Mexican-American rock musician, songwriter, and singer Alejandro Escovedo draws from DIY punk, Tex-Mex country, and Americana rock for his latest record, The Crossing, a growly and crunchy guitar-filled, instrumentally cinematic, and in-your-face loud search for the American dream. In a cool twist, Escovedo has co-written the album with an Italian instrumental band, Don Antonio, and uses avatars, a young boy from southern Italy named Salvo, and a young boy from Mexico named Diego, who meet in South Texas. The record tells of their journey across the American Southwest by way of punk rock, beat poetry, and immigration and the immigrant experience. Alejandro Escovedo joins us in-studio to play some of these new and perhaps, timely, songs. - Caryn Havlik

Watch the session here: