Review: Alejandro Escovedo

He has been through Kansas City so many times over the past 25-plus years, Alejandro Escovedo has cultivated a cult of feverish fans and a group of close friends. Saturday night, more than 200 of those fans, including several of those friends, filled the Record Bar to hear one of the best songwriters and best live performers of their generation. It was his first club show in Kansas City in several years. He gave them the usual: an evening of raw intimacy and genuine emotion.

Escovedo is touring off "Street Songs of Love," his latest album and the followup to 2008's critically acclaimed "Real Animal." He would visit both albums throughout his 90-minute set, starting with the rock anthem "Always A Friend," which set the tone for the rest of the show.

His set list included "Tender Heart"; the thrashy blues-rap "Street Songs"; the lovely and winsome rock ballad "Sister Lost Soul"; the furious punk anthem "Chelsea Hotel '78"; an extra-rowdy rendition of "Castanets," which prompted the loudest and longest crowd response of the night (singing and hand-clapping); and a cover of the Stones' "Beast of Burden," which, frankly, started off better than it ended. (Or maybe I still hadn't flushed Big Head Todd's creamy-smooth rendition from the night before.)

He gave his band plenty of spotlight all night, especially lead guitarist David Pulkingham, who embroidered nearly every song with licks and leads void of cliches.  They were especially adept at covering his wide range of dynamics, from quiet acoustic ballads to raging punk/rock anthems.

Even before his brush with death several years ago, Escovedo wrote with unflinching honesty about his life, the people he loves and the tribulations he and they have endured. Some are fictitious narratives;' others are like documentary poems.

He sang several of those songs Saturday night, like the bittersweet love ballad "Rosalie," "Fort Worth Blue," a tribute to the city that he dedicated to the late Stephen Bruton, and "Down in the Bowery," which he co-wrote (with Chuck Prophet) for his son, Paris, a punk-rocking graffiti artist who loves the Ramones but thinks his dad plays "old time music," as in "music for old people." And when he introduced his drummer, Hector Munoz, he touched upon their long-time fraternal relationship and the rocky terrain it has navigated and endured. Because that's what real friendship does.

He would deliver vignettes and asides like that throughout the show, including several that honored his late, dear friend (and Kansas City musician and music-store owner), Jim Strahm, who died 10 years ago and is someone, Escovedo said, he thinks about every day. Several of Strahm's close friends were present; so were other locals who have become acquaintances of Escovedo over the years, and he mentioned a few of them as he thanked Kansas City for being one of his true homes away from home.

And that was the kind of mood that hung in the humid air inside the Record Bar on Saturday night: the feeling of reunion, of coming home to something or someone that is loved and has been missed.

Amy Cook: She's a singer/songwiter from Austin, Texas, and she made a great impression during her opening set. (Escovedo produced "Let the Light In," the album she released in April.) Strong voice, good song-writing and definitely worth a longer look/listen if she comes back as a headliner.

| Timothy Finn, The Star

 

Comments

[Keiv]

This was an outstanding show. Tim, I have some media from the show if you'd like to add it to the review. I'll email you the info.

[Keiv]

Or I guess I can just post it here:

Chelsea Hotel '78
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJbCSKukWPg

Sister Lost Soul
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9267807/Sister%20Lost%20Soul.mp3

[jennifer maloney]

great to see you last night tim!!!!

great review!!!!!!!such a fun evening!!!!!

["LaylaBella"]

Always good to see you Tim !!!!

[michael]

Agree with everything (as usual), including your pocket review of Amy Cook. Talented singer/songwriter indeed - I'll be looking forward to hearing where her career takes her.

[Green]

Ahh, I forgot about this show, just to much to see lately

[android]

The song they played right before Beast of Burden was "a new one" that Alejandro said he had just written. Any chance anyone has audio or video of that one? I thought it was really strong. Great show!

[byebluemonday]

Thanks for the clips, Keiv. Alejandro plays with twice as much energy than musicians half his age. It was phenomenal to see him in such an intimate space.

[Mike Webber]

Really was one of the better sets I've seen Alejandro play. Sure wish someone had a recording of the show he played in 1987 with the True Believers, opening for Los Lobos at the Uptown. I have terrific pictures from it but no audio.

