Alejandro Escovedo at the Tractor Tavern and Hattie's Hat 


http : //helenwheels .tripod, com/ Alej andro.htm 


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Alejandro Escovedo 

May 29th @ The Tractor Tavern w/ Peter Case 
May 3 1 st @ Hattie's Hat 
Text & Photos by: Helen Halloran 

What can I possibly say about Alejandro Escovedo that hasn't already been said in the March-April 1998 issue of No 
Depression magazine? They dubbed him "Artist of the Decade" and I'd be hard pressed to think of another artist so 
deserving. Except maybe perhaps Dave Alvin , but that's another story altogether! 



Peter Case opened the show at the Tractor Tavern. I missed a great deal of his set, but caught the last 4 songs. My friend 
Steve saw his entire set and said it was very good. I was mighty impressed with what I saw as well. I'd seen Mr. Case perform 
solo before with Dave Alvin and Tom Russell when they toured to support the Tulare Dust cd. And I caught him with the 
Plimsouls last year at the Backstage in Ballard. He does put on a mighty fine show! Alejandro kept referring to him as "the 
songwriter of the decade," and he may very well be correct in that assessment! 

Alejandro Escovedo is touring to support his new cd More Miles Than Money. This cd consists of live recordings from 
1994-1996. Two of the songs were recorded at two Tractor Tavern shows I'd previously attended. I've heard that the guy 
who recorded this cd also recorded the Com Sisters at Hattie's Hat. 


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Alejandro Escovedo at the Tractor Tavern and Hattie's Hat 


http : //helenwheels .tripod, com/ Alej andro.htm 



I spoke with Alejandro briefly before the show to make sure he didn't mind if I took some photos of him for my web site. He 
was very gracious and even agreed to meet with me after the show in order to sign all of my cds I had brought with me. He is 
currently touring with a four piece acoustic band consisting of Brian Standefer on cello, Joe Eddy Hines on acoustic guitar, 
and David Perales on violin. Steve and I stood right in the front, and the sound was great! 



Alejandro was pretty loose with the set, playing songs that people shouted out or tunes that the band felt like tackling. There 
was a lot of dialogue going on between him and the audience. At one point, it was brought to his attention that it was two 
different audience members' birthdays. He indulged the friends of these people by embarrassing the hell out of them, and 
plead with the audience to buy them drinks. The birthday people did indeed receive their celebratory libations, courtesy of 
some generous soul! 


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Alejandro Escovedo at the Tractor Tavern and Hattie's Hat 


http : //helenwheels .tripod, com/ Alej andro.htm 



Alejandro brought Peter Case up onto the stage in the middle of the set to perform his song "Two Angels." Peter and 
Alejandro took turns singing and Peter played harmonica. The crowd loved it! Later on Alejandro got more free and loose 
with the set list, playing numerous lively covers including "Now I Wanna Be Your Dog," "All The Young Dudes," and 
"Evening Gown." One song that was a real hit with the audience was a new one entitled "The Big One-O" about a 10 year 
old kid who is so jaded he says "I hit the big one-O, I feel so old, Candy just doesn't taste as good anymore." That song has 
been going through my head now for days! 



Alejandro and the band played several songs as an encore, much to the delight of the crowd. The only downside to the show 
was the constant chatter coming from the bar that sometimes could be heard over the acoustic music. At one point, two 
women were standing behind Steve and I, yammering on about their favorite kind of tea! Alejandro actually had joked about 
the din earlier, musing as to how other "folky" type artists could deal with that sort of thing. He concluded that they must not 
play venues where drinking is allowed. Mr. Escovedo's graciousness and good humor is as great as his talent, this was truly a 
show I am glad I didn't miss! 

After the show I got the chance to meet Mr. Escovedo formally, thanks to Steve's friend Debby who is a friend of Alejandro's. 
He was just as nice as I had suspected, and took the time to speak with each and every person who approached him. He even 
signed 5 cds for me and let Steve take a photo of him with me, which appears below: 


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Alejandro Escovedo at the Tractor Tavern and Hattie's Hat 


http : //helenwheels .tripod, com/ Alej andro.htm 



We also got a hot tip while we were sitting there chatting with Alejandro and his friends, not only was he going to be playing 
the Seattle Art Museum's Black and White Ball the next evening (which I couldn't even begin to afford to go to), but he 
would be playing an unannounced show at Hattie's Hat on Sunday night. Steve and I knew we had to go! 


We tried to interest a couple of our friends in going with us, but alas, you can lead a friend to water but you can't make him or 
her drink! Well, you can always make me drink , but that's another story! They'll never know what they missed! Again, 
another terrific show! The fourth Alejandro Escovedo show I've been lucky enough to attend. This one was similar to the 
Tractor Tavern show, only much more intimate. Hattie's Hat is a diner and bar two doors down from the Tractor Tavern in 
Ballard. The band played in the diner area, with about 50 people crowded around in chairs, booths, and standing in any 
open spot in the back. Truly amazing. Steve and I were just in awe of this show! Due to the intimate nature of this show, I 
felt taking photos would be too intrusive. Plus I had shot almost four rolls of film at the Tractor Tavern show, that seemed 
sufficient to me! 

Hot tip for anyone living in the Seattle area, Alejandro Escovedo will be playing at the Ballard Seafood Festival on Sunday, 
July 26th. Do not miss this show, Alejandro Escovedo is never less than amazing! 

Please visit the Alejandro Escovedo web site. 


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