Alejandro Escovedo
May 29th @ The Tractor Tavern
w/ Peter Case
May 31st @ Hattie's Hat
Text & Photos by: Helen
Halloran
What can I possibly say about Alejandro
Escovedo that hasn't already been said in the March-April 1998 issue of
No Depression magazine?
They dubbed him "Artist of the Decade" and I'd be hard pressed to think
of another artist so deserving. Except maybe perhaps Dave
Alvin, but that's another story altogether!
Peter Case opened the show at the
Tractor Tavern. I missed a great deal of his set, but caught the
last 4 songs. My friend Steve saw his entire set and said it was
very good. I was mighty impressed with what I saw as well.
I'd seen Mr. Case perform solo before with Dave Alvin
and Tom Russell when they toured to support the Tulare Dust
cd. And I caught him with the Plimsouls last year at the Backstage
in Ballard. He does put on a mighty fine show! Alejandro kept
referring to him as "the songwriter of the decade," and he may very well
be correct in that assessment!
Alejandro Escovedo is touring to
support his new cd More Miles Than Money. This cd consists
of live recordings from 1994-1996. Two of the songs were recorded
at two Tractor Tavern shows I'd previously attended. I've heard that
the guy who recorded this cd also recorded the Corn
Sisters at Hattie's Hat.
I spoke with Alejandro briefly before
the show to make sure he didn't mind if I took some photos of him for my
web site. He was very gracious and even agreed to meet with me after
the show in order to sign all of my cds I had brought with me. He
is currently touring with a four piece acoustic band consisting of Brian
Standefer on cello, Joe Eddy Hines on acoustic guitar, and David Perales
on violin. Steve and I stood right in the front, and the sound was
great!
Alejandro was pretty loose with the
set, playing songs that people shouted out or tunes that the band felt
like tackling. There was a lot of dialogue going on between him and
the audience. At one point, it was brought to his attention that
it was two different audience members' birthdays. He indulged the
friends of these people by embarrassing the hell out of them, and plead
with the audience to buy them drinks. The birthday people did indeed
receive their celebratory libations, courtesy of some generous soul!
Alejandro brought Peter Case up onto
the stage in the middle of the set to perform his song "Two Angels."
Peter and Alejandro took turns singing and Peter played harmonica.
The crowd loved it! Later on Alejandro got more free and loose with
the set list, playing numerous lively covers including "Now I Wanna Be
Your Dog," "All The Young Dudes," and "Evening Gown." One song that
was a real hit with the audience was a new one entitled "The Big One-O"
about a 10 year old kid who is so jaded he says "I hit the big one-O, I
feel so old, Candy just doesn't taste as good anymore." That song
has been going through my head now for days!
Alejandro and the band played several
songs as an encore, much to the delight of the crowd. The only downside
to the show was the constant chatter coming from the bar that sometimes
could be heard over the acoustic music. At one point, two women were
standing behind Steve and I, yammering on about their favorite kind of
tea! Alejandro actually had joked about the din earlier, musing as
to how other "folky" type artists could deal with that sort of thing.
He concluded that they must not play venues where drinking is allowed.
Mr. Escovedo's graciousness and good humor is as great as his talent, this
was truly a show I am glad I didn't miss!
After the show I got the chance
to meet Mr. Escovedo formally, thanks to Steve's friend Debby who is a
friend of Alejandro's. He was just as nice as I had suspected, and
took the time to speak with each and every person who approached him.
He even signed 5 cds for me and let Steve take a photo of him with me,
which appears below:
We also got a hot tip while we were
sitting there chatting with Alejandro and his friends, not only was he
going to be playing the Seattle Art Museum's Black and White Ball the next
evening (which I couldn't even begin to afford to go to), but he would
be playing an unannounced show at Hattie's Hat on Sunday night. Steve
and I knew we had to go!
We tried to interest a couple of
our friends in going with us, but alas, you can lead a friend to water
but you can't make him or her drink! Well, you can always make me
drink,
but that's another story! They'll never know what they missed!
Again, another terrific show! The fourth Alejandro Escovedo show
I've been lucky enough to attend. This one was similar to the Tractor
Tavern show, only much more intimate. Hattie's Hat is a diner and
bar two doors down from the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. The band played
in the diner area, with about 50 people crowded around in chairs, booths,
and standing in any open spot in the back. Truly amazing. Steve
and I were just in awe of this show! Due to the intimate nature of
this show, I felt taking photos would be too intrusive. Plus I had
shot almost four rolls of film at the Tractor Tavern show, that seemed
sufficient to me!
Hot tip for anyone living in the
Seattle area, Alejandro Escovedo will be playing at the Ballard Seafood
Festival on Sunday, July 26th. Do not miss this show, Alejandro Escovedo
is never less than amazing!
Please visit the Alejandro Escovedo
web site.
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