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.
But the band’s sound has always strayed from the aggressive angst-y rock that has become so synonymous with early ‘80s suburbia.
Since starting The Blasters with his brother Dave in 1979—and playing nearly continually since—Alvin’s 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.
“We’ve 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,” Alvin says. “The style that we play connects to all of those and their energies…overall, though, The Blasters are a rockin’ band.”
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 ‘n The 44’s plus rock ‘n’ roll from Long Beach’s The Hardship Anchors, just several in a long list of bands for whom The Blasters paved the way.
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’s decades-old hybridized style are ever present.
“Music is more timeless than a lot of other things and so I think it’s great that young guys are still playing this type of music,” Alvin says. “It’s 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—sometimes I just flicked them off.”
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Saturday’s 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.
After that, he says, it’s time for another Blasters record.
“I wasn’t always that interested in recording all the time, especially with the kind of deals that used to exist,” Alvin says of why releases from the band have been sporadic over the years. “But I think it’s time for some new Blaster songs and new directions. That might be easier said than done, but now is the time.”
Party on Pine will take place at 7PM at MADhaus, 624 Pacific Avenue. Tickets are $15 and are available at Fingerprints, Vinyl Solution or online at Eventbrite and Ticketmaster.
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