Sun 4/6 @ 8PM
It seems like we never have to wait long to see Alejandro Escovedo in these parts. He was just at the Kent Stage in February, and now he’s paying a return visit to northeast Ohio to perform at the Beachland Ballroom.
The Austin-based performer began his 40-plu year musical career in punk bands in his native San Francisco before doing stints with seminal alt-country groups Rank and File and True Believers in the ’80.
But since 1992, he’s flown solo with some help from musical friends like a long string of major-league producers including Stephen Bruton (Kris Kristofferson, Carly Simon, Elvis Costello), Chris Stamey (the dBs, Whiskeytown, Alex Chilton), John Cale (Velvet Underground, Stooges, Patti Smith) and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex, Paul McCartney). His latest release is 2012’s Big Station, his third with Visconti.
Although he’s not as well known as many of the artists those producers work with, he gives them raw material that’s every bit as good, knitting all the divers aspects of American rock music into quality songs filled with deep feeling, well-worn experience, and a keen ear for both melody and lyric.
Escovedo recently co-curated a four-hour tribute concert to Lou Reed at the annual South by Southwest music conference in Austin in March. So maybe he’ll bring out a Reed song of two. Certainly he, like all former (and present) punk rockers, has some Velvet Underground DNA.
He’ll be performing with his band, the Sensitive Boys. Opening for him at the Beachland will be Austin-based singer/songwriter Amy Cook.
Tickets are $20.