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Though the band technically hails from another side of the 562, punk rock outfit The Blasters might as well be from Long Beach. Over the last 30 years, Downey-bred Phil Alvin and his band of punk pioneers have played Long Beach venues, lived within its city limits and, at least for the mathematics-educated frontman, taught promising 49ers at Cal State Long Beach.<\/p>\n
But the band\u2019s sound has always strayed from the aggressive angst-y rock that has become so synonymous with early \u201880s suburbia.<\/p>\n
Since starting The Blasters with his brother Dave in 1979\u2014and playing nearly continually since\u2014Alvin\u2019s songs have shaken up the gritty punk aesthetic by mixing it with elements of rockabilly, folk and blues, drawing interest from members of Los Lobos and leading to tours with bands as diverse as The Cramps, Black Flag and Queen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve played with a lot of great rock bands and great punk rock bands and a lot of the great blues musicians that we were brought up by,\u201d Alvin says. \u201cThe style that we play connects to all of those and their energies\u2026overall, though, The Blasters are a rockin\u2019 band.\u201d<\/p>\n
And rock, they will. The stalwart musicians will be playing Long Beach for the first time in several years this Saturday at the MADhaus for the first Party on Pine show of the year. Opening for them is L.A.-via-Texas swamp-blues band Restavrant, RT \u2018n The 44\u2019s plus rock ‘n’ roll from Long Beach\u2019s The Hardship Anchors, just several in a long list of bands for whom The Blasters paved the way.<\/p>\n
While the bands like Restavrant don’t directly cite The Blasters as an influence, the sonic connections between Restavrant’s fuzzy country-tinged blues-punk and Alvin\u2019s decades-old hybridized style are ever present.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusic is more timeless than a lot of other things and so I think it\u2019s great that young guys are still playing this type of music,\u201d Alvin says. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the job of older musicians to pass it on. It was passed on to me, though only half the time I thanked them\u2014sometimes I just flicked them off.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Saturday\u2019s show will be one of only a few performances The Blasters have planned for 2014. This summer, Alvin will put the band aside to tour with his brother as they play concerts dedicted to their favorite songs from American bluesman Big Bill Broonzy.<\/p>\n
After that, he says, it\u2019s time for another Blasters record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t always that interested in recording all the time, especially with the kind of deals that used to exist,\u201d Alvin says of why releases from the band have been sporadic over the years. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s time for some new Blaster songs and new directions. That might be easier said than done, but now is the time.\u201d<\/p>\n