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Alejandro Escovedo



Last Updated: 11/2/2009

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Status: Single
City: AUSTIN
State: Texas
Country: US
Signup Date: 4/24/2006

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Monday, November 02, 2009 
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Guitarist Alejandro Escovedo has been through a lot over the course of a career that's lasted nearly 30 years. He started in the seminal San Francisco punk act the Nuns, who had the distinction of opening for the Sex Pistols on their single, disastrous U.S. tour; he went on to become one of the founding fathers of alt-country with Austin-based bands Rank and File and the True Believers in the 80's. 

After nearly succumbing to hepatitis C in the late 90's, Escovedo bounced back, and at nearly 60 years old, he took the stage at Voodoo looking fit, if battle-scarred. With his face half obscured by dark shades, fronting a band clad all in black, he tore through a razor-sharp, take-no-prisoners set of buzzy, blistering country-tinged punk rock n'roll. 

The band left the stage a good half-hour before they were scheduled to, but returned for a two-song encore. Up till then, they day had been blustery, but sunny, hot and humid. But as he unleashed the stomping, honky-tonk rhythm of "Castanets," the sky began to darken. When he dedicated the closer, David Bowie's "All The Young Dudes," to Iggy Pop, a cold wind suddenly snaked through the crowd. And as he left the stage, the first chilly raindrops began to fall.

The man in black and his vicious guitar were gone. The storm howled in, soaking City Park. Night fell.

Can you control the weather with rock n' roll?


Tuesday, October 13, 2009 
October 13, 2009 (New York) – Alejandro Escovedo is a rock star.  Even though he may not be a household name, in a world of wannabes he’s got the goods.  On Sunday night at the Highline Ballroom on West 16th Street, sandwiched in between Texas newcomers Hacienda and headliners Los Lonely Boys, Escovedo showed the youngsters how it’s done.

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Escovedo has been around for ages.  He began his career when most of today’s rockers weren’t even born, in the mid-70’s in San Francisco’s Nuns and then the True Believers.  As a solo artist in recent years he’s claimed Bruce Springsteen, Beck, Los Lobos and a host of other luminaries as fans and released several classic albums, including Gravity, Bourbonitis Blues, Boxing Mirror and last year’s Real Animal
He’s got the look, the swagger and the presence.  But more importantly he’s got the voice.  And the songs.

After surviving Hepatitis C six years ago you could expect Escovedo to be a shell of a performer.  In fact he commands the stage, and seems at once legendary as a result of the tight, intense performance of his stellar songs and a regular guy via his relaxed, unassuming banter with the audience.

Escovedo played an acoustic set, backed by violinist Susan Voelz and guitarist David Pulkingham, but rocked hard.  Three songs from Real Animal and a smattering of classics over about 40 minutes and he was gone.  Amazing.

Pity poor Los Lonely Boys who had to follow Escovedo’s set.



By Jeff Slate - examiner.com  New York City, October 13, 2009

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 
About a week ago I saw Alejandro Escovedo in an amazing early morning performance at Whole Foods in support of HAAM Benefit Day. It was phenomenal for sure. Afterward, I said hello and out of the blue, Al says, “When you gonna come sing with us?” to which I quickly replied, “When & where?” - LOL! He mentioned they would be starting up a new residency at the Continental Club in November and December and to “brush up on my Stones.”

I went off to my workout over at Castle Hill and didn’t think much more of it.

Then Saturday after my show at Jovita’s, I rushed over to catch his band Buick MacKane’s much talked about reunion show at Hole In The Wall. Simply put it was the best rock show I have seen in years and certainly the best one in Austin since moving here in ‘02. I can’t believe people used to get to see this all the time! I arrived toward the middle of the set and went straight up front to join my friends Nanette and Roggie. Everyone was there. It seemed like 500 people were packed in that room and the guitars were wailing so loud I had heard them as I approached the building a half a block away.

At the end of the set, Al cut into some real rock and the band started up “All The Young Dudes.” As I looked up, Al looked at me and then looked over at the mic as he looked back and nodded me up. I have to admit, at first I looked around to make sure he was talking to me. I kinda did the “Are you sure” look and he nodded again, so I hopped up. He pointed me to David Fairchild’s mic and the song kicked in. Almost immediately, Paul Minor was on stage behind me with that famous grin of his. We sang a chorus together and as I turned to look back at Joe Eddy Hines jangling a riff, I saw Matt Meshbane take the stage as well. After a quick hug, Matt moved over to the mic with Paul and I backed off and joined Alejandro on his mic for a chorus or two. At that point it was a blur.

As the song ended, I thanked Al and he told me “Stick around - we’re going to do Shine A Light.” I thanked him and took my place again up front. I think it was Raoul Hernandez from the Austin Chronicle who helped me down from the stage and I remember saying something stupid like, “Holy shit!” or “Oh my God!” Two more songs and Shine A Light came up and Al looked down at me as he said, “We’re gonna need some backup on this one,” and this time he pointed at me and waived me up. He told me to introduce myself and then he called for the crowd to give me a hand. It was sweet of him to say the least.

The song started, Al began to sing and my skin was covered in goosebumps. This was unlike any experience I had known yet on stage. I can’t explain it really, but it certainly is a credit to Alejandro’s level of talent and cool. As the chorus approached he looked over to me and I let out the best chorus I had in me and I was lost in the moment. Thank God that DaveTV.org was there to film it all and snap pics. It’s times like these that I never ever want to forget.


By Nakia Reynoso

http://nakia.net/2009/09/29/nakia-sings-with-alejandro-escovedo-buick-mackane/

Sunday, September 27, 2009 
I didn’t get the license number of the vehicle that plowed me over Saturday at the Hole In the Wall, but I got a make and model: Buick MacKane. Have these guys, who have played only a couple shows in the past five years, been secretly practicing for months? That was one of the best rock n’ roll club shows I’ve seen in a long time, as the four-piece turned the Drag into the Bowery.

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Although Alejandro Escovedo is the frontman of this marrow-massaging ‘90s garage/ glam rock band, drummer Glenn Benavides (ex- Doctors Mob) is the driver, thundering in such relentless manner that Escovedo called him “the Mexican John Bonham” and nobody laughed.

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It was Benavides’ birthday and he blew out, no, moved enough air, to extinguish the candles on a set that mixed revved-up Escovedo oldies (“The End,” “Gravity,” “She Got”), with glittery classics (“All the Young Dudes”) and Buick originals (“Queen Anne”). Just like the old days, bassist Dave Fairchild stepped up to deliver “Supersonic” by Oasis, an unlikely cover for these louts.

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There are at least two Alejandros. One is the socially-conscious rock poet in touch with his inner self.  Another one is the guy from Buick, who asked “Wasn’t that (expletive) great?” after opening number “The End” and talked trash between the nuggets that didn’t rub together. (Band of Heathens has replaced Poi Dog Pondering as this year’s whipping boys). A Buick show is like Halloween without the costumes: you get to be what you really want to be for a night. In Escovedo’s case, that’s the midpoint between Johnny Thunders and Don Rickles.

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With the extremely underrated Joe Eddy Hines trading guitar licks with Escovedo, Thin Lizzy style, this was the kind of show that made you feel 20 years younger. The packed audience of about 200 was definitely reliving glory years, especially on a version of “Loose” that, here comes the blasphemy, at least equaled the Stooges original. And that’s Iggy’s best song!

The cover was $3. The music was as loud and loose and full of swagger as in the band’s heyday, when they rocked the Hole as hard as it’s ever been rocked.
Anyone who still questions that Austin is the live music capital of the world wasn’t at the Hole Saturday night.



By Michael Corcoran - austin360.com
Saturday, September 26, 2009 
Despite being named "Artist of the Decade" by No Depression magazine in 1998, singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo has spent much of the last 30 years as a cult figure, building up a devout but largely underground following.  That began to change last year, with the release of "Real Animal", an album which has brought Alejandro more into the musical mainstream.  Here is Alejandro Escovedo, out from the shadows.


1) Georgians are proud to be home to the Allman Bros. Band and Otis Redding, but we’re also proud to be home to President Jimmy Carter. How did it come about that you were asked to play at the 2008 Democratic National Convention?

You know, it came up solely through the Democratic Committee. There was a talent buyer there who was familiar with my older albums like Gravity and Thirteen Years who came across the song “People” and submitted it to the committee, and they fell in love with it. It was a total surprise, but then, what a beautiful experience that was. I mean, just meeting Jimmy Carter alone was worth everything about it for me.

It was one of those gigs where it’s not necessarily a rock ‘n’ roll moment, but it is, you know. For me, it had so much significance for so many reasons because my father was always a Democrat. My father was a hard worker immigrant from Mexico. My mother worked for Kennedy so we were always Democrats. Growing up in the 60s, the Democrats were obviously the party of choice for us. To meet President Carter was such a bonus because I had worked on that documentary with Jonathan Demme (“Man from Plains”), and did some of the music on that. That’s one of those things that will go down in history for me. Hillary (Clinton) was going to speak that night; we opened up for Hillary, basically.

2) You had mentioned Jonathan Demme and a “Man from Plains;” is that how the idea of Jonathan putting out a concert film or documentary surrounding you and your music came about?

The idea for a movie about me preceded the Jimmy Carter project. I spoke with Jonathan about the possibility of doing a movie, and we were looking around and in the meantime he was doing this documentary of Jimmy Carter, and he wanted me involved with that. I contributed some songs and some music to that, so that came first actually. As far as the project about me is concerned, it’s on hold.

