Chris Gaffney
Slacker Country was deeply saddened to hear of Chris Gaffney’s passing on Thursday, April 17 . We didn’t even know he was undergoing chemotherapy for liver cancer.
He fronted The Hacienda Brothers and was lately a regular member of Dave Alvin’s band The Guilty Men, as well as a truly great solo performer. He combined the best elements of country, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, zydeco and tejano music to create his own sound, East LA Soul.
Here’s a clip of him performing “In The Garden” with his old band, The Cold Hard Facts
Dave Alvin – Live at the Sons of Hermann Hall, September 7, 2006
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men played The Sons of Hermann Hall Thursday night with Chris Gaffney’s band, The Hacienda Brothers , opening- while the regular Thursday night campfire singalong was going on full steam in the downstairs bar. All kinds of old guitars, banjos, and mandolins (along with old guitar, banjo, and mandolin players) were everywhere; there was even a vintage looking lap steel guitar propped up against the wall in the hall just outside the bar. A big circle of players were singing and jamming away while others hung out to have a smoke or drink at the bar or in the hallway.
Dave Alvin – Ashgrove
Dave Alvin’s obviously been doing a lot of reminiscing.
His latest studio effort, “Ashgrove,” released by Yep Roc Records, is full of looking back and longing: for a simpler time, for lost friends, lost love, and lost youth. And as a little bonus, it boasts another one of his patented narratives from the grave.