In The Groove with Alejandro Escovedo

The Mexican-American rock musician talks about some of the most influential music in his life ahead of his show at El Club.

Courtesy of the artist

Click the audio player above to hear the full conversation. CultureShift airs weekdays 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit public radio.

In The Groove is CultureShift’s award-winning music series that talks with special guests about three formative songs from three formative years of their lives.

Past guests have included street artist Shepard FaireyMC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer“Broad City” actor and comedian Ilana Glazer and more.

On this edition of In The Groove, CultureShift’s Ryan Patrick Hooper speaks with longtime Mexican-American rock musician Alejandro Escovedo ahead of his show at El Club.

According to Escovedo, one of the first records that had an impact on his life was “All I Have To Do Is Dream” by the Everly Brothers.

“(Dream) took me to a place that seemed a lot better,” recalls Escovedo. “The thing about it was that we had just been taken from our home believing that we were going to California on a vacation. It turned out that we never ended up going back to Texas. So, songs like (“Dream”) …lifted me to another place.”

In his early 20s, Escovedo began hanging out in clubs and venues in and around Hollywood.

“Brian Eno was very important,” he says. 

Along with many other rock and early punk groups, the Velvet Underground had a profound impact on Escovedo in his 20s.

These days, Escovedo has dedicated himself to writing songs that reflect his personal experience and “what’s happening in the world today.”

“Through this music, through these songs, we’ll be able to create a better world,” he says.

Tickets and info for Escovedo’s show at El Club is available here

Click on the audio player above to hear rock musician Alejandro Escovedo talk about some the music that influenced him as part of CultureShift’s In The Groove segment. 

Author

  • Ryan Patrick Hooper
    Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.