Alejandro Escovedo at Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto on April 17, 2024 with James Mastro opening
For those who love Alejandro Escovedo and all he has achieved in the last 47 years, a chance to catch up with his latest chapter live is always much more than any other live show. It’s like going to church (an out-of-date reference, perhaps – but you get the drift). And, as he and his fans grow longer in the tooth, we don’t dare miss each other on tour for fear that the piss’n’vinegar which fuels his relentless drive might eventually drain out of him – and out of the faithful. So happy to report that this is far from the case on both counts.
For those who know Escovedo’s history, he began in the early days of punk with The Nuns. This gave way to a high-energy roots-rock explosion known as the True Believers, with brother Javier, before they skirted the band’s eventual success to break fresh ground with the country-punk band Rank & File – long before this fiery brand of Americana was even legal, let alone understood. Regardless of your take on any of these bands, it’s Escovedo’s prolific solo years which seem to be most cherished by his many fans, beginning with ‘92’s stunning Gravity and continuing up to his latest, Echo Dancing. And, although it’s fashionable for aging artists to revisit their favourite compositions and re-render them for the party faithful – Echo Dancing is different. How? The measure of the quality of a song is how well it stands up to change. And Alejandro has always been all about change – from 1980 ‘til now. The same holds true of his songwriting. He’s been bending each classic a hundred different ways with each performance – not merely to keep them fresh but to underline how elastic each composition can be. Echo Dancing takes fourteen of his songs – reworking and reinterpreting them eight ways to Sunday. And they do far more than stand up. In performance, armed with his substantial bag of talented tricks, they positively soar in entirely different – yet familiar – directions.
You’ll never put him in any tidy box if you’re trying to describe what he does and how he does it. A surprisingly soft-spoken, kind and gentle man – despite the hard-rocking stage persona which often commands his live shows – he epitomizes a love of his fellow man and his strongly lyrical and heavily descriptive voice has been integral to these jaw-dropping compositions for most of his life: traversing love, loss, home, family and all that life entails – involving an eclectic, artful perspective – lyrically and musically, if not spiritually.
Having evolved across so many musical stages, he attacks each deeply personal subject with a full palette of styles – each and every arrangement a testament to absolute versatility. He can rock hard or hit even harder with the subtlety of deft arrangements for violins, harp and cello – making more noise with less sound than anyone out there.
Unbeknownst by most, opener James Mastro (who would later re-appear as Alejandro’s chosen axeman) has a rich musical heritage of his own, having served in The Bongos with Richard Barone, The Brandos, Amy Speace, Jill Sobule and been sideman to the likes of Patti Smith, Ian Hunter and John Cale. Stepping to the stage with little more than acoustic guitar, racked harmonica and cocky fedora, he showcased songs from his solo release, Dawn Of A New Error. Surprisingly folkish (based on what was to follow), he’s a strong songwriter and witty entries like “The Man Who Married The Moon“ and the powerful “River Runs Forever” made their marks in his care. A sensational guitarist and resonant vocalist, his deep roots as a seasoned musician were in full evidence.
As Alejandro mounted the stage with ultra-crisp drummer, Mark Henne, keyboard and synth player of all kinds (and dead ringer for Philip Seymour Hoffman), Scott Danbom, he called attention to Mastro and his set as he strapped in with the others. Two screaming guitars playing to Henne’s (Asylum Street Spankers, Cold Jackets) thunderclap beats, surrounded on a bed of embellishment from Danbom (Centro-Matic, Drive-by Truckers) quickly announced that Echo Dancing is neither afterthought nor creative vacation. The ferocious lead guitar interplay between Escovedo and Mastro proved as fun to watch as it was to absorb, beginning with Buick MacKane’s primal “John Conquest,” made slightly kinder, gentler but equally pervasive, his band approximating the Stones in intensity.
The Boxing Mirror’s “Sacramento & Polk” took advantage of electronics, his voice slightly distorted through a condenser mike, with inventive piano from Danbom and a mechanical drum sound. Likewise, Gravity’s “Bury Me” becomes a slower, more haunting track driven by a distinctive fuzz-sound from Mastro’s guitar – unlike the song’s somewhat funky starting place from 2002. There’s little more forceful than Henne’s energetic drum attack as both guitars trading leads and digging in deep on the well-known “Everybody Loves Me” while The Crossing’s “Teenage Luggage” followed suit– as delicious an example of Escovedo’s literary lyricism as one has come to expect, wrapped in a punk-inspired, hard-rock coating. His co-write with Italian rocker Antonio Gramentieri, “Sonica USA” was dedicated to the late and loved Wayne Kramer (who played on the original), properly basted by two scrawling, boisterous guitars. Real Animal’s “Sensitive Boys” – a co-write with Chuck Prophet – becomes a piano-intro’d beauty, allowing Escovedo to fully express the sincerity and heartfelt passion of his vocals. Here, dedicated to the recent loss of his brother, Manuel, the song which deals with loss hit extra hard, even more than usual. The Boxing Mirror’s “Dearhead on the Wall,” dominated by Danbom’s keyboard wizardry, dovetailing nicely with Big Station’s “Sally Was a Cop” – which promptly became a jam with Henne’s crunchy snare, tasteful keyboard solos from Danbom and whammy bars aplenty. One of the hands-down best performances was Real Animal’s “Chelsea Hotel ‘78” (another Prophet co-write), amped up to the roof, Escovedo spitting out the lyrics, each player cranked with intensity. Escovedo, clearly having a ball, rocked his guitar off the front of the stage like the front man he is as the band scrambled to keep pace, ultimately unleashing their collective fury. Another favourite, A Man Under the Influence’s “Castanets” – took on new life with its fresh coat of paint for Echo Dancing – successfully delivered with an uncharacteristic, keyboard-heavy, dub reggae arrangement. Street Songs of Love’s “Too Many Tears” featured a processed vocal, insistent, repetitive percussion and some heavy synth treatment, to a chorus of guitar muscle to close the show.
An encore was graciously provided in Mickey Newbury’s “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In),“ faithfully correcting any damage done by Kenny Rogers. And to cap off a perfect night, Alejandro closed with “the Canadian National anthem” – a note perfect rendition of Neil’s “Like A Hurricane” that practically ripped the roof off, both Escovedo and Mastro out-scorching each other on guitar.
The service was over.
For a man who’s been to the bottom and back more than once – ‘twas a treat to see Alejandro doing what he does so well in a hot and humid, crowded setting, clearly invigorated by his lovely, supportive wife Nancy (filming and dancing in the wings) and the love of adoring fans – each of whom, in turn, gain restorative sustenance by everything Escovedo does. Much more than an artist, the man’s a treasure.
Find more details, tour dates and more for Alejandro here: https://www.alejandroescovedo.com
And James Mastro here: https://www.jamesmastro.net
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Bentley’s Bandstand: April 2024
and also here: Song Premiere: James Mastro Someday Someone Will Turn Your Head Around