3) 2008 was quite a year for you with releasing Real Animal and the follow up EP, Live Animal. Was Live Animal a way to showcase the live experience to people who might not be as familiar with your music as a companion piece to the album?

Live Animal was meant to be a limited edition project for the Independent Record Coalition. We were going to do something for them, and we were going to tape it at Waterloo Records here in Austin where I actually worked for many years. The recording was not done properly, so we didn’t have a recording that was good enough to release from Waterloo, but we did have the one from Sirius when we played Dave Marsh’s show “Kick Out the Jams.” That turned out beautifully. We thought instead of wasting such a beautiful recording that no one would ever hear, why don’t we release it, and we can still make it part of this Independent Record Coalition release. It really caught the band at the height of the excitement from the release of Real Animal. That was the same week that we did Conan O’Brien.

4) How is it playing an evening show like Conan O’Brien with a studio audience, but also with a televised audience watching you? Is there a different approach to that or even say, playing a smaller venue to something like opening up for the Dave Matthews Band?

I think that you have to combine two things: you have to be aware of the fact that this is projecting to millions of people, and you need to kinda forget that in some strange way and just play for the hundred people that are there. It’s also kind of nerve racking because you’re just not playing. There are cameras moving about. Conan’s walking behind the cameras. The band is watching you. And, you only have that one song. So, you have to be…you have to come out really strong; you have to be confident, you have to be relaxed. It’s hard to relax knowing all of these different things. It’s a strange experience.

As far as the larger stages are concerned, like the arenas that you play when you open for Dave Matthews or Bruce (Springsteen) or someone, that’s a completely different thing. That is more comfortable for me just because I love playing, and I’ve got 45 minutes to play. So for me, when I start getting into the rhythm, and the band starts getting into the rhythm, and it’s not just that one moment that has to be captured, I think we relax a lot more. It was a new experience for us; we had never really done a lot of television. I had only done one big tv show prior to that, and that was Conan many years ago.

3) Speaking of playing in front of large audiences, you’ve played along with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, and you’ve also been added to this year’s Bonnaroo Festival.

I think that’s going to be really exciting. We’ve been trying to get that for a while now, so that was great.

With Springsteen headlining, it might confuse some of the jam band fans who are not familiar with his music.

He’s great, man. It’s going to be really cool. We’re both playing on the same night.

4) You recently contributed the track “1968” to a tribute album (Man of Somebody’s Dreams - A Tribute to Chris Gaffney) for Chris Gaffney (Hacienda Brothers) which Dave Alvin was putting together. Did you have a friendship with Chris or was it a friendship with Dave that brought this about?

I had a friendship with both of them; I’ve known Dave longer, but I’ve known of Chris for quite a while now. And when we did finally meet, I just dug the guy; he’s a beautiful cat. His life was very similar in a way; he grew up in the same part of California. I really related a lot to Chris and dug him a whole lot. What a beautiful singer. It was a pleasure to do that.

So did you choose the song “1968”?

Yeah, I chose that song. I dug the story. I knew a lot of my friends went to Vietnam, and I could relate to the story really well. So, it was an easy song to do.

You’re also a part of the Doug Sahm tribute (Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm) where you contribute the song “Too Little Too Late. “ Was that a long time favorite of your’s?

That was one that I actually discovered recently and fell in love with. Doug was from San Antonio, I was born in San Antonio. I knew Doug well when he was here in Austin. He was also a San Francisco Giants fan; I am, too. We talked a lot of baseball and a lot of blues and stuff; smoked a lot of pot together.

5) Touching on your time as part of Ronnie Lane’s band, have you heard about the possible Faces reunion?

Yeah, but I’m kinda more excited, well, I am more excited about the thought of Mott the Hoople getting back together again. I love Ian Hunter.

6) You’ve got that glam rock influence from everything from Bowie and Ian Hunter to Marc Bolan as some of the bands that you’ve gravitated towards. What did you find about those bands or those albums - was it a sound or their approach - that you found that connection with?

I loved the songs, and the presentation was great. And I also love the way, especially with Mott, how Mott really sang to its fans. It’s like we were all fans together or something, you know. We didn’t get that with guys like Clapton. I’m not a big Clapton fan. Although, I love “Layla;” I love Derek and the Dominos. I wasn’t a fan of all that high tech rock ‘n’ roll stuff.

I was more of a fan of the garage bands. I liked the primitive stuff better. I liked it the dirtier, the nastier, the better. I didn’t like all of the glitter rock stuff, but the stuff that stuck to me, like Bowie and the T Rex albums, it was really what kind of laid the ground work for what became punk rock. I think that’s why I have such an affinity for it.

