'Mirror' images help Escovedo fight illness

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‘Mirror‘ images help Escovedo fight illness Staff and agencies16 March, 2006

By 25 minutes ago LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Escovedo says he‘s feeling great. Unless you know what the Austin-based musician has been through in the past few years, that won‘t strike you as news, but his fans will be grateful to hear it. On May 2, Virgin‘s Back Porch Records imprint will release "The Boxing Mirror," Escovedo‘s first album of new songs since "By the Hand of the Father" in 2002. "There were two years when I didn‘t know if I‘d make a record," Escovedo says. "My main concern was if I‘d ever get well." Escovedo -- whose resume includes stints with the early San Francisco punk band the Nuns, the ‘80s cowpunk band Rank & File, the storming Austin group True Believers and a run of distinguished solo albums -- was diagnosed with hepatitis C in the late ‘90s. In 2002, he fell ill during a performance of the stage version of "By the Hand of the Father" in Tucson, Ariz., and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. In the succeeding years, Escovedo has fought the debilitating effects of the disease and even endured a life-threatening crisis brought on by drug treatment of his illness. Like many musicians, Escovedo was uninsured, and he struggled to keep up with mounting medical bills. In 2004, the musician‘s friends and peers in the industry rallied to produce "Por Vida," a two-CD benefit collection on Or Music that attracted some star participants, some of whom Escovedo had admired since his youth. "You can imagine us, not knowing what the f--- was going on," Escovedo recalls, "and here comes this reference CD with Cale ‘s name on it. And here comes the next one, with Ian Hunter ... I would sit there and listen to it and literally cry." Escovedo‘s struggle with hepatitis C brought on a period of introspection and dramatic change. He quit drinking and smoking, and took up Buddhism. "It was a real blessing," Escovedo says. "So much came from me having to stop, look around and take a good assessment of where I should be ... Sometimes the party takes over. I feel like now, the music is the high, finally." Escovedo‘s hard-won experience is reflected in every track on "Mirror." The songs, either written by Escovedo or co-authored with his wife, Kim Christoff, deal movingly with the impact of his illness, as well as such wrenching events as the death of his father and its effect on his mother. The album reunites Escovedo with his longtime True Believers partner, guitarist Jon Dee Graham; the pair started working together again last year at a benefit for Graham‘s young son, who has a serious bone disease. For Escovedo, a Velvet Underground fanatic, one of the many pleasures of making "Mirror" was working with Cale, undertaking an increasingly rare role as producer. "He‘s a really intense person," Escovedo says, audibly awed. "It was really amazing. He never made me feel anything except calm and relaxed." He says of the album, with a mixture of relief and pride, "It sounds like a person that‘s no longer ill. It does to me, anyway." Escovedo will launch "Mirror" with a private show Thursday during the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin. He‘ll play an afternoon gig at ‘s Taco Express on Saturday and will perform his traditional SXSW-closing date at the Continental Club on Sunday. He appears at Joe‘s Pub in New York on March 31, with shows in Ireland, Norway, England and Canada to follow through the summer. ( hosts "Watusi Rodeo" on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. every Sunday. http://www.indie1031.fm/shows/watusi.php) Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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