Alejandro

The Pitch (KC's weekly alternative paper) previewed Alejandro's show this afternoon at the Wakarusa festival in Lawrence. He played early enough in the afternoon that I could not make due to work.

When you watch Alejandro Escovedo live, you can be pretty sure you're watching the best band in America that night. His usual lineup often includes violin and cello in addition to a typical five-piece band. Escovedo's musicians move from the desperate, quiet spaces between lovers in the wee hours to dark urban soundscapes, incorporating strings from Lou Reed's Street Hassle and often climaxing the show with the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog." Escovedo manages to take the musical and lyrical guts of the greatest Mott the Hoople song (or that of any other band that makes rock sound like it just might save your life) and cross them with his own unabashedly intimate and defiant vision. The Boxing Mirror was his first release after the illness that almost took his life a few years back, but his new one, Real Animal (due June 24, co-written with Chuck Prophet), is the album of an artist reborn. (D.A.)

Just a few weeks until I can get my hands on Real Animal. I can't wait. Here's video of Alejandro performing the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" that was mention above.


This video, while it's quality is lacking even by YouTube standards, gives you a feel of the softer side of a live Alejandro experience.