AUSTIN, TX  [Friday Jul.23.2004]  /WMQT.com/ -- "Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo" salutes and benefits one of the most critically acclaimed artists in contemporary music, hailed by Rolling Stone critic David Fricke for creating "his own genre" and named Artist of the Decade for the 1990s by No Depression magazine. Widely admired for the stylistic breadth and innovation of his compositions and his facility for translating his personal experiences and observations into universal truths, Escovedo fell ill from the effects of Hepatitis C in April 2003.

The music community responded to his health crisis and its financial repercussions with a stunning outpouring of generosity and concern that culminates in "Por Vida." On the two-disc set, out July 27, 31 acts from across the musical spectrum -- including Escovedo's friends, family, peers, influences and admirers -- offer their inspired interpretations of his material, packaged with liner notes by famed critic Dave Marsh. A portion of the proceeds from this release will benefit the Alejandro Escovedo Medical & Living Expense Fund as well as to spearhead an ongoing assistance effort for musicians afflicted with Hepatitis C.

Artists participating on "Por Vida" include Los Lonely Boys, Sheila E. and Peter Escovedo, Peter Case, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, John Cale, Cowboy Junkies and many more. The album also features a previously unreleased performance by Alejandro Escovedo of "Break this Time."

Disc: 1
01. Lucinda Williams - Pyramid of Tears
02. Lenny Kaye - Sacramento & Polk
03. Steve Earle & Reckless Kelly - Paradise
04. Jon Langford and Sally Timms - Broken Bottle
05. Calexico - Wave
06. Jennifer Warnes - Pissed Off 2AM
07. John Cale - She Doesn't Live Here Anymore
08. Los Lonely Boys - Castanets
09. Cowboy Junkies - Don't Need You
10. Charlie Sexton - Dear Head On the Wall
11. Jon Dee Graham - Helpless
12. Howe Gelb - She Towers Above
13. Ian McLagan and the Bump Band - Wedding Day
14. Tres Chicas - Rhapsody
15. Peter Case - The End
16. Bob Neuwirth - Rosalie
17. Section String Quartet - Crooked Frame

Disc: 2
01. Ian Hunter - One More Time
02. Jayhawks - Last to Know
03. Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra - Velvet Guitar
04. Sheila E. and Pete Escovedo - The Ballad of the Sun and Moon
05. The Chris Stamey Experience - One True Love
06. Son Volt - Sometimes
07. Rosie Flores - Inside This Dance
08. Charlie Musselwhite - Everybody Loves Me
09. M. Ward with Vic Chesnutt & Howe Gelb - Way It Goes
10. Javier Escovedo - The Rain Won't Help
11. Caitlin Cary - By Eleven
12. Minus 5 - I Was Drunk
13. The Dragons - Gravity
14. Ruben Ramos - Thirteen Years
15. Alejandro Escovedo - Break This Time

For more information on the Alejandro Escovedo or to donate to the Alejandro Escovedo Fund, please visit http://www.alejandrofund.com.

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