My Next Read: “New Highway: Selected Lyrics, Poems, Prose, Essays, Eulogies and Blues” By Dave Alvin

Celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Alvin is, first and foremost, a storyteller. The Grammy winning artist’s disarmingly well-crafted lyrics represent just one of the many expressions of his unique ability to capture the gritty and beautiful moments of life with the written word. This anthology of his writing is a companion piece to Dave’s considerable musical output, and presents a staggering cross section of his work. New Highway includes a generous selection of his celebrated poetry; excerpts of his moving prose; newspaper articles and essays on artists including Frank Zappa, Bo Diddley, and Ray Charles (which earned Dave a Grammy nomination); tributes to influences such as Merle Haggard; a long-lost interview with Buck Owens; and, of course, a carefully curated representation of his inimitable lyrics. Packed with rich imagery and poignant observations, New Highway follows Dave’s previous collections Nana, Big Joe & the Fourth of July, and Any Rough Times Are Now Behind You: Selected Poems & Writings: 1979-1995. If you know Dave Alvin for his music, this collection will give you deeper insight into the heart of an artist whose pen knows no boundaries.