7) As you were a part of the San Francisco punk band scene with the Nuns, you got to experience both West coast and East coast punk along with their similarities and differences. Was it a community that just happened to take place on each coast at the same time?

There were obviously stylistic differences between them. I think San Francisco punk rock had more to do with and was closer to New York punk rock than LA was; LA was very different.

We used to play with the Ramones a lot; we used to play with the Dictators a lot and with Blondie a lot. We used to have a real closeness with the New York bands. I’m speaking of the Nuns, and for us, I think it was more to do with New York than LA.

8) Your musical approach could take the form of the duo, the rock band, the string quintet, or even the orchestra. Are there any plans to take the strings out on tour again soon?

It’s David (Pulkingham) and I, but when we start doing those bigger festivals that we were talking about, I’ll take the bigger band out.

9) How did your SXSW gig become the unofficial closing of the festival?

It was pretty innocent; we were just trying to get together and play, and it just built from there, and suddenly it was a big deal. I love doing it, though; I love the Sunday night show. I get to invite all my friends out to play and kind of show off a lot of bands to the locals that they don’t get to see that often.
This year I’m putting the orchestra together; I’m going to have fourteen pieces.

That sounds fantastic. Is that just for Austin, or is there any chance that you’d take that out on the road?

We’d never take it out on the road cause I’d end up owing money for the rest of my life.



By David Higdon - Hittin' The Note magazine, Issue 62

http://www.hittinthenote.com/


Wednesday, September 16, 2009 
Alejandro Escovedo’s great glam/ garage band Buick MacKane will play their old home, the Hole In the Wall Sept. 26. Buick’s shows at the venue in the ’90s are legendary.

The original lineup of Glenn Benavides, David Fairchild and Joe Eddy Hines will be on hand.

Escovedo just returned from a month of songwriting in Mexico. His regular band will do a residency at the Continental Club in December to woodshed the material before heading back into the studio in early 2010.


By Michael Corcoran - austin360.com

Monday, September 14, 2009 
Another free summer series which takes place every Thursday night at Shady Grove. I was really looking forward to this one. Alejandro is one of my favorites. His band is always great and he really demands much from them. It is fun to watch him inspire them during the show.

This show was short, about an hour and then back up for a 2 song encore. But, it was full throttle from the get go and remained full speed ahead all the way through. Just a smoking performance!

On this night Susan Voelz was not on violin. Probably she is out with Poi Dog Pondering. I think they are touring these days. The great thing about being based in Austin is Alejandro could grab another great violinist by the name of Warren Hood. This guy is terrific and has quite a following of his own. Everyone was excited to see him playing with Alejandro!
We got several selections from his latest "Real Animal" along with some older stuff from his days with the True Believers like "Everybody Loves Me" and one or two new ones. Sounds like he is working on a new record currently. He did an awesome "Sister Lost Soul" in honor of Stephen Bruton and told a wonderful story about Stephen, also. It was really touching.

By the end of the set, everyone was up, dancing and singing. This does not happen often at this series of shows. But man, the guy rocked his rear end off.



By Deb - http://livemusicaustin.blogspot.com

http://livemusicaustin.blogspot.com/2009/09/alejandro-escovedo-at-shady-grove-9-10.html



Thursday, September 10, 2009 
Time Out Chicago: We’ve been asking current and former Bloodshot artists about their favorite contributions to the catalogue. What’s yours?

Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence [2001] was a record that brought together all of the aspects of everything I’d tried to do previously, but in a more cohesive, focused way. We made it out in Kernersville, North Carolina, with Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter. That was really a wonderful experience. I had a great band at the time, with Cornbread on bass, Hector Muñoz on drums, Eric Heywood on pedal steel and Brian Standefer. We lived out there for a couple weeks at least. We were out in the middle of nowhere, man. But Mitch has this gorgeous studio out there called the Fidelitorium and it was just one of those things where you knew everything was coming together, y’know? I think it brought me more attention than any record had brought to me previously. So it was good not only for myself, but it was good for Bloodshot as well.

TOC: It was also your last record for them, wasn’t it?

AE: It was. I made three records—the live one was the first one, More Miles Than Money, and then I made Bourbonitis Blues and that was the first time that I worked with Chris Stamey. Then I did A Man Under the Influence and that was it. And then I went on to, uh, I don’t know what I did after that. I think I got sick after that.

TOC: What’s your favorite Bloodshot release that you didn’t play on? 

AE: It’d probably be a Silly Timms record, Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos. I think that she’s a lot better singer than she thinks she is, and I don’t think that she ever gives herself as much credit as she should as an artist. When I listen to that record, it really brings out the best in what I love about her.

TOC: How is it returning to Chicago to perform under the Bloodshot banner?

