Show Date: July 30, 2009
Jesse Winchester & Colin Gilmore (support)
“You 21?”
“Yeah. Got my ID if you are desperately interested.”
“I am, but for other reasons.”
“Well hey.”
The Aladdin is an old porn theater. If you haven’t been there, don’t let that opening salvo deter you. Great venue, good sound. All general admission. Decent beers and food. Recommended.
Get beer and lights go down. Thinking I am late for the unknown to me opening act I rush in to the floor. Grab a seat in back rather than the hotter balcony. I note sadly that my beer is sweating a huge drop of water onto my pants at a frequency of 0.5Hz. I time it. For real. That aside, Colin Gilmore is up on stage with just a guitar playing mostly traditional country.
I am a rockist. I make no apology for it. But the same lack of give a shit leads me to the occasional country show. The passion and drive for artistic credibility is ironically found here more often than not. And as Colin finishes his set, I realize that the standoffish cool apparent at most rock shows is displaced at these country shows by an unapologetic desire to please. It is disarming. I know this isn’t heavy to you party people, but I am just traveling a road here. A road that I thought I could travel to with a backbeat of my own choosing. But as the lights come up, I realize my punk rock tshirt is a pretty lame attempt at that. I look like everyone here (welcome to white america!).
During the second set. Jesse Winchester (a man self-described as entering geezer hood) sings a song about his stash being reduced to seeds and twigs. And follows that up with a song dedicated to his second grandchild. I realize that I am just as part of this audience (white america!) as any other.
I know, I know the musicmusicmusic.
Alejandro Escovedo played in the punk rock band The Nuns. A band that has the distinction of being the act that opened for the Sex Pistols for their last show at the Winterland. Escovedo has moved on to a more alt.country/bluesy rock sound in his recordings. So yeah. Unlike the support acts, more in my personal listening wheelhouse.
The band takes the stage. Traditional 4 piece (bass, guitar, Alejandro on rhythm and vox, drums). First song is a little uneven. All makes sense after it is over and the drummer leans over his kit desperately pointing at his ear monitor and every other musician.
All is now well. Second song is “Everyone Loves Me” off the album Bourbonitis Blues. Holy shit. You like blues injected rock? Download this now. The recording is predictably not the fire the live rendition is. Isn’t that almost always the way? Lead guitar was laying Jimi Hendrix (and I don’t throw that shit out lightly) distortion with psychedelic flavor while Alejandro is holding down a wall of noise. Maybe punk of all things? Maybe hard ass blues? Dunno. I’m leaving this lame ass seat and hitting the pit (not mosh people, pit) that is in embryonic stages down front. You’re on your own. Skipping down the aisle as he is singing the chorus with obvious joy “Everybody Says They Love Me But I Don’t Know Why” I rub elbows with everybody to figure that the fuck out.
—
Resurface.
I know why. Escovedo is a genuinely humble performer who loves what he is doing. That country attitude I was talking about earlier. Not the bullshit Johnny Rotten attitude. “We’re going to play a song by a Southern California band The Gun Club called Sex Beat.” (silence) “You haven’t heard it huh? Well we are going to play it and you’ll love it.” Again the version off of Bourbonitis Blues is a less vital version. Live Alejandro is blowing harp to punctuate many verses. On the recording, the harmonica is used less and buried deep in the mix. I need a bootleg. Stat.
The next song “Castanets” is introduced. And explained that this was dropped for many years from the set list after the song appeared on George W Bush’s Ipod playlist as published by the New York Times. I couldn’t tell exactly what happened, but after the song it looks like the neck or something of his guitar is busted and he gives it away. Supposed to bash the shit out of it in mock fury my man. Especially if it is sunk cost. You know?
Encore…discussion with the lead guitarist….”let them decide”. “We can play All The Young Dudes, or Sway, or Beast Of Burden, or…” discussion with guitarist… “Dudes wins?” Okay….
One of the more musically eclectic performers that you’ll ever watch with a stage presence that is all zen. What a history. What a life led. Talking about staying at the Chelsea Hotel with Sid and Nancy. Would love to buy this guy a beer and let him spill his guts.
Listen to an album or two. If you dig it, the live show will bump that to a level that will surprise you. Great evening.
