Alejandro Escovedo
Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church
June 16, 9:40 pm

Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church filled out quickly on the main floor leaving only rafter seating in the dim and ominous church. Dressed in jeans, cowboy boots and a black button-up shirt, Alejandro Escovedo made his way to stage. He’s a totally different man than the one who opened for the Sex Pistols in the mid-70s with the punk rock band the Nuns. Escovedo plays in the vein of John Doe, Mike Ness and even Joe Strummer – another reformed punk rocker who’s turned into a modern outlaw countryman. Accompanied by guitarist David Pulkingham and Violinist Susan Voelz, Escovedo broke quickly into a fiery acoustic set. Escovedo and Pulkingham’s dueling guitars thundered through the old church, bouncing off the tall ceilings and assaulting the audience from all angles. It’s never hard to hear Escovedo’s punk side rampaging through his acoustic guitar and blaring out of his southern vocal style. Clad in a black evening gown and keeping the two boys in check was Voelz who played her violin as a woman possessed on the crowd favourite “Chelsea Hotel ‘78.” The song blasted through Trinity-St. Paul’s with a sharp punk rock edge before simmering down to an elegant finish. By the end of the show, Escovedo and company had received two standing ovations and left the audience simply wanting more. NXNE hasn’t even started yet and already the shows are leaving a heavy impression: it’s gonna be a good weekend.

- Joe Veroni