Alejandro Escovedo [ tickets ] began a career in music inadvertently, initially setting out with some friends to make a student movie about the worst rock band in the world. Escovedo and classmate Jeff Olener played parts as members of the fictional band, and later recruited Jennifer Miro and Richie Dietrich to round out a real punk group they dubbed the Nuns.

The Nuns split after growing into one of the top San Francisco punk acts of the 70s, and Escovedo gained acclaim through his work in roots-rock bands Rank and File and the True Believers and, later, his own solo albums. Escovedo's first theatrical production “By the Hand of the Father”--an original work that combines music and theater to tell the story of five Mexican-American men--debuted in Los Angeles earlier this month.

For his new album, “A Man Under the Influence” (Bloodshot), Escovedo worked with producer Chris Stamey (the dB's) at Modern Recording studio in Chapel Hill, N.C. and was joined by a slew of guest musicians from the North Carolina area, including members of Superchunk, the since-split Whiskeytown and the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

LiveDaily correspondent Colin Devenish spoke recently spoke to Escovedo about his new album and about "By the Hand of the Father."

LiveDaily: It’s been five years since you released a record, and I know one of the things you worked on in that time is "By the Hand of the Father.” How did that come about?

Alejandro Escovedo [ tickets ]: I was making this record, [1996's] "With These Hands," and on [the title track] I had my brother Pete and his family play percussion. So that included my sister Juanita, Sheila E, Peter Michael--who also was the musical conductor for the Martin Short show--and [my brother] Juan, who is a wonderful percussionist and plays in various bands in the [San Francisco] Bay Area. As we were listening to playback of that song, I was telling Pete and Sheila of this idea I had to write this song cycle based on my father’s life. I was hoping that the whole family--not only them, but my other brothers and sisters--could play in their various bands in the musical part of this record that would tell my father’s story. My publicist at the time thought it would be a great idea not only to make this record, but to stage it. So she introduced me to a theatre company in Los Angeles called About Productions. The director, Teresa Chavez, and I met, exchanged stories and that began a process that took four or five years to finally stage. It was a wonderful experience for me, not only personal and emotional, but it was great venture into totally different fields.

What about your father's life made you want to write an entire song cycle about him?

He’s such an interesting man. He lives in the mountains of Mexico, southern Mexico. He was born in 1907, he’s 93 about to turn 94. He’s still very healthy. He did many, many things in his life. He began this journey at the age of 12, in search of his family who were in Texas picking as migrants; that began this incredible life. He was a prizefighter, he was a baseball player, he sang in mariachi bands in the '30s. He raised 12 children, many of whom are musicians.

Is the theater production something you’d thought about doing for a while?

I originally started as a filmmaker, making a movie about the worst band in the world, [a band] that couldn’t play. And then I began a career in music that’s lasted 25 years. I always knew that my music would lend itself to movies, but I had never really thought of the theater because I never had any experience with the theater. I never really had an interest in it because I never attended many plays.

How does writing for a theater production compare with writing songs?

It was different in that you’re given specific themes to work with. And it was an interesting process because it basically consisted of us exchanging our family stories. The play is not only about my father, but five different men who crossed the border at the turn of the century. In that, there’s a richness and a wealth of information and stories to be sifted through and to choose from. And so the song “Rosalie” was based on a story that Rose Ordilla had told me of her mother and father’s courtship--based on letters--seven years of writing letters every day until they were married.

What about that story resonated with you?

It was at a time when I was involved with someone and our relationship was completely based on letters. She is a poet, and I love writing letters, and it became our expression--one of our expressions, but a very important one. And also, I just value the act of putting pencil to paper. It’s an important extension of our souls that’s been lost. It’s not the same as email. It’s definitely not the same. To receive a letter and hold it in your hand, and maybe people can send you photographs, or pictures, flowers pressed in envelopes, all sorts of things. It’s a completely different feel you get when you read a letter, as opposed to reading an email. I really value that. It’s the same difference between holding a CD and holding an album.

I thought it was interesting that “Wave” and “Rosalie” [two songs that appear on Escovedo's new album] were both from that production. Did you use those songs as a gateway into this record?

I used "Wave" as a map into this record. I had written song that song before [recording began]. "Wave" was the song that inspired the play, in other words. That was the song I knew would start my record off. It’s funny, because I wrote "About This Love" in the studio, and that’s the perfect song to end the record with.

The song "Follow You Down" is about Townes Van Zandt, and I've read where you’ve described Townes Van Zandt as a musical mentor to you. How do you feel he impacted your life and your songwriting?

First of all, he was a huge influence on my belief that songs can be literary. Also, that they can be almost masterful in their approach. And in my opinion he was the best at what he did. He represented Texas to me in a way that very few other songwriters do, other than Doug Sahm. So it meant a lot when I got to know him and tour with him and to watch him work. Of course, I saw him destroy himself, which was not easy.

But I think more than anything, I wanted to write something to him as a memory. To me, not only is the record about my family--because I write a lot about my family and families--it’s a lot to do with what I was picking up as the band was touring extensively and going through a lot of different changes. We had been together so long--this band I was playing with at the time--and everyone was going through personal change. So I think the record exemplifies everything we’ve gone through in the last four or five years.

You had a lot of different guests on the album. How was it working in that environment?

I’ve always had guests on my records--I like playing with my friends. More importantly, I think, than the guests--people are always focusing on the fact that Ryan Adams sang background vocals--[is that] the band that played on it was my band. I think more than anything, they made the record what it is.

I don’t think I was thinking so much of Ryan Adams, I just thought it was interesting that there were just so many different people who came in and wanted to sing and somehow be a part of it.

It’s a real strong community there in North Carolina--Chapel Hill, Raleigh. I’ve become very close to many of those musicians, and I regard them as great friends. It was fun to have Jon Wurster on a record and Mac [McCaughan] from Superchunk and Chip Robinson--who I love--Chris Phillips. Just a lot of different people. It’s like having an open-door policy with my friends. But luckily, all my friends are extremely talented.