Alejandro's Whole Life Has Pretty Much Been Documented Already And Reads Like A "How To Make Rock And Roll A Lifelong Profession" Primer. Ground Zero Punk Rock Dude With The Nuns (They Opened For The Sex Pistols Last Show, You Know), Cowpunk Progenitor In Rank And File, Gutter Brawling Guitar Rawker In True Believers And Buick Mackane, You Know The Story.
These Days, He Travels The Land Ceaselessly, Playing For Hours Every Night, And Draining Himself And His Audience With His Shows. They Can Be Full On Punk Sets That Make All That Socal Pretty Boy Punk Seem As Tepid As It Really Is, And Then He Can Stop It All On A Dime And Tear The Room’s Collective Heart Out With A Sparse, Harrowing Confessional. In Between, There May Be Lots Of Moments Of Him Getting His Glam Rocks Off By Digging Into The Ian Hunter Or Bowie Songbook. We’ve Seen Alejandro Dozens Of Times, And We Really Never Know What To Expect, And Never Get Bored. He Can Do Every One Of His Songs Ten Different Ways, Depending On The Mood, And They Will Jump Into The Rumble Seat Of Your Gut Every Time.
By Far The Best Dressed Of Anyone On Our Label—In That Rock Star Kind Of Way. All The Men At Bloodshot Get Very Tired Of Hearing From The Women Of Bloodshot How Good He Looks In Leather Pants. Spends Most Of His Time In Hotel Rooms Imagining The Perfect Amalgam Of Bob Wills And T. Rex. Maintains An Unfortunate Fondness For The San Francisco Giants.
Representative Quote: "There's Only Room For One Diva On This Label, And That's Me." –Re: Neko And Sally
Compilation Tracks:
"Bad News" W/ Jon Langford & Dave Alvin On The Pine Valley Cosmonauts' Cd "The Executioner's Last Songs: Volume 2"
"San Antonio Rose" W/Jon Langford On "Salute To Bob Wills"
"Evening Gown" On "Down To The Promised Land"
"Sad And Dreamy" On "The Bottle Let Me Down"
More Miles Than Money: Live 1994-1996
That's Right, Brothers And Sisters, The Alejandro Escovedo. We Are Giddy With Delight To Bring This Little Slice Of Heaven From The Legendary Member Of The Nuns, True Believers, And Rank & File. These Are Live Tracks Recorded From Seattle To Paris (France--Not Texas). Unlike Most Live Records, The Sound Is Superlative, And Focuses On His Orchestra Manifestation (Which Means You've Got Achingly Beautiful Cellos Bumping Elbows With Slides). While Most Of Our Albums Tend To Be The Aural Equivalents Of Malt Liquor Binges And Taking A Bat To Your Nosy Neighbor's Car, This One Is Perfectly Suited To Sipping Whiskey Alone While Quietly Cataloging Your Life's Worth Of Regrets, Shortcomings, And Failures. It Is An Intensely Personal Record, And In The Live Setting, He Lays It All On The Line. Don't Get Me Wrong, Though, Alejandro Can Rock If He Needs To---One Look No Further Than The Walloping Cover Of The Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog" Or The Stones' "Sway" For Proof.
"After Listening To The Album In Its Entirety, One Comes Away With The Sense Of Having Listened To A Man Who Would Put His Life On The Line For His Art. No Matter What He Sings About--Pain, Redemption, Or Glory--Escovedo Conveys A Feeling Of Hard-Won Optimism And Romance." -Russell Hall, Wall Of Sound
"It's A Melancholic, Often Brutal Album Of Hard Truths, Grim Realities, And Broken Hearts, With Performances Suited Perfectly For The Pain And Torment Of The Lyrics And Escovedo's Raw, Forthright Vocals. Most Of The Songs Here Have Been Stripped To The Bone, Then Re-Dressed With Orchestral Flourishes That Are Alternately Beautiful And Harrowing." -John Floyd, Miami New Times
"The First Part Of The Record Is Like Lying Naked On The Bed At A Hotel, "I Wanna Be Your Dog" Is The Maid Opening The Door And Seeing You There---Finally." -Michael Corcoran, Austin American-Statesman