AE: When they asked me to do it, I wanted to do it really badly. At first I was trying to get together the band that had played on A Man Under the Influence, but it just became impossible to do. I’m still playing a lot of the songs off of my Bloodshot records for that party. I had a very close and personal relationship with the label, and they were very good to me. And they did more to push my career at that time than anyone had in the past. Good things don’t last forever, but it certainly was a wonderful experience for me. I don’t know if they can say the same about me [laughs].

TOC: We heard an amusing story about a former label publicist throwing ice at you on stage at FitzGerald’s.

AE: [chuckles] It wasn’t because of what we were doing. I think she was just out of control, y’know? Some people just can’t handle their drinks, and I think that’s true of a lot of the Bloodshot staff, if I may say so. They’re kinda wimpy drinkers.

TOC: Maybe that’s why Rolling Rock is sponsoring the party?

AE: Yeah, I’m surprised it’s not Rolling Rock Light.


By Areif Sless-Kitain   September 10, 2009

Friday, September 04, 2009 
Alejandro Escovedo has been called a musician's musician. He has played in the obscure, yet legendary bands the Nuns, Rank and File and True Believers before striking off on his own solo career. His tastes run from alt-country to glam to punk. But there is an even more serious side to the story. After collapsing on stage in 2003, Escovedo learned he had hepatitis C. Like many musicians, he did not have health insurance but the musical community banded together, playing concerts and putting out a tribute album to help defray medical costs. In 2008, Escovedo worked with producer Tony Visconti to put out Real Animal, a rocking tour de force that moves through all the music Escovedo loved and had influenced him. I had a chance to catch up with him via phone at his Texas home right before he embarked on tour.

How have you been feeling lately?

I feel great. I've been feeling really good, man. I've been taking care of myself, we've been working hard and I've started writing songs for a new record. So, everything's good right now.

That's good to hear. Is your new tour going to be focusing on material from Real Animal?

Yeah, I think we will focus on that pretty much. Last night we had a rehearsal and we started going over the older songs like "Mountain of Mud" that we're going to add to the set again. I'm trying to think about what else we worked on. "Crooked Frame." Some of the stuff from the older albums that we haven't done in awhile.

I've actually seen you once. A long time ago when I was in college, I drove from the middle of Pennsylvania to DC to see Son Volt and you opened with Buick Mackane.

Oh yeah? Where was that in DC? The 9:30? That was a good show.

Is your touring regimen different now that you are taking better care of yourself?

It is. I don't tour nearly as much as I used to, for one thing. We try to give me a day off every few days. I'm not doing five, six, seven days in a row like I used to. I try to get to bed earlier, but that's always been a losing battle for me. I can't sleep, so it's hard.

Are you an insomniac?

Yeah. I get hyped up when we start playing and it's hard to turn it off and I can't do that.

Getting hyped up is a good thing, isn't it?

I guess so but sleep is really the most important element in staying healthy in my opinion.

Yeah, it seems the younger you are, the less you adhere to that maxim.

Right, right. I've been taking good care of myself and I feel really good right now so I'm excited to go out with the band. We haven't played as a band for awhile now.

Is this band the one that is featured on the new album?

Pretty much except we have a new bass player now. His name is Bobby Daniel. He's a great bass player. He's from Birmingham, Alabama. I met him through this record I produced here. I recruited him. We needed a bass player. He's great. I really love the way the band sounds now. I think it's the best band I've ever had.

That's exciting. You're actually playing at one of my favorite venues in town.

At the Aladdin? I love playing the Aladdin. I've been playing there for years and years and years. I love it.

It's got a great sound. So, is "Castanets" back in the setlist?

Yes. It's back, it's back, it's back.

Did that have the effect you had hoped?

It didn't have much of an effect at all other than having a kind of funny story to tell.

So what was your reaction when you found out that your favorite ex-President had your song on his iPod?

I was really mortified. I couldn't believe that had happened to me. I did whatever I could to remove myself from it.

Well, it could be worse. You could be Ricky Martin in that photo where Bush is attempting to dance.

I'm glad I'm not that.

It's good that he's gone.

Yeah, it's absolutely beautiful. Like I said before, the drag is he came back to Texas. But he's been pretty quiet.

They keep him isolated down there on that ranch.

Yeah, just keep him out there and he'll be fine.

You live in Texas?

I live outside of Austin. About 45 miles southwest of Austin.

I have a friend who lives in Austin and I went to some restaurant in Driftwood called the Salt Lick.

I live right down the road. I live out in the hill country. Another 20 miles after the Salt Lick.

It's pretty quiet out there.

It is. We don't make a lot of noise out here.

I guess you don't have neighbors complaining when you practice.

No, they love it.

Let's talk about the new album. You worked with Chuck Prophet on this one.

Chuck is an old friend of mine. He was in Green on Red when I was in True Believers. So I've known him for a quite awhile and I just think the world of his talent. He's a wonderful guy; real fun to hang out with. It was easy.

I remember hearing Green on Red the first night I heard Ziggy Stardust.

There you go. Those records were so influential to us we definitely wanted that kind of feel on the album. So getting Tony Visconti to produce it was a perfect match. We wrote for that kind of album.

How did you get Tony to come aboard on this one? It seems like a coup to get him.

Tony just became interested because he heard the material and he felt he could relate to it. He thought that I really had a rock 'n' roll album inside of me and that's what we went for. But getting him was, like you said, a coup, it was a really amazing move for all of us. It just kind of brought everything together.

Is Chuck Prophet on tour with you this time?

Chuck is not on tour with us.

You've been a variety of bands and I hate to put people in a box, when you look online people talk about you being one of the progenitors of alt-country. At the same time, there is definitely a glam influence. If you look at the name Buick Mackane, it comes from T. Rex song.

It's usually been rock 'n' roll first. I think the alt country thing came just because sometimes the media just doesn't know what to do with you. If you listen to my albums you can maybe say there is a tinge of country influence on them. I certainly don't ever try to shy away from the fact that I love country music. The good stuff, the older stuff. I think to say that I'm alt-country is shortchanging the music.

Like I said, it's easier for people to put others in a box.

It's funny how that works. You gotta understand one thing: I've been doing this for a long time. So even when we were supposedly punk rock, we weren't really punk rock. It just kind of grew around us. I'm talking about my first band, the Nuns.

That's the band you opened for the Sex Pistols with?

Yeah, that band. So that kind of grew around us. The other part is that Rank and File was really trying to be a combination of many different things. The punk rock that we loved, the kind of country that we were drawing from was very different than what people would assume was country.

What type was that?

Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings and that kind of stuff. Buck Owens. It doesn't bother me anymore because I know what the truth is, right?

Well, it's your music. It is interesting how this vein of country music has persevered while the popular, radio stuff has kind of dissipated into the history books.

Yeah, that's eternal music. It's like listening to Miles Davis or John Coltrane. Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald. Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. Those are just classic records. Classic songs, classic sounds. I love drawing from all of those things. I've always said my music is a result from my vast record collection.

Do you have a lot?

Yeah, I do. I collect vinyl.

Back to the glam influence, do you definitely see that on this new album?

Oh yeah. Like I said before, it was what we were drawing from. The inspiration was all those records, that sound, that time and everything that came as a result of being part of all that. Going to Rodney's English Disco and hanging out with kids who almost loved the Stooges as much as I did.

Do you like that newest Stooges album?

Yeah, I like it.

Do you have any albums from that time that were influential to you that you put on and still have the same effect on you now that they did back then?

I listen to Honky Dory over and over again. I listen to Mott the Hoople's records over and over again. I listen to the Stooges over and over again. There's a lot of those records. I listen to T. Rex's The Slider and Electric Warrior all the time.

It's interesting because I feel like bands like Mott and T. Rex went through a period where they were discredited as over excessive but they have a re-evaluation over the last 10 years or so.

I also think if you compare them to what is happening now, those records seem to have so much more depth to them, at least in my opinion.

Is there anything that has come out recently that you have fallen in love with?

There's a band from Mali called Tinariwen. Have you heard of them?

From Africa? I have not.

They are amazing, man. They live out in the desert and they play electric guitars and stuff. They just groove so big. It's amazing. It's just lovely music. I love it.

Well, Mali is the epicenter of West African music. That's where Ali Farka Toure came from.

Right, they have all these great guitar players there. I think that's where guitar is, personally. Electric guitar, rock 'n' roll guitar, it's being played there.

I saw this interesting film called Throw Down Your Heart with Bela Fleck where he goes to Africa in search of the origin of the banjo.

Oh, does he?

It's a pretty interesting movie.

I'd like to see that. It sounds great.

Let's talk about this new album Real Animal. It sounds like it's very autobiographical.

It was meant to be an autobiographical record, so that's the way we played it out. I'm really happy that it turned out as well as it did because it was an intense venture to take on and it took us awhile to get there.

Is facing mortality a big factor in making the record?

I think that it had a lot to do with it. It didn't consciously spur me but obviously it was some sort of subliminal kick in the ass.

Which songs are your favorites?

I love "Hollywood Hills." I love "Chelsea Hotel." I like the "Nun's Song." It's one of those records where I can't listen to one song. It's funny that "Always a Friend" is really the most popular song on that record but to me it's my least favorite song on the album.

First songs usually take on that form.

The first song we wrote for the record was "Slow Down," the last song on the album. I love the ballads; I love "Swallows of San Juan." I think that's a beautiful song.

