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
Blacktop
Calexico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The southwest is suffering rapid change
Coal-burning plants multiply and the Four Corners grow dingy
The Grand Canyon is overrun by motorized rafters and transistorites
Our lust for energy dams the rivers
Missile sites, bombing ranges nuclear testing, and mock desert warfare all disturb Lummis' classic southwest.
When blowing dust annoys the urbanites, their reaction is to blacktop the desert
The lyrics of Calexico's "Blacktop" convey a clear message about the negative impact that modernization and industrialization have had on the land and culture of the Southwest United States. The song depicts a region that is in peril, where coal-burning plants and dams displace wildlife, bomb ranges and missile sites desecrate the landscape, and the Grand Canyon is crowded with tourists seeking instant gratification. In the midst of all this, immigrants are lured to the area's cities and low-paying jobs, forming communities that must adapt to the tumultuous and uncertain times.
The lyrics paint a picture of how the desires of urbanites to make the desert more habitable and comfortable have led to the blacktopping of the landscape. The song highlights how the move to make roads and freeways cuts through the natural terrain, destroying the flora and fauna that have existed for generations. The lyrics are a warning that once the land has been completely blacktopped, there will be nothing left of the Southwest's unique character, culture and identity.
Overall, the song is a powerful and poignant commentary on what happens when human activity causes destruction to the natural world, where progress and conservation are often in direct conflict. It implores us all to consider the consequences of our actions, particularly in areas of fragile ecosystems, and to undertake a more sustainable perspective on the environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Something attracts immigrants in hard times
People are drawn to certain areas during difficult economic times
The southwest is suffering rapid change
The region is going through a period of significant transformation
Coal-burning plants multiply and the Four Corners grow dingy
The environment is being negatively impacted by the increase in coal-burning plants in the Four Corners area
The Grand Canyon is overrun by motorized rafters and transistorites
The natural beauty of the Grand Canyon is being disrupted by the influx of tourists using motorized vehicles and electronics
Our lust for energy dams the rivers
Our desire for energy production is resulting in the damming of rivers, causing ecological damage
Missile sites, bombing ranges nuclear testing, and mock desert warfare all disturb Lummis' classic southwest.
The presence of military sites and activities is causing disruption to the traditional landscