angley. Ages 21+
Grover's Mill Coffee House Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction
(609) 716-8771
Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Anker
Halo Pub4617 Nottingham Way Hamilton Square
(609) 586-1811
Sat. 7 p.m. Jeff Fadden Trio
Havana New Hope 105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.
(215) 862-9897
Fri. (8:30 p.m.) Jumper (12 a.m.) DJ Dance Party
Sat. (8:30 p.m.) Coast 2 Coast (12 a.m.) DJ Dance Party
Sun. 1 p.m. Midnight Sun Orchestra
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. "Local Original Music Showcase" Hosted by Pat Foran feat.
Hopewell Theater 5 South Greenwood Avenue Hopewell
(609) 466-1964
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Seth Glier / Dar Williams. (SOLD OUT call for availability)
Fri. 8 p.m. "This Really Happened..." Storytelling at Hopewell Theater Hosted by Joey Novick feat. Jamie Brickhouse, Rhonda Hansome, Nick Kupsey, Gail Thomas, Terri Mintz. $19.73
Hopewell United Methodist Church20 Blackwell Avenue Hopewell
(609) 466-0471
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night
Sat. 7 p.m. Hopewell Valley Community of Associated Music Projects (HV CAMP). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., $20
Hopewell Valley Bistro & Inn 15 East Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-9889
Fri. 8 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Hopewell Valley Vineyards 46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Thurs. 6 p.m. Open Mic Karaoke
Fri. 6 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. Craig Leach & Friends
Sat. 6 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. Rainbow Fresh
Sun. 2 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Ashley Petit
Hurricane Jacks Bar and Grill 7759 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(267) 914-4517
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paul Kircher
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paula & Sam
Iron Plow Vineyards 26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6 p.m. Bob O & Kim Montalvo
Sat. 1 p.m. Jim Gaven
Sun. 1 p.m. Bob & David
Ivy Tavern 3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9:30 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 9 p.m. Ernie White Band
Sat. 9 p.m. Ess Gees
All shows 21+
Jake's Eatery 869 Bustleton Pike Richboro, PA
(215) 322-6787
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Ladies Night"
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia Night
Jimmy's Firestone American Grill140 Route 130 South Bordentown
(609) 291-0200
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Bar Games and Trivia"
John & Peter's 96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa
(215) 862-5981
Sun. 9:30 p.m. The Adventure Soundtrack
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic.
Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern2677 Nottingham Way Mercerville
(609) 586-2678
Sat. 10 p.m. DiBartolo, Leahy, Clayton
Laurita Winery 85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Sat. 1 p.m. Jersey Corn
Sun. 1 p.m. Tymes 2
Wed. 6 p.m. "Girls Night Out"
McGuinn's Place 1781 Brunswick Avenue Lawrence
(609) 392-0599
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Ages 21+
McStews Irish Sports Pub 5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Thurs. 10:30 p.m."Beer Pong" w/ DJ RV & MC Slim
Sat. 9 p.m. The Fredz
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo hosted by Mike
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Kirchner Entertainment
Millhill Basement 300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Fri. 8 p.m.
Sat. 10 p.m. Jordon Royale, DJ Alien, Yatta, Killa Kelz, Team Rockaset, (TBA). Doors open at 9 p.m., $7
Sun. 7 p.m. "The DoJo-A DJ and Producer Experience" Hosted by Rocky The Promoter feat. DJs J-Ack, iLL-Omega, Fleamarket, King Who. $5
Tues. 10 p.m. "Local Artist" Hip Hop, Experimental EDM and Bass Music Showcase
New Hope Winery 6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Fri. 8 p.m. A Tribute to Billy Joel w/ "New York State of Mind." Doors open at 7 p.m., $25
Sat. 8 p.m. A Tribute to The Eagles w/ "Eaglemania." $39 (SOLD OUT call for ticket availability)
Sun. 6 p.m. A Tribute to The Eagles w/ "Eaglemania." Doors open at 5 p.m., $39
Nook's PourHouse 2043 Route 130 South Florence
(609) 447-0927
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia Tuesday w/ Quizoholics
Nottingham Tavern 9 Mercer Street Hamilton Square
(609) 587-6623
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Super Dave
Fri. 9 p.m. Cover Up
Sat. 9 p.m. Black Brant
Ages 21+
Old Town Pub 135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 291-9232
Thurs. 8 p.m. Quizzoholics Trivia
Sat. 9 p.m. Deb & Mike
Open Arts PAC146 Route 130 South Bordentown
(609) 424-3058
Sat. 7 p.m. "Tickle My Funny Bone Comedy Show" Hosted by DeeKay feat. Topp Fliight, Will Wright, Colin Coyle, Andrew Fox, Greg Johnson. Doors open at 6 p.m., $15 (Advance)
Palermo's Of Hamilton 310 Klockner Road Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21 +
Patriots Crossing 1339 River Road Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Bobby Jones
Fri. 8 p.m. (TBA)
Sat. 8 p.m. DT & The Burnerz
Wed. 7 p.m. "Quizzo
Pete's Steak House 523 Whitehorse Avenue Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Sat. 9 p.m. El Ka Bong
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Randy Now's Man Cave 134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Fri. 8 p.m. Ditz. All ages
Sat. 8 p.m. The Accelerators / Pleased Youth. All ages, $10
Wed. 7:30 p.m. Melanie. All ages, $50
Rossi's Bar & Grill 2110 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 890-2004
Thurs. 7 p.m. Monk & Monk (Domino Domino)
Salt Creek Grille 1 Rockingham Row Princeton
(609) 419-4200
Fri. 8 p.m. Keith Franklin
Sat. 8 p.m. Jackie Jones
Small World Coffee 14 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-4377 x2
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Rick Fiori Jazz Trio
1867 Sanctuary 101 Scotch Road Ewing
(609) 392-6409
Fri. 8 p.m. Bedlam
Sat. (3 p.m.) Monika Ryan & The Alex Otey Trio (8 p.m.) Luiz Simas
Sun. 3 p.m. "Ebony and Ivory" w/ Clipper Erikson
Wed. 8 p.m. Jonathan Kirschner Band
Tara's Tavern 1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown
(609) 286-2300
Fri. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Big Daddy G
Sat. 10 p.m. Ernie White & Lisa Bouchelle
Tavern On The Lake 101 Main Street Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. Pretty Baby
Sat. 9 p.m. Black Rose
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
Temperance House 5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Thurs. 7 p.m. Blues Open Mic Hosted by Steve Guyger
Fri. 7 p.m. Steve Guyger
Sat. 7 p.m. Faraway Guys
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo w/ Righteous Jolly
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Session Jazz Night
The Cool Cricket 216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9 p.m. ArHouse
The Cure Insurance Center 81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check website for upcoming events
The Dubliner34 North Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1816
Fri. 7 p.m. Tom Belsky
Sat. 7 p.m. The Aberdeans
Sun. 2 p.m. Jam Session w/ Seamus Kelleher
The Five Four Bar & Grill8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 547-5525
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Mini Reunion" w/ Dory
Fri. 9 p.m. Stem Live
Sat. 9:30 p.m. (TBA)
Wed. 7 p.m. "Lyrical Conundrums" w/ Cara and Righteous
The Four Crows Café41 North Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 869-5252
Fri. 5 p.m. Phil McAuliffe
Sun. 2 p.m. Jeff Penque
The HOB Tavern 146 Second Street Bordentown
(609) 291-7020
Fri. 8 p.m. "Rocky Horror Halloween" w/ Sir Xerri
Tues 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Wed. 8 p.m. (TBA)
The Ivy Inn 248 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Rockin' Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Fatha Ramzee
Sat. 10 p.m. (TBA)
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. "Wednesday Wheel Night Spin To Win Karaoke" w/ DJ Rockn Ron
The Pines Tavern 6217 North Radcliffe Street Bristol, PA
(215) 788-1659
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Beg Op Redux
Sun. 3 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Bill Monach Jr.
The RRazz Room (Clarion Hotel)
6426 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(888) 596-1027
Fri. 8 p.m. "Cracked Up Comedy" Hosted by Dwayne Dunlevy feat. Scott Armstrong, Jess Carpenter, Dan Clark, Mike DiAlto, Adam Nutter. $15 ($20 minimum per person applies inside venue)
Sat. 8 p.m. "Everybody Loves a Nut" Rhoda Rogers & Ernest Torres Variety Revue. ($20 minimum per person applies inside venue)
The Roost 181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Sticky Wicket 2465 South Broad Street Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Thurs. 9 p.m. "Throwback Thursday" w/ DJ Chillio
Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke
The Sycamore Grill 255 North Sycamore Street Newtown, PA
(215) 908-6326
Thurs. 8 p.m. Dan Ward
Fri. 8 p.m. Stage Left
Sat. 8 p.m. Scoville Blues
Tir Na Nog 1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Billy McGovern
Sat. 9 p.m. Righteous Jolly
Sun. 3 p.m. "Irish Sessions" Kathy DeAngelo & Dennis Gormley
All Shows 21+
Trenton Buzz 702 Pine Street Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Fri. 8 p.m. Live Band & Open Mic.
Sat. 10 p.m. "Buzzed Saturdays" w/ Bockman
Trenton Coffee House and Records750 Cass Street Trenton
(609) 379-0549
Sat. 12 p.m. "Analog Trenton" Watch an Album Being Made: feat. Elissa Janelle Velveteen (12:45 p.m.) Bayron (1:30 p.m.) Joshua Adair (2:15 p.m.) Nikki Nailbomb (3 p.m.) Bern The Bastard (3:45 p.m.) Skelly (4:30 p.m.) Jessica MF Stanley (5:15 p.m.) Caleb Ray Walker.
Trenton Social 449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Benny P
Wed. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia
Fri.10 p.m. Another Round. $5 (cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Rainbow Fresh. $5 (cover charge)
All shows 21+
Triumph Brewing Company (Princeton Location)
138 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 924-7855
Fri. 10 p.m. Visen
Wildflowers Inn 2572 Pennington Road Pennington
(609) 773-2392
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock Night
Mon. 9 p.m. "Moonshine Mondays" Trivia
Working Dog Winery 610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Sat. 1 p.m. Frank Cervantes
Yardley Country Club1010 Reading Avenue Yardley, PA
(215) 493-4531
Fri. 6 p.m. "Golden Girls Murder Mystery." $45 (Includes Buffet/Show Cash Bar)
Yardley Inn Restaurant & Bar82 East Afton Avenue Yardley, PA
(215) 493-3800
Sat. 8 p.m. Mike Meade

Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled “Rock On Radio” airing Sunday evenings at 7:000pm EST on multiple internet radio outlets where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.