Alejandro Escovedo and The Sensitive Boys – StageOne, Fairfield, CT

Longtime radio fans of Alejandro Escovedo, we were delighted when he heard that he was playing with his band The Sensitive Boys at StageOne in Fairfield, Connecticut for 2 nights in April 2014. This was a concert that we did not want to miss; we were not disappointed. To say that the man can rock and play the guitar would be an understatement. Defying genre-labels, his music has been described as alt-rock, alt-country, punk rock, cowpunk, heartland rock, and Chicano rock; we believe in disregarding labels, and just letting his music speak for itself with Alejandro’s story telling lyrics and musicianship. 

Alejandro Escovedo

From his beginnings as the front man for the punk-rock band, The Nuns, to his next evolution with the band, Rank and File, which had a roots/rock/alternative country focus, to coming full circle establishing his solo career with his new band, The Sensitive Boys, and living in Austin, Texas, Alejandro continues to demonstrate that he is a dynamic musical force that deserves many a listen. 

Performing for 40 years, he knows how to draw an audience in, and the night that we heard him perform at StageOne he set up his songs with a bit of a back story that gave insight into the man as well as his music. Born in San Antonio, Texas Alejandro Escovedo (we still love saying his name out loud), was one of 12 children, and music was a large part of his heritage. His parents added their love of Mexican trio music to his upbringing, and his brothers were into jazz and Latin music. In addition to Alejandro being a musician, his brothers Pete, Coke, Mario, and Javier Escovedo are also established musicians, as well as his niece, Sheila E (her father is Pete Escovedo). 

Alejandro Escovedo

When Alejandro was 6 years old, the family drove across the desert from their home in San Antonio to Huntington Beach, California; he described the experience by having the audience imagine 12 kids, 2 parents, and his grandmother in a 4-door sedan, the SUV had yet to make its appearance in 1957, making the long trek westward. What the family initially thought of as merely a vacation, Huntington Beach then the surf capital of the United States became their new home. His song, San Antonio Rain, tells the story of moving and leaving everything behind and starting anew. 

Another poignant song on the playlist was Arizona, off The Boxing Mirror CD (released in 2006), which is about his becoming seriously ill with Hepatitis-C while performing in Arizona in 2003 resulting in a lengthy hospital stay. He explained that for two years, music, once an important and integral part of his life, was no longer something that he could do. Fully recovered, he returned to music in 2005, wrote the song as a cathartic experience, writing of having to change his life, and gave heartfelt thanks to the fans who gave their support through that difficult and stressful time. 

Alejandro Escovedo jamming

He introduced the song, Rosalie, from the play, By The Hand Of The Father, as based on the true love story of a young girl named Rosalie and a guy named Joe. Some encounters are life changing; such was the case of Rosalie, a young girl who went to California on vacation with her aunt in the 1940s. It was there that she met Joe, and although a brief encounter, it was love at first sight. Rosalie and her aunt returned to Texas, and she returned to school. Rosalie and Joe started writing letters to one another, and saw each other once per year over the course of the next 7 years until they were married. The song, and the play, was based on those letters.  

Also on the playlist was the song Sensitive Boys, off the Real Animal CD (2008), to name but a few in a long luscious line-up. Alejandro’s fiery guitar licks, together with the impressive talent of the band, the bass player, the guitarist, and the drummer, made the evening’s performance fly by all too quickly.  

The Sensitive Boys Band – Drummer

A standing ovation and thundering applause from the long time fans and newfound fans brought the band back along with the opening performer, Amy Cook, to perform a few more songs, including All The Young Dudes (written by David Bowie and recorded by Mott the Hoople) with the audience singing along, and the song, Like A Hurricane.   

Rockin’ and Rollin’ – Alejandro Escovedo

Alejandro selected songs from across his deep and outstanding musical library and showed that his music is as captivating today as it was 10 and 20 years ago. The man has not lost a step from his fingers to his guitar and from his engaging attitude to his ability to charm his audience. Though his band members were a generation or two younger, Alejandro showed them the mettle that is the foundation for what was, and still is, ROCK. 

After the show, the very personable and engaging Alejandro came out to do a “meet and greet” signing CDs and album covers, chatting with fans as they reminisced about favorite shows they had seen, and meeting with others who simply wanted the opportunity to bask for a little longer in his dynamic presence.  

Debra Argen and Alejandro Escovedo

Listen to music clips: Alejandro Escovedo            

Austin, Texas based singer, songwriter, guitarist Amy Cook opened for Alejandro Escovedo, whom she called her hero, playing the song, Saltwater, as well as a few choice cuts off her Let The Light In (2010) CD produced by Alejandro Escovedo. As producing is not something that he regularly does, she told a humorous story of how it came about that Alejandro produced her CD. During downtime while on tour, she was playing around with a few songs and she asked him what he thought about her including them on a new CD. His reply to her was, “too many chords” for one song, and proclaimed other songs had “too many words.” So she challenged him, “You seem to know my music better than I do; do you want to produce my next release?” He said yes, and that is how it came to be that Alejandro Escovedo produced her CD. 

Amy Cook

She also played a few songs off her Summer Skin (2012) CD, including the song, It’s Gonna Rain, where Robert Plant does a guest appearance on the CD and sings back-up vocals, with Amy  inviting the audience to imagine Robert singing along with her on stage in Fairfield, Connecticut.   

No stranger to performing and the touring road, Amy has worked as a professional musician since 1998 and has opened for Chris Isaak, Shawn Colvin, Ben Kweller, and Lucinda Williams to name but a few, and regularly tours with Alejandro Escovedo as his opening act. Her songs have been featured in films as well as on television shows.  

Amy Cook and Edward Nesta

“The Fairfield Theatre Company is a nonprofit center for the arts and culture located in the heart of downtown Fairfield, Connecticut. We bring together a community of musicians, actors, artists, writers, fans, and supporters who are dedicated to the simple premise that the broadest spectrum of live entertainment and cultural exchange is essential to the vitality of our society.”  

Fairfield Theater Company has three venues in Connecticut that attract top talent, StageOne in Fairfield (225-seat venue), The Klein in Bridgeport (1,400-seat proscenium theater), and the Norwalk Concert Hall in Norwalk (1,036-seat venue).   

“Established in 2004, StageOne is a 225-seat venue in the heart of downtown Fairfield, Connecticut. Originally built primarily for theatre productions, StageOne is consistently voted as the best place to hear live music in the entire region because of the quality of the sound, the intimacy of the space, and the caliber of the artists. There is literally not a bad seat in the house and there are few venues in the country where the fans can be so close to the world-renowned artists who grace the stage in over 200 concerts and productions a year. The artists love to perform here and frequently cite StageOne as their absolute favorite venue. This brings out the very best in them, which is reflected in the quality of their performances and enjoyment of their fans.”   

StageOne is conveniently located directly across from the Fairfield Train Station making it easily accessible by car or by train via Metro North. By car, it is a 30-minute drive from Greenwich and New Haven, a 60-minute drive from Hartford, and a 90-minute drive from New York City.   

Please visit the website, www.FairfieldTheatre.org for program information on upcoming performances at all three of their venues. For tickets or information, please call: +1-203-259-1036.  

A few of the many upcoming shows at StageOne in Fairfield:  

Upcoming show at The Klein in Bridgeport: 

 Upcoming show at The Klein in Bridgeport:

StageOne
Fairfield Theatre Company
70 Sanford Street (across from the Fairfield Train Station)
Fairfield, CT 06824
Box Office:   +1-203-259-1036
Email:            info@fairfieldtheatre.org
Website:       www.FairfieldTheatre.org
Facebook:    www.Facebook.com/FairfieldTheatreCompany 

For upcoming Alejandro Escovedo performances, please visit the website: www.AlejandroEscovedo.com 

For upcoming Amy Cook performances, please visit the website: www.AmyCook.com. 

Follow Alejandro Escovedo on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AlejandroEscovedo  

Follow Amy Cook on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/AmyCook  

Follow Fairfield Theatre Company on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/FairfieldTheatreCompany  

Follow Luxury Experience on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LuxuryExperience  to see more photos and listen to video clips from the performance.