Dave Alvin
Photo by Todd V. Wolfson
Doug Sahm Tribute
Antone's, Thursday, March 19Doug Sahm never stood in one place for too long as this two-hour
tribute demonstrated. The man defined Texas music, which meant rock,
Tex-Mex, blues, jazz, and country intermingled, and it still makes
perfect sense.
Jimmie Vaughan led off the night swinging,
especially on the horn-driven "Why Why Why," the 1950s-style soul track
he lends to the upcoming Sahm tribute disc,
Keep Your Soul. Sir Doug's country rock side was covered by the
Gourds and a lively "Nuevo Laredo," but the fire was lit when son
Shawn Sahm & the Tex-Mex Experiencehit the stage with a dancing take of "Adios Mexico." The younger Sahm's
a spitting image of his father in many ways, one of them being a
talkative stage presence that kept things lively during set changes.
Dave Alvin joined in, aided by
Cindy Cashdollarand her steel guitar, for "Dynamite Woman." "When I was young, I wanted
to be Doug Sahm when I grew up," Alvin claimed. "Tonight I get to
pretend." There were left-field appearances as well, one by local blues
guitar wunderkind
Jake Andrews (with
Keep Your Soul producer Bill Bentley on drums), and Massachusetts country rocker
Sarah Borges. Those that stuck it out were rewarded with a blowout of a finale as all the living members of the
Texas Tornados –
Augie Meyers,
Flaco Jimenez,
Ernie Durawa, and
Speedy Sparks– joined for a mini set of their greatest hits, right down to the
Freddy Fender nod "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights." It was the kind of
raucous celebration that Doug Sham would have loved, tempered with the
knowledge that he left a legacy of great music and a world full of
memories that many of us still miss.