Alejandro Escovedo…a name spoken in reverential tones by any number of your favorite singer-songwriters. The folk-glam-punk-country pioneer wears his heart so far down his sleeve there’s room for little else, and that honesty is held in such respect — by critics and fellow musicians alike — that Escovedo was named “Artist of the Decade” by No Depression magazine as early as 1998.
And now, when he needs it the most, his comrades-in-arms clamor to help. Diagnosed with Hepatitis-C nearly a decade ago, Escovedo struggled with his illness while continuing life as a touring musician, but in April of 2003 the effort proved too great. He collapsed on stage in Phoenix and hasn’t been able to perform since. Like most troubadours, he has no health insurance to protect him. With medical bills passing the $20,000 mark (a figure his manager called “a drop in the bucket”), fans and friends stepped up almost as soon as they heard the news. Benefits in New York, Chicago, Austin, Raleigh and elsewhere have raised tens of thousands of dollars for Escovedo’s family and bills.
Now it’s Charlotte’s turn. When Bob Graham and Missi Ivie heard of Escovedo’s dire situation, they knew they had to do something. And as the driving forces behind the annual Spread Your Wings local cancer benefits, what they do best is put on a rock & roll show.
So this Sunday, beginning at 5pm, a gaggle of local and regional talents will hit the stage at the Double Door Inn to celebrate — and generate a little much-needed financial love for — Escovedo. Tickets for the event will be $9.
“This is just everyone’s way of paying him back for all of the good vibes he’s given us over the years,” said Graham, who has experienced Escovedo’s generosity first-hand. Escovedo played a local gig here when Ivie, 33, was at the height of her chemotherapy regimen for breast cancer. He brought with him his only, albeit somewhat used, T-shirts from two of his previous bands, Buick McKane and the True Believers, as a gift for her because she’d mentioned to him eight months earlier that she wished she had one like his. But this was no “make-a-wish” grandstanding. Escovedo didn’t even know Ivie was sick when he returned. All he knew was that a fan had said she’d like a shirt. So he gave her the one off his back.
The love and respect Escovedo inspires in other musicians tugs at even the most cynical of hipster hearts. Graham recently bumped into Chad Edwards (of the late Lou Ford), who had a surprise for him. “Chad reached into his wallet and said that he had something for me and then he handed me a $100 bill,” Graham said. It turns out Edwards had been talking up the benefit at one of his solo shows, after which a woman came up and handed him the big bill and said that she hoped his friend got better soon. She had no idea who Escovedo was, but Edwards’ passionate pleas for help had touched her. When asked how long he’d been carrying that money around in his sometimes-empty wallet, Edwards simply said, “About a month.”
To Edwards, who will be debuting his new group, Hard Times Family, at the benefit, it’s also about payback. “He gave us (Lou Ford) one of our biggest shows ever in New York that got us written up in The New York Times,” Edwards said. “he’s been extremely good to us. Good guy, phenomenal songwriter.”
And while Edwards’ new group is just one of several participating, many local music scene followers are most anxious to hear his new material in a full-band setting. This incarnation, whose lineup is currently in flux depending upon the availability of a host of players, will be made up from different incarnations of Lou Ford (brother Alan Edwards on guitar, Shawn Lynch on bass, Darrell Ussery on drums, Jason Atkins on keyboards, plus Jolene’s and Sea of Cortez’ secret weapon, pedal-steel player Rodney Lanier). It’s also an opportunity for Edwards to showcase his own songs with his most trusted friends. “I called these guys because they’re the ones I know the best and trust the most,” he said.
That musical trust and respect is what Escovedo’s whole career has been about, and that’s always something worth celebrating.
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2004.
