ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO HOUSE CONCERT AT PINE HILL FARM ON WEDNESDAY FEB 3 AT 8PM WXDU's country radio show, Topsoil, is presenting another intimate house concert at Pine Hill Farm in Durham with country singer-songwriter and Bloodshot recording artist, Alejandro Escovedo on WEDNESDAY, February 3 at 8pm. Yes, THE Alejandro Escovedo. (If you don't know him, read below.) I'm *very* excited. Alejandro will probably be performing with a small acoustic group of just a fiddle, and possibly another guitar or a cello. That's still up in the air at this point. Tickets are now on sale. Email me quickly if you'd like to reserve a space. I usually don't do house concerts on Wednesday, but this one was just too special to pass up. The show will be out by 11:00pm at the latest, as usual, and will consist of two sets with a brief intermission to meet and greet. These concerts are organized so that we all chip in to pay the artist for the performance. We will be asking for a donation of $10 per person and you can save a spot in advance by writing Steve Gardner at [EMAIL PROTECTED], or by calling 919-304-2693. Note that the last two house concerts have sold out in a matter of a day or two, so you should respond as soon as possible if you'd like a seat. Considering the artist we are dealing with here I believe this show will sell out amazingly fast. I also have a website at http://www.topsoil.net/ that will give you information on my radio show and upcoming house concerts. ** Who is Alejandro Escovedo? Alejandro Escovedo is a lot of things rolled into one. His musical life has spanned from loud punk to a quiet acoustic intensity. Unlike many musicians though, this was not a linear transformation from loud at the beginning of his career to quiet at the end. Rather, Alejandro's strength is that he has always retained the best of any given moment of his life and continued to roll it back into his works, with amazing results. It would not be unusual for him to cover the Stooges classic punk blast of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" in a live show, and then on the next night (or possibly on the same night) play a mournful original song such as his "Last to Know" backed by cello and acoustic guitar. His diversity combined with his amazing writing, performance and energy (whether it be a "loud" song or a "quiet" one) is what made the leading alternative country magazine No Depression bestow upon him the controversial honor of "Artist of the Decade." His show at Pine Hill Farm will concentrate on the acoustic side of his material in the usual non-amplified, smoke free, setting of a living room. It is extremely rare that Alejandro will perform in this fashion for anyone in North Carolina. In fact, it may be his first. I'm happy as a politician in the arms of a page to be able to present this show to the area. Following is Alejandro Escovedo's bio in the All Music Guide at http://allmusic.com. Alejandro Escovedo's family tree includes former Santana percussionist Pete Escovedo and Pete's daughter, Sheila E (also Prince's former drummer and later a pop star). He began his music career with the Nuns, a mid-'70s punk band based in San Francisco. He co-founded the cowpunk band Rank and File in 1979, which moved to Austin, TX, in 1981 after a stint in New York City. The band released Sundown on Slash Records; shortly after, Escovedo left to form the True Believers with brother Javier. The band recorded two albums for EMI (the second was never released, a fact that eventually caused the band to break up in 1988) and toured the country, often as an opening act for Los Lobos. Escovedo released a solo album in 1992 on Watermelon Records, Gravity, uniting his wide variety of styles; the album was produced by Stephen Bruton of Bonnie Raitt's band. After 1996's With These Hands, he also began recording with the group Buick MacKane. -- John Bush, All-Music Guide Note: Since that review was written Alejandro released a record on Bloodshot Records that was a compilation of some of his live material from the mid 90s. This record "More Miles Than Money: Live 1994-1996" made my list of the top 20 records of the year. ** What and where is Pine Hill Farm? Pine Hill Farm is the name of a ranch house in Durham a few miles north of Chapel Hill. (directions below) I started up these house concerts with one of the members of that household, Bill Tolbert. Together we try to bring the music that we want to see to town. Pine Hill Farm presents shows in a totally acoustic setting, meaning no amplification. The shows are held in the living room and the acoustics are wonderful. There is no better way to see a show. Directions: To get to Pine Hill Farm, take Exit 266 from I-40 onto 86N (a.k.a. Airport Rd). Go right on Mt. Sinai Rd. and after 2.5 miles, take a left onto Murphy School Rd. The house is down the second driveway on the right - park on Murphy School Rd. past the driveway and enjoy. Remember to get your house concert tickets early. If you have any friends that want to be on this mailing list let me know. Also, remember to check my webpage for info on house concerts and my radio show. Cheers!! Steve Gardner [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- ====================================================== Steve Gardner * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * www.topsoil.net Topsoil - A Century of Country Music - Sundays 12-3pm WXDU 88.7FM Durham NC Upcoming House Concerts: 1/15-Joe Thompson
