Also this issue: Random House The Twin Atlas’ curious methods and haphazard road map to rock. -Brian Howard The Nut Never Sleeps -Sam Adams Melt Banana -Paul Burress Alexi Murdoch -Nicole Pensiero Tom Tom Club -A.D. Amorosi DJ Buck -Sean O’Neal Mary Lee's Corvette -Nicole Pensiero Yerba Buena -A.D. Amorosi

July 10-16, 2003

musicpicks

Dave Alvin

Do you like American music? Dave Alvin does. Last year with the reunited Blasters, Alvin put the rock in rockabilly, but his solo writing has actually mined a wider range of textures, freeing Alvin up to write however he likes (or not write, as in the case of 2000's archival Public Domain). On his own, Alvin may not reach as hard for glory, but his quiet presence lets him slide through history like a thief, nestling originals imperceptibly alongside popular music from the dawn of American song. You might call the result a journey, or a guided tour, but really, it's an illustration that the past is alive in the present, and to see it, you don't have to move at all.

Sat., July 12, 7 and 10 p.m., $18, The Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-928-0978.

—Sam Adams