Calexico had its origins in 1990 when Burns, who was studying music at the University of California, Irvine, met up with Convertino, who was playing drums with Howe Gelb in Giant Sand. Burns joined them, after first playing upright bass on a European tour.
Giant Sand moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1994. John and Joey formed the Friends of Dean Martin (later the Friends of Dean Martinez) which scored a record deal with Sub Pop. However, the pair split up with Bill Elm, the co-founder of The Friends of Dean Martinez in 1996. The band subsequently became a kind of indie rhythm section for hire, working with the likes of Victoria Williams, Barbara Manning and Richard Buckner before forming Calexico.
Calexico first recorded Spoke in 1995 for German independent label Hausmusik with a limited edition of 2,000 copies. At that point the band was still called Spoke and the album was technically self-titled. After the band signed with Quarterstick Records (a subsidiary of Touch and Go Records) and changed their name to Calexico, Spoke was reissued by that label in 1997. Burns and Convertino also collaborated with Gelb and Lisa Germano on the album Slush released under the name OP8 that same year.
Their second album The Black Light was released in 1998. This was a concept album about the desert of Arizona and northern Mexico and received excellent reviews, with the critic from the Wall Street Journal rating it as one of the best records of the year.
The band built their profile by touring as support acts for bands such as Pavement, the Dirty Three and Lambchop. Calexico has regularly played festivals such as the Bonnaroo Music Festival, the Hurricane Festival and All Tomorrow's Parties. The Road Map album was a limited recording released in 1999 for sale only at Calexico's live shows.
Calexico released its third album Hot Rail in May 2000 featuring the addition of horns and violin to their sound. The duo was busy in 2000 as they also appeared on a Giant Sand record called Chore of Enchantment as well as a tour only record Travelall.
At the end of 2000, Burns and Convertino joined with two French friends Naïm Amor and Thomas Belhôm to record "Tête A Tête" (Wabana Records, 2001) released under moniker ABBC (Amor/Belhom/Burns/Convertino). Calexico released two collections of rarities during 2001. Even My Sure Things Fall Through collected outtakes from previous albums, B-sides, remixes and material previously unreleased in the US. The album also featured Mariachi Luz de Luna who frequently played live with the duo. The Aerocalexico album was sold exclusively at their gigs in 2001.
The Scraping live album was released in 2002. Their next studio recording Feast of Wire was released in 2003 and made the charts for the first time appearing on Billboard's Heatseekers and Independent album chart. They made their first video for "Quattro (World Drifts In)" which was a single from Feast of Wire. They released a live DVD in 2004 called World Drifts In: Live at the Barbican. The song "Güero Canelo", from Feast of Wire, was featured in Michael Mann's Film, Collateral, starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, in which the band appears.
Calexico contributed the song "Burnin' Down the Spark" to Nancy Sinatra's self-titled album in late 2004. The album featured artists who cited Sinatra as a musical influence. The song was released in the UK as the second single from the album in early 2005.
In 2005, Calexico joined up with Miami-based band Iron & Wine. Howard Greynolds of Overcoat Records was responsible for bringing the two bands together having previously been responsible for Tortoise and Will Oldham recording together. The In the Reins EP was released in September 2005 and received a positive reception with an MSNBC review giving it honorable mention. It also made an appearance in the Billboard 200 album charts, becoming their first recording to make the album charts, and No. 12 on the independent charts. In October 2005, they commenced a US tour with Iron & Wine to promote the record.
Released in 2006, Garden Ruin is Calexico's fifth studio album and was produced by JD Foster. The sound strays slightly from earlier works, focusing less on the horn section, and placing more emphasis on guitar and vocal tracks, giving the whole album a more mainstream sound.
In 2007, Calexico was invited by Arcade Fire to record a cover of their "Ocean of Noise." This recording was used as the B-side for Arcade Fire's "Intervention" single, originally released on vinyl on May 21, 2007. Also in 2007, Calexico recorded a revamped version of the Bob Dylan song "Goin' to Acapulco" for the Dylan biopic "I'm Not There". The song featured Jim James of My Morning Jacket on vocals and was featured on the soundtrack of the film.
Several of Calexico's songs, usually their shorter instrumental pieces, have been used as interstitial and background music on Public Radio International's This American Life. Their songs "Ballad Of Cable Hogue" and "Service And Repair" were featured in the 2001 German comedy movie Lammbock.
Their sixth studio LP is called 'Carried to Dust', featuring Sam Beam of Iron & Wine, Douglas McCombs of Tortoise and Pieta Brown. It was released in the USA via Touch & Go Records on September 9, 2008. The album enjoyed solid reviews, with hometown paper the Arizona Daily Star praising the band's "ability to sweep you into its world, taking listeners to the American Southwest. This is one of the reasons Europeans love Calexico and others in this country are beginning to come around."
On October 16, 2008, a three-song live acoustic video performance premiered on LiveDaily Sessions, featuring Joey Burns performing the songs "Two Silver Trees," "Writer's Minor Holiday" and "Man Made Lake".
In 2009, the song Banderilla was featured in an episode of AMC's Breaking Bad.
In 2010, a new album of Calexico was released: the soundtrack of the documentary "Circo". The band also spent part of 2010 touring with Arcade Fire along the west US coast.
In May 2011, their song "Slowness" was dedicated by Gabrielle Giffords to her husband astronaut Mark Kelly as the wake up song aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on its final flight.