[Tim Finn]

i liked that new song a lot.

[pellboy]

Great show! First time seeing a show at the Record Bar and it was a great room for him the other night. As great as his "cello" records/shows are, Alejandro is a punk rocker at heart and I think he's at his best when stripped down to a basic 4-piece. Lost of energy and the emotion in his performance was very evident.

Loved hearing the stuff off the last 2 records but since I hadn't seen him in around 10 years, I was hoping for maybe a nod or two (an 'I Was Drunk' or a 'Broken Bottle')more to the early years but I shouldn't complain. Pulkingham was outstanding. Emulated a sweet slide sound on one song sans a slide and the jazz homage during the encore was tasty, very well done.

Amy Cook was a nice surprise as well. Very talented and not bad to look at either...had one tune that was very reminiscent of the Linda Perry/4 Non Blondes hit from several years ago...is that a good or bad thing, I'm not really sure.

[onthemark]

Very enjoyable show, alternately high energy rock and some of his slower stuff. Good mix. Would have liked to have heard some of his songs from 'The Boxing Mirror' and earlier, but that is a minor complaint. Just hope he doesn't wait so long to come back!

Amy Cook impressed me as well. Sort of a Lucinda meets Chrissie Hynde sound, will keep an eye open for her.

[NEW]

Wow PB, I can't beleive that someone who is as up on bands and live music as you are never seen a show at the Record Bar.

I concur with all opinions that have been posted so far. Alejandro was great and Amy Cook was a nice surprise. She and her band reminded me of Dead Rock West who opened for the Knitters and John Doe a few years back.

[pellboy]

I know,NEW, no real reason as there has been many a show I've wanted to catch there, just circumstances always intervening, I guess. In fact, was trying to remember the other night but I think the last time I was even in that bar was when it was called the Drum Room (?) and Ida freaking McBeth was playing there...holy! I like the room though and will most definitely return before too long.

[Tim Finn]

i saw townes van zandt in that room. he opened for guy clark. he was a sad, drunken mess.

[kcmom]

My first time there also, and first time seeing Escovedo...wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

It was a great show and I'm glad I went, but could have done without all the people yapping throughout, especially during the quieter songs. Note to self: stay as far away from the bar as possible as that is (naturally, I suppose) where they seemed to be concentrated.

And I concur, the song he did during the encore that they "just wrote about 10 minutes ago" was excellent.

[joe]

At first I was complaining about Alejandro booked at the Record Bar. Thought it was too small. Even though it sold out, I was very pleased with how it sounded and felt. Of course, I was right up front and didn't have anyone chatting during the songs. Great performance. Thought the drummer, Hector Munoz really stood out.

[pellboy]

Yeah, kcmom, I went by myself the other night so after a bathroom break in between acts, I lost my original spot and was a little further back behind the dance floor and subsequently closer to the bar area and I agree that the really LOUD chatting at times annoyed me just a bit. Didn't really affect my enjoyment of the show and I even expect some talking in a bar room setting but I just wished those folks could have taken their voices down a notch during those quietier moments that you mentioned. I mean pretty simple really, when the music comes down, take your voice down.

[bewlay]

There were talkers at Recordbar when I saw Jonathon Richman. Doubt they gave two you know whats about the concert. At more than 200 is this close to a sell out? I thought it was kind of a small place for as much press as Alejandro is getting.

[NEW]

I think it was a sellout Belway. It probably holds about as much as Davey's though which is where he played the last two times he came through so not much difference there.

And I agree KCMOM, lots of irreverence during the quiet songs back by the bar. Some of it is understandable, some of it is not. I mean it's tough to order a vodka tonic via sing language. But the other chatter was disrespectful. I don't remember that Daveys.

[onthemark]

I have to agree with the previous posters, the incessant chatter from the bar area was annoying. Why someone would pay the ticket price just to come in and yak during the entire show escapes me.

I talked to a bouncer at the Record Bar who said capacity was 250, and it looked every bit of that.

[pellboy]

FWIW, the sign outside the RB said that the show was soldout. And I feel pretty good about my estimating skills as I told my wife that I thought there were about 200 or so folks at the show.

[Keiv]

android, I have audio of the whole show. email at [email protected] if you'd like a copy.

[free microsoft Points]

was that the show was soldout