3/12/05
The Band:
Cristina Rascon - Lead Vocals
Willie Muņoz - Guitar, Vocals
Andrew Gallego - Drums
Robert Madrid - Keyboards, Trombone, Vocals
Eddie Esparza - Trumpet, Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
Al Sandoval - Alto, Tenor, Barisax, Flute
Ernest Marquez - Bass, Vocals
Saturday, I took in a show by Alibi, a seven-piece band with a fantastic singer, at Murphy's. This was the first time I went with guest reviewers. This time around, the reviewers were Gil and Bernie of Something Wicked. Jimmy, their singer, also showed up, but didn't write a review. Their reviews follow this one.
When the show started, there were only fifteen people in the audience - and Murphy's is a pretty large place. The sound, as I would expect from a show at Murphy's, was great, after a few adjustments had been made. Even though the stage is large, this band was cramped up there. Willie, the guitar player, was hidden behind Robert, the keyboardist. Pitiful. I wonder how they fit into Crawdaddy's.
Two things really stand out about this band: Cristina, the lead vocalist, and the very high level of musicianship. If anybody else in El Paso can sing like Cristina, I want to go see them. She has a nice voice, but what stands out about her is her incredible projection. I think she could probably sing without amplification if she had to. I wonder if all the windows in her house have been shattered; I am sure there are no cats left in her neighborhood.
In photos on the band's web site, Cristina dresses sexy, but at Murphy's, she wore a jacket and a baseball hat. This is probably because Murphy's likes to keep all the back doors open, and it gets chilly. I guess this gives me a compelling reason to see them when they go back to Crawdaddy's.
Alibi started the show with band members on lead vocals, guitar, keys, drums, bass, percussion, sax, but half the band plays multiple instruments, and it was interesting to watch the different ways the band configures itself. At times, they had three horn players, at other times, one. The drummer, Andrew, played some nice fills, but he seems quite restrained. When he wants to, the guitarist, Willie, lays down some seriously tasty licks, as well as some nice intervals, but he, also, is under-utilized. He has a nice vibrato.
Along with Cristina, Robert, Ernest, and Willie all sang lead at different points of the show, and they were all very capable singers. Wow. They play several different styles of music, but I think they over-do this. More on this below. They did a few nice stops, but they could do more.
Their song list included "Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That," Boz Scaggs' "Low Down," Sade's "Smooth Operator," and "Dreams" by Stevie Nicks. Blecch!!! Fortunately, they also played stuff like "Mustang Sally," Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," and Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Pride and Joy," which featured a killer guitar solo by Willie, who also sang the song. They played quite a number of Spanish-language tunes. I'd estimate that about a fourth of their songs were in Spanish.
These guys are also very nice folks. After the first set, I went up and talked to Robert, who came and talked with the gang from Something Wicked and myself. He talked to me once or twice after that, too. Cristina came and talked to me twice. The first time, I didn't realize who she was (doh!). If she had been dressed like she dresses on their web site, I wouldn't have heard a word she said. I would probably ordinarily throw in some vulgar humor here, but she is just too nice.
After Something Wicked made some comments to Robert about the guitar player being hidden, they sent him out into the crowd once, and he played a solo in front of us. Killer.
Alibi knocked my socks off, but I do have my criticisms; I am not restrained by that niceness stuff. First, they need to cut the drummer and guitar player loose. Alibi should take advantage of them, and have them play more aggressively. Also, their set list should be more focused. For some reasons, bands love to show that they can play all kinds of music, but it really takes away from the show. They should ditch the elevator music. Anybody can play in piano bars; that is a waste of this band's talent. Obviously, they should avoid hiding Willie. Finally, they need to start writing some original tunes, and make preparations to go on the road. There is no need for them to spend a few years figuring out if they are good enough for the big time. They are, if they just make a few adjustments.
Their web site needs to be tightened up, although I enjoyed the photos. The music that starts up when you hit the home page is inexplicably dreary. Maybe they do see themselves as playing in piano bars. I get a number of 404 errors (Page not found) throughout the site.
As for Murphy's, I wonder if they have a clue about promotion. I am in there all the time for the $2 Heinekens (until 7 PM), and nobody ever comes up and tells me who they have coming, nor do they e-mail me anything. I don't bother asking the bartenders, because they never know, anyhow. Then again, we know nobody ever comes to this site!! I haven't seen much other promotion from them in other places, and they obviously got a small crowd for this show. They have a growing number of people coming in during the day for their tasty barbecue, yet they have no signs or anything around to promote their shows to the lunch-time crowd. No sign out front announcing who is coming. You'd think they could take a hint from the Cockpit Lounge, which is right across the street. Go figure.
Anyhow, I urge everybody to check out Alibi. They kick ass.
- Charles Hurley
Bernie:
I was very impressed with the leads the guitarist carried. Hit all
the right chords.
