Keep Austin Weird Festival Part 2- The Music

escovedo_always–(Click to hear his new song!)This is part 2 of the Keep Austin Weird Festival…So what do 3000 very tired runners, walkers, and volunteers do after the 5k? How about inhaling some of the delicious healthy food at the locally owned Zen restaurant booth? Or if the heat is too much, you could always chill out with also locally owned Amy’s ice cream or one of those decadent cupcakes at Austin’s own  “Toot Sweet” stand? Or how about grabbing a beer and sliding gratefully into one’s sling chair and listening to the incomparable Alejandro Escovedo and his enormously talented band? Well that is what this very tired volunteer did…Just as the sun finally set, and the skyline of Austin was in the background, Alejandro and his band came on and played tirelessly for the next two hours! Even the wind seemed to be affected as it played and danced off the gloriously cold waters of Town Lake and the Colorado River. How quickly we all became reenergized as Alejandro and his band kicked off the night with his new single, “Always A Friend”. It was simply a magical evening, even for Austin! Alejandro was back in his hometown after a whirlwind tour with stops in New York City for the Today show and Conan O’Brian….and oh yes, opening for Dave Mathews for some shows, too. So he came home to rest for three days,which for Alejandro means to play for us for two nights at the Continental Club, have a CD release party at Waterloo records, and then just in case, some of his fans missed those shows, he played for his miraculously revived and now wildly dancing fans at the end of the evening for the 5k Austin Weird Festival…wow, what a delight! If you haven’t heard his new cd, entitled, Real Animal, with its hit song, “Always a Friend”, then you have been missing a real treat, even tastier than one of those Toot Sweet cupcakes! And it comes as no surprise once you listen to a selection from the CD on his website that on June 23,2008, the New York Times selected Real Animal as its Critics Choice! So log onto his site and enjoy this incredibly talented Austin treasure! Oh yes, and only in Austin, could you have another legend, guitarist Charlie Sexton, come up onto the stage and jam with Alejandro and his band! Have you moved here yet?? www.alejandroescovedo.com

Alejandro Escovedo Hear Charlie Sexton at www.charliesexton.com