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
Black Heart
Calexico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wrapped with wire, tapped to the heart
Can't find no poison, now i've got no cure
(The) fangs are stuck inside my skin
Payne county line
Watching unjust claims
One man's righteousness is another man's
Long haul, counting the miles
To the four corners of the world
Spring is rusted shut, (faith's) coiled and cracked
Apparitions worth their weight in gold
Scratched in metal, name erodes away
Hands are scarred, heart is charred
Burnt though, and ashen
Trip on fence post line
Sifting through the remains
One man's close pursuit is another man's
Last chance, make it through the divide
Last chance, suffer the weight or get buried by this
Black heart, sweeping over the land
Black heart, crawling its way
To the four corners of the world
The lyrics to Calexico's song "Black Heart" seem to allude to a sense of entrapment in a frozen state, with the singer feeling stuck and unable to move forward. The image of being "wrapped with wire, tapped to the heart" suggests a constraining force that is causing pain and discomfort. The following lines, "Can't find no poison, now I've got no cure / (The) fangs are stuck inside my skin" could imply a sense of being trapped by past mistakes or regrets, with no way to cleanse oneself of the emotional pain they cause.
The next verse shifts to a sense of injustice and the idea of differing perspectives on what is right and wrong. The lines "Watching unjust claims / One man's righteousness is another man's / Long haul, sentence carried out" suggests a bleak worldview where what is deemed as righteous by one person may be viewed as oppressive or unfair by another. The sense of being stuck in a "long haul, counting the miles / To the four corners of the world" suggests a feeling of being trapped in a never-ending cycle of pain and struggle.
The final stanza of the song brings the image of the "black heart" full circle, suggesting an ominous force that is sweeping over the land and crawling its way to the corners of the world. The repeated phrase of "last chance" suggests a sense of urgency and desperation, with the singer feeling like they are on the brink of disaster. Overall, the lyrics to "Black Heart" convey a sense of being trapped in a cycle of pain and injustice, with no clear way out.
Line by Line Meaning
Spring is frozen now i'm stuck in low
I feel stuck in a place where there is no growth or progress, just like a frozen spring that can't flow.
Wrapped with wire, tapped to the heart
I feel trapped and bound by something that is hurting me deeply, like wires wrapped around my heart.
Can't find no poison, now i've got no cure
I'm unable to find a way to deal with my pain or problems, and it's causing me to feel helpless and stuck.
(The) fangs are stuck inside my skin
The source of my pain or problem is deeply rooted within me, just like poisonous fangs that are stuck inside my skin.
Payne county line
A reference to a specific place or experience that has significance or meaning to me.
Watching unjust claims
I'm witnessing or experiencing situations where people are making false or unfair accusations against others.
One man's righteousness is another man's
What one person believes to be right or just may not be the same as someone else's belief.
Long haul, sentence carried out
I feel like I'm on a difficult journey that will take a long time to complete, and I'm carrying a heavy burden with me.
Long haul, counting the miles
I'm keeping track of my progress and the distance I've come on this difficult journey.
To the four corners of the world
I feel like my journey or problem is affecting me in every aspect of my life, no matter where I go or what I do.
Spring is rusted shut, (faith's) coiled and cracked
My hope or faith has been damaged or broken, and I feel like I'm stuck in this state for now.
Apparitions worth their weight in gold
I'm seeing things that seem valuable or significant, even though they might not be real or tangible.
Scratched in metal, name erodes away
Something that was once strong and solid is now slowly deteriorating or fading away.
Hands are scarred, heart is charred
I've been hurt or damaged deeply, both emotionally and physically.
Burnt though, and ashen
I feel exhausted and drained, like something that has been burnt down to ashes.
Trip on fence post line
I keep stumbling or encountering obstacles that are preventing me from moving forward, like tripping over a fence post.
Sifting through the remains
I'm going through the leftover pieces or memories of something that has ended or been destroyed.
Last chance, make it through the divide
I feel like I'm at a turning point or critical moment, and I need to make the right decision to move forward.
Last chance, suffer the weight or get buried by this
I'm faced with a difficult choice or situation, and if I don't take action, I could be overwhelmed or defeated by it.
Black heart, sweeping over the land
An ominous or negative force is affecting everyone or everything around me, like a spreading darkness.
Black heart, crawling its way
The negative force is slowly creeping or spreading, like a disease or infection.
To the four corners of the world
The negative force is affecting everyone and everything, no matter where they are or what they do.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOEY BURNS, JOHN BURNS, JOHN CONVERTINO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tillitsdone
Incredible. I'm blown away.
@danielstagliano2754
Play this at my wake while the photo collage rolls away…Amen
@loucat2779
if you have the chance!! They are on FIRE on this tour. SOO much fun!!
@PrimitiveInTheExtreme
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@joannehack7588
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@joannehack7588
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@joannehack7588
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@LizzieStardust
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@viviancamargo6729
Show!