ACL Interview: True Believers, Part Two

True Believers, Austin's legendary guitar army from the Eighties, finds themselves in reunion mode, playing some of their best shows ever and even writing new tunes. Here's some conversation with Troob Alejandro Escovedo.

Austin Chronicle: I know you've performed at ACL as a solo artist. How do you feel about playing big festivals?

Alejandro Escovedo: They're great because you have a built-in audience: a lot of people who've never seen you. Plus there's the spectacle of it. Bands want to be great when they play for so many people. I think it's a great opportunity for a band like the True Believers. That's true of any band from Austin. People from elsewhere get to see something they've maybe only read about.

AC: Personally, I wish more bands from Austin would play to represent the great scene we have here.

AE: Well, it would be cool if you could see a Scratch Acid reunion. If they would play ACL, that would be great.

AC: The True Believers seem to be taking the band itself more seriously after playing at the memorial for SXSW Creative Director Brent Grulke. What's different this time?

AE: It's really different. Not only are we way different people, but we've all grown up. We've all had our own careers. We've gone out there and slugged it out on the road. Coming back we've all had more appreciation and respect not only for the True Believers but for each other. It's made a big difference. I think that when we play the way we played for Brent, it was the way we used to play all the time. Somewhere along the way we lost it. We got beat up by the industry and the road. So to find it again, the joy and fun, to be around each other in a real positive way, is kind of major and we all took to it.

Check out part one of our True Believers interview.