I'm excited to see the more muscular ones live. Let's talk about some of the songs in specific. With "Chelsea Hotel '78" I feel like you're adding and poking a hole in the rock 'n' roll myth of the Chelsea Hotel with that song. Why do we mythologize this place?

It dates way back.

Dylan was there in the '60s...

Dylan Thomas lived there. It dates way back. All these different artists of every type lived there. It was a haven and epicenter for bohemian lifestyle in New York throughout the '50s and '60s. Maybe even further back than that. The Beats certainly hung out there. My friends always wanted to go to Europe and yet I always wanted to go to New York. I always wanted to see where the Velvet Underground were from. I was living in California at the time. I just always wanted to go there.

Did it provide you with what you had hoped?

Well, it did until that Sid and Nancy thing happened. At that point everybody split. It was really symbolic because it was kind of the end of a certain kind of scene.

In your song you say, "We all moved out/ We all moved on." Like I said, that's kind of like poking a hole in the mythology of it whereas this horrible happens and it's destroyed for everybody.

It really did. It's funny because I was up in their room a few nights before it all went down. There was a dealer that lived in the building that everybody I knew who lived felt he was responsible for that. It was a strange scene, very surreal living in the Chelsea Hotel. Have you ever read Dee Dee Ramone's book about the Chelsea?

No, I haven't.

You gotta check that out. It's really good. He talks about seeing ghosts and they are pretty decadent and pretty messed up. It's very interesting. I'm glad I was there at that time because it changed shortly after that.

Did you have any paranormal or surreal experiences there?

Oh, there are definitely spirits in there, dude. Yeah, a lot. It's a heavy place. You just look at it from the outside and you can tell there's a lot living in there that you don't see.

Now, "Chelsea Hotel" segues into "Sister Lost Soul" which begins with "Nobody left unbroken." Was that written in tandem with "Chelsea Hotel" or was just a sequencing coincidence?

That was sequencing thing but it's a good pairing of two songs, I think, because the Chelsea obviously takes you to a point where it all kind of broke and then you have to pick up the pieces to survive. "Sister Lost Soul" is really about the practitioners of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle and how everybody's so sensitive. Some get pulled in and become caricatures of what a rock person should be, a rock star, whatever you want to call it. A rock 'n' roller.

What do you think a rock 'n' roller should be?

I don't have any preconceived notion because personally I've been fortunate, I don't know how to say this, but I've always had very close friends and family close to me who have bought into it and I've seen them go to the brink of death basically. Some of them don't survive. I don't know. There's something about me. Maybe I was a little too vain at times and I've never let myself get to that point.

You push yourself in other ways though.

I guess, but some guys get into it and they really buy into it. They feel they have to do dope because Keith Richards did dope. Do you what I mean? That's what it was like back then.

It's almost an inflated version of the tortured 18th century poet.

In a way. It's very romantic, the tortured, brooding genius that just can't take the pain. I think a lot of us, when we feel pain and we're uncomfortable with it, we medicate ourselves. If we do this to the point where we can't feel anything, I'm sure it's not so healthy.

There is also the whole Holden Caulfield aspect of authenticity where if you're not actually living the pain or indulging yourself the pain, then you're not truly living the experience.

I think the problem with that is that we all suffer. Suffering is part of life. Some of us learn how to let go of it.

If you want to look at suffering right now, look at what happened to Michael Jackson.

That was horrible. It's kind of what happened to Sid Vicious really. It wasn't as played out and he didn't have the cultural impact that Michael Jackson had but they wanted him to be that to sell records.

The crazy thing is there is probably a strain of people out who look at what happened to Sid Vicious to be more admirable than Johnny Rotten continuing and using the Sex Pistols name to make money.

Exactly! It's always more glamorous when the guy dies, right? When the guy totally destroys himself is always more glamorous and romantic than the guy who survives and moves on. You know what I'm saying.

I think that kind of ties into your "Sensitive Boys" song in a way.

Very much.

I think you're talking about...Well, I'll let you tell me.

No, no, go ahead.

It sounds like a bunch of wannabes who look to a rock star as an idol.

In a way, that's part of it. To me, the great line in that song is, "Sensitive boys want all your love or they want no love at all." It's about insecurity. There's a line, "If you want to find the most insecure guy in the room, just look on stage." We're all trying to avoid being targeted as hacks sometimes.

I don't think it's going out on a limb to call Sid Vicious or Kurt Cobain insecure. I really like that song. Another song I really is "Golden Bear." The first time I heard it, I thought it sounded like "Ashes to Ashes."

Right, it's supposed to.

I feel like the referencing that happens in these songs acknowledges what forms you.

Definitely. I am making no bones to pretend that was an original thought. It's obviously "Ashes to Ashes" and I put it there because it's an homage to that song, to that time and especially to David Bowie. I do it with respect. It's also a great reference point within the song to take you there.

Do you know if Bowie's heard the song?

No, I don't know.

But having Visconti attached to the project makes it easier.

(Laughs) Sometimes, yeah.

Let's talk about metaphors and allusions. "Swallows of San Juan" is one of return and this album seems to about a journey home where you examine your influences and return full circle.

When we wrote "Swallows," I know Chuck and I talked a lot about getting back and rolling around in the source. The source of the music, the songs. Those garage bands that we loved. I grew up in the '60s and listened to these bands we used see in these tiny, little clubs. Amazing bands. Real rocking bands. It's about rubbing that stuff all over you again. It's about wanting to be who we are now but having that alive within us. And it is. That's what that song was about really. Part of it was reflecting on growing up in California during those years. It was so beautiful there.

Did it feel good to bathe yourself in it again?

It was; it felt really good. It still does, man. When I went back and played in San Diego and played in LA, to play those songs is a really wonderful thing.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Huntingdon Beach, California.

I'm an east coaster that's been transplanted.

Where you are at now?

I'm in Portland.

I love Portland, man. It's a great town.

I've only been here for a year, but this is where we're going to stay.

It's cool, right?

It's great. Hopefully you'll get some time to poke around while you're here.

Do you have family there? Like kids and stuff?

No, we just got married in December.

Oh, that would be a nice place to have children.

Yeah, there are lots of them here.

I like that place a lot. I have a lot of kids.

How many do you have?

Seven

Oh wow. That's a lot of kids.

Yeah, I used to travel through there because I just go pick apples in the Yakima Valley. Then we'd make enough money to go over to the Olympic Peninsula and Seattle. It's really beautiful there.

One last question about the album. The one song that seems to be drawing the most attention is the one I mentioned before, "Golden Bear." Specifically the line "Oh, why me?" Is that a metaphor music infecting you as a young man or reference to the hepatitis C?

For myself, it's really about the hepatitis C. It's not to be this pitiful cry out of "oh, why me?" With any significant thing that happens that changes your life, you have to ask that question. Especially when it's based around a life-threatening disease. I remember when I realized what it was I was dealing with when I was diagnosed, I looked around and saw many of my friends who were close to me that I had grown up with and played with and drunk with and did drugs with and they didn't have it. But I did. It was just like asking a simple question. I wonder what it was. What is it? What is it? Why did that happen to me? Was it karma? You could even do down the road that you'd done something bad and that you were being paid back for it in some way. Which I guess is karma. In the end, I look at it now as something that really improved my life in a very profound way. I don't look at it as a bad thing at all.

The song seems like a catharsis for you.

Yeah, it definitely was. That's kind of where that song's at.



by David Harris - spectrumculture.com, September 3, 2009

http://spectrumculture.com/2009/09/interview-alejandro-escovedo.html

Friday, August 21, 2009 
The San Antonio-born son of a mariachi singer grew up in California and caught acts like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Buffalo Springfield and the Doors in the Huntington Beach area where he went to high school before dropping out. He went on to become a founding member of the Nuns, a late ‘70s San Francisco punk outfit that opened for the Sex Pistols’ last gig. He was in the Rank & File, a cow punk group that is widely credited with influencing the alt-country movement. He was also in the True Believers, a critically-acclaimed roots rock/ alt-country band that burned out on the road but earned a loyal following in Austin, where Escovedo would end up after spending time as a bohemian in New York.

Escovedo’s music ranges from gentle ballads with string sections to aggressive punk and everything in between, sometimes within a single song. When you see him live, one moment you’re admiring his gentle touch with a Collings acoustic, and the next you’re counting his full-arm Townsend windmills against an SG. (He was one swing short of 30 in a row when performing “Castanets” at the New Orleans Jazz Fest last year.) His solo work, which comprises nine albums and counting, explores a range of emotions that makes sense once you know that he escaped a near-fatal bout of Hepatitis. The experience added a depth of introspection to his music that has taken it to another level.

Today, Escovedo’s fan base is exploding. His latest album, 2008’s Real Animal, co-written with Chuck Prophet and produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T.Rex, Thin Lizzy) led to an opening spot on a Dave Matthews tour, and appearances on Leno, Letterman, Conan and at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Earlier in the year, Escovedo picked up Musician of the Year, Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year accolades at the Austin Music Awards. On the same night, The True Believers were inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame. Other honors include performing on Austin City Limits three times and being named Artist of the Decade (1990s) by roots music authority No Depression. Escovedo is up for Artist of the Year and Album of the Year at the Americana Music Association Awards which are being held this month.

For rest of story and interview, click here:


http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2009/Sep/Austins_Real_Animal_Alejandro_Escovedo.aspx

Premier Guitar Magazine
Story by Joe Coffee