Alejandro Escovedo is an Mexican American rock musician, singer and songwriter who has been touring since the late 1970’s. His music encompasses multiple rock genres including punk, roots rock, and alternative country. He is most closely associated with the Austin, Texas music scene.
The son of Mexican immigrants from Texas, Escovedo comes from a family of musicians including brothers (and percussionists) Coke and Pete Escovedo, and Sheila E. (Pete’s daughter and Alejandro’s niece). Alejandro’s brother Mario fronted the hard rock band the Dragons, while another brother Javier was in the punk rock band the Zeros. While living in San Francisco in the late 1970’s Escovedo was at the forefront of punk rocks first wave with his first band the Nuns who opened for the Sex Pistols last-ever show at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom in 1978. Shortly thereafter he moved to Austin, Texas his home for more than 35 years.
It was in Austin that Escovedo adopted a roots rock/alternative country style is such bands as Rank and File and True Believers. Escovedo released his first solo albums Gravity and Thirteen Years in 1992 and 1994 respectively. In 1997 Escovedo collaborated with Ryan Adams and his band Whiskeytown for recording sessions for their album Strangers Almanac.
Escovedo is a bona fide survivor a fact he does not take for granted. He lost a brother, wife and nearly died himself from Hepatitis C, believed to have been contracted from heroin use. Escovedo’s breakthrough album 2010’s Street Songs of Love gained national attention through promotion on such syndicated radio shows as Little Steven Van Zandt’s Underground Garage which featured the song “Silver Cloud.”
Alejandro Escovedo’s latest album 2018’s The Crossing ranks as one of his strongest to date. Showcasing his roots prowess the album tells the story of two teenage boys one Mexican and one Italian both living in America. The boys are enamored by punk rock artists such as the MC5 and The Stooges and Beat poets Allen Ginsburg and Jack Kerouac.
The album came about through a collaboration with Antonio Gramentieri the singer and guitarist for the Italian rock band Don Antonio. Intended to serve as a one-time backing band for Escovedo’s European tour the two singers bonded over their immigrant experiences. The Crossing features guest appearances by the MC5’s Wayne Kramer and The Stooges James Williamson. Escovedo and Gramentieri had a “wish list” of guest performers they hoped to bring in for the sessions — fittingly, given that a song like “Outlaw for You” name- checks influences from Emiliano Zapata to the Beatniks to The Stooges.
2024: Alejandro Escovedo will release Echo Dancing, his first album in six years, on March 29 via YepRoc. It finds the punk/Americana great revisiting and reinventing songs from throughout his career. “I always feel that a well-written song can withstand a lot of abuse,” Escovedo says. “Turning a past song inside out leads to discovery of new ideas you might not have understood about the song. Even lyrical refurbishing has proven helpful and effective. It’s like interpreting your own work anew. The songs never seem to be complete. They are always evolving.”
You can listen to “Bury Me,” which is a song he wrote in the early ’90s wondering what would happen if he “should die before he turns 43.” For the record, Alejandro turned 73 this month. The gnarled production and arrangement fits this survivor song. Listen below.
Reference – http://www.alejandroescovedo.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo discography
Sacramento’s K-ZAP 93.3 FM plays Alejandro Escovedo. All part of 50 years of Rock, Blues and More, 24-7 on our station’s stream at K-ZAP.ORG/LISTEN/