Latino punk

Your chance to marvel at the mad spectacle of El Vez (The Mexican Elvis) comes this week when Robert Lopez - former guitarist/vocalist for San Diego punks The Zeros, one-time member of Catholic Discipline and Elvis Presley impersonator since 1988

the Nuns se formèrent vers 1976 à San Francisco devenant ainsi l'une des premières formations punk de Californie; ils ouvriront d'ailleurs pour les Sex Pistols lors de leur tournée américaine. Jusque là, rien d'extraordinaire, combien de groupes se montèrent-ils de cette manière à la fin des 70's ? Certes, mais quand on écoute ce premier album, on réalise que The Nuns n'est pas juste un combo punk comme les autres. On pourrait le décrire comme une entité bicéphale; le chant est en effet assuré en alternance par une charmante demoiselle du nom de Jennifer Miro et deux mâles...Là non plus, rien de particulier, ils ne sont pas les premiers à l'avoir fait. Disons alors que les atmosphères changent totalement selon la personne derrière le micro. Lorsque Richie ou Jeff se chargent du chant, l'atmosphère est très punk rock mais un punk rock original et sombre, enrichi d'un piano à la Jerry Lee Lewis; on note même un titre plus baroque (avec son de clavecin) et férocement baigné d'humour noir, 'Suicide child'. Bien que la comparaison ne soit pas forcément pertinente, je songe aux Stranglers du début (pour l'esprit icônoclaste du moins) avec des influences Stooges en plus. Les morceaux interprétés par Jennifer évoluent dans des climats différents, on passe ainsi du rock gothic vaguement influencé Blondie de 'Savage' ou de l'excellent 'Wild' (une perle !) au rock 50's baroque de 'You think you're the best', sans parler de 'Lazy', véritable pièce de cabaret allemand. Les mélodies sont fantastiques, les atmosphères prenantes et rythmées. Le plus drôle est que le groupe avait splitté à cette époque et qu'il se reformera juste pour enregistrer ce disque sur l'insistance de deux membres et du producteur...Ouf, il aurait été regrettable que cette galette ne voit pas le jour ! (vendredi 7 septembre 2007)

In June 2008, Alejandro Escovedo released his 9th solo album Real Animal. Produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T.Rex, Thin Lizzy), Real Animal is a collective journey through Escovedo’s various musical incarnations from punk rock to string quintets and is as introspective as it is retrospective. Recalling the people, places and influences that helped shape his career, Real Animal represents the primitive aspect of Escovedo’s music – the instinct, the urgency and a survivor mentality that fuels his musical passion.

Escovedo was a founding member of the pioneering San Francisco-based punk band The Nuns in the mid-70’s. In the early 1980’s he moved to New York City, where he joined forces with fellow Bay Area punk scene veterans Chip and Tony Kinman in Rank & File, a band that forged the early 1980s country-punk sound that later became known as alternative country. After Rank & File relocated to Austin, Texas, Escovedo left the band and formed True Believers with his brother Javier. The critically acclaimed group disbanded in the late 1980s.

In 1992, Escovedo embarked on a solo career with his debut album Gravity. Subsequent solo albums have included Thirteen Years (1993), With These Hands (1996), More Miles than Money: Live 1994-1996 (199, Bourbonitis Blues (1999), and A Man Under the Influence (2001). In the late 1990s, he began developing a dramatic work, based on his songs about his father, with the Los Angeles theater company About Productions. The resulting composition, By the Hand of the Father, premiered to critical acclaim in 2000 with Escovedo performing his songs as part of the production. His last album, The Boxing Mirror, released in 2006 was produced by John Cale and traces Escovedo’s journey from the brink of death at the hands of Hepatitis C to renewed wellness and artistic creativity.

Escovedo’s music has been widely lauded by the media, appearing in several high-profile publications including Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, USA Today, PASTE, HARP and Entertainment Weekly. He was invited onstage by Bruce Springsteen to join The Boss and The E Street Band, playing Escovedo’s “Always A Friend” before a packed Toyota Center in Houston on April 14, 2008. He has also appeared on Conan O’Brian, The Today Show, The Tonight Show and performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver to a wildly enthusiastic audience