Alejandro Escovedo

Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 7:30pm at Bull Run

Celebrated singer and songwriter, Alejandro Escovedo has as eclectic a background and body of work as any rock artist of his generation. As comfortable performing with a string ensemble as he is with an amped-up power trio, and as likely to bare his soul in his lyrics as he is to display some serious rock & roll swagger, Escovedo had already played an important role in punk (with the Nuns), roots rock (the True Believers), and alt-country (Rank & File) before he launched a solo career that's seen him work with everyone from John Cale to Bruce Springsteen. Beginning with 1992's "Gravity," Escovedo's music has been consistently literate, ambitious, and eclectic. 2001's “A Man Under the Influence” explored different genres and approaches from track to track, while 2008's “Real Animal” and 2016's “Burn Something Beautiful” focused on passionate, guitar-based rock & roll. 2018's “The Crossing” (and its 2020 Spanish-language counterpart “La Cruzada”) told a richly detailed story of the immigrant experience.

Crossing borders, jumping barriers, taking risks, betting it all: that’s the path Alejandro Escovedo has been taking in his lifelong search for the heart of rock and roll. The epic 17 song suite comprising The Crossing is about that journey: searching, but not necessarily finding, eyes and ears open all the way. Ranging from sweeping orchestral numbers to classic rock to bursts of 70s punk, the collection finds Escovedo delving further into his lifelong musical journey across his most sonically diverse work yet. “This says more about me than any of my records without it being a record about me. The Crossing has parts of everything I’ve done and everything I want to do,” Alejandro says. “Lyrically, I say a lot of things I’ve never said, that I held back on.”

“Musically, Alejandro Escovedo is in his own genre.” – David Fricke, Rolling Stone
“There are songwriters who sing their songs, and then there are songs who sing their writers.” – Lenny Kaye ( Patti Smith Band)
“A masterwork from one of the genuine lights in rock music.”- Billboard
“Escovedo has blended the lyricism of Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne with the raw power of the Stooges and the Velvet Underground…the result is music with heart, brains, and a burning sense of adventure.”– Mark Kemp, Rolling Stone
“Alejandro Escovedo is one of the great songwriters of our time.” – Time Out Philadelphia