Algiers was released 11 September 2012 on ANTI Records and CITY SLANG (Europe).
In April 2014, the band began referring to a new album on Twitter in posts from Mexico City, Coyoacan, Mexico, and Athens, Greece. Edge of the Sun was announced on 27 January 2015, and released on April 14, 2015. The album features guest appearances by various artists such as Sam Beam (Iron & Wine), Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses), Gaby Moreno, Carla Morrison and members of the Greek instrumental group Takim.
The current members of Calexico are:
Joey Burns – vocals, guitars, bass, cello, piano, keyboards, accordion, percussion, vibraphone
John Convertino – drums, percussion, piano, keyboards, vibraphone, marimba, accordion
Paul Niehaus – steel guitar, guitars
Jacob Valenzuela – trumpet, keyboards, vibraphone, vocals
Martin Wenk – trumpet, guitar, keyboards, accordion, glockenspiel, vibraphone, theremin (occasionally harmonica & French horn)
Volker Zander – standup bass, electric bass
Live tour 2013:
Joey Burns - vocals, guitars
John Convertino - drums, percussion
Sergio Mendoza - Keyboards
Jairo Zavala - bazouki, baritone guitar, vocals
Jacob Valenzuela – trumpet, keyboards, vibraphone, vocals
Martin Wenk – trumpet, guitar, keyboards, accordion, glockenspiel, vibraphone (occasionally harmonica & French horn)
Ryan Alfred - bass, vocals
Bisbee Blue
Calexico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Days keep on slipping through
Avenues under construction
Blocking out your sky blues
burried beneath the letters
Bills and the junk in the mail
Finding the strain to your heart
no sign of your old haunts here
gone with the copper crews
Veins mined in vein remind you
Choices we choose to lose
new cities keep on sprawling
Old towns falling too
Raining a river of color
and it's flowing bisbee blue
straight to you bisbee blue
some say this way's the only one that's true
bring me back bisbee blue
Bring me back
oh these days, seem dark
darkest I've seen
darling you send me through the hours
days keep on sifting through
Chipping away to remember
days with you bisbee blue
Shining like bisbee blue
Bring me back bisbee blue
The lyrics of Calexico's song Bisbee Blue explore the feeling of displacement and disillusionment that comes with leaving the familiar places we once called home. The song paints a picture of a person who is struggling to adjust to a new city where the sky is constantly hidden behind construction sites, and the heart is burdened with the stress of daily life. The bills and junk mail seem to bury the individual beneath their weight, leaving little room for reminiscing about the past or finding a sense of purpose in the present. Despite the challenges of the new city, the person yearns for a connection to their old home of Bisbee, represented by the vivid blue that flows in a river of color towards them. The lyrics speak to the idea that the past is never truly gone and that the choices one makes continue to shape their future.
The lines "some say this way's the only one that's true" and "darling you send me through the hours" suggest that the person may have left Bisbee in pursuit of a particular goal or out of obligation, and that their loved one is the only one who can provide some sense of comfort in their new surroundings. The repetition of the phrase "bring me back bisbee blue" serves as both a plea to return to the past and a lamentation that it is impossible to do so. The song's somber tone and reflective lyrics allow listeners to empathize with the singer's sense of loss and search for meaning in the face of change.
Line by Line Meaning
When you can't find the hours
When you're struggling to find time for yourself
Days keep on slipping through
Time keeps moving quickly without you realizing
Avenues under construction
Life is constantly changing and evolving
Blocking out your sky blues
These changes can make it hard to find joy and happiness
Buried beneath the letters
Feeling overwhelmed by the daily mundane tasks and responsibilities
Bills and the junk in the mail
Being weighed down by financial stress
Finding the strain to your heart
The stress is taking a toll on your emotional well-being
From the troubles down the trail
From the problems and challenges you've faced in life
No sign of your old haunts here
Feeling disconnected from your past and memories
Gone with the copper crews
The past is disappearing with the changing times
Veins mined in vein remind you
Reminders of what was lost and the price paid for progress
Choices we choose to lose
Sometimes progress comes at a cost, and we must make difficult choices
New cities keep on sprawling
The world keeps growing and evolving
Old towns falling too
As new things are created, old things must be left behind
Raining a river of color
The changes can be beautiful and vibrant
And it's flowing bisbee blue
The beauty and uniqueness of Bisbee Blue stands out among the changes
Straight to you bisbee blue
You feel drawn to that beauty and uniqueness
Some say this way's the only one that's true
Some may believe that the past and the old ways are the only true path
Bring me back bisbee blue
The yearning to return to that beauty and uniqueness of the past
Oh these days, seem dark
Feeling lost and unsure in the midst of change
Darkest I've seen
Feeling like things are worse than ever before
Darling you send me through the hours
Finding solace and comfort in a loved one during difficult times
Days keep on sifting through
Time keeps moving forward, even when it feels like it's standing still
Chipping away to remember
Trying to hold onto memories in the face of change
Days with you bisbee blue
Reflecting on the past and the beauty of that time
Shining like bisbee blue
The memories of that time still shine bright in your mind
Bring me back bisbee blue
The desire to go back to that time and place
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DAN COLEMAN, JOHN BURNS, JOSEPH BURNS, JOHN CONVERTINO, JOHN FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind