Alejandro Escovedo Working with John Cale

I just found out that one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Alejandro Escovedo, is coming out with a new CD soon that is being produced by John Cale (of Velvet Underground). It will be titled "Room of Songs" and features Alejandro playing live in Austin with his String Quartet. Here's a URL to the article:

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001570665

If you aren't familiar with Alejandro Escovedo, you should seriously check out his music. He ought to be much better known than he seems to be. Here are some of the interesting facts on him:

1) According to Rolling Stone writer David Fricke: "Musically, Alejandro Escovedo is in his own genre." And he's not kidding.
2) Sheila E (former drummer for Prince) is a close relative of his.
3) He was born in San Antonio, Texas among a total of 12 kids.
4) His father is a well-known mariachi player and the brother of Pete Escovedo.
5) In the mid '70s, he played bass for The Nuns--one of the most legendary punk bands in San Francisco music history who opened for the Sex Pistols' last gig (at Winterland).
6) His next band was the highly influential country-punk (aka "cowpunk") band Rank and File back down in Texas.
7) First solo album earned him "Musician of the Year" at the 1993 Austin Music Awards.
8) In 1998, he was named "Artist of the Decade" by the alternative-country magazine No Depression.
9) Signed with Chicago's Bloodshot Records who released his first live record, "More Miles Than Money: Live 1994-1998"--one of my personal favorite albums of all time (partially recorded at Seattle's Tractor Tavern where I saw Alejandro perform).
10) Collapsed after a show in Phoenix on April 26, 2003 and was hospitalized due to complications from Hepatitis C.
11) An amazingly star-studded tribute album was released to help pay for Alejandro's large medical bills because he didn't have health insurance.
12) "Por Vida: A Tribute To The Songs Of Alejandro Escovedo" features Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, John Cale, Calexico, Cowboy Junkies, Charlie Sexton, Jayhawks, Son Volt, Charlie Musselwhite, and many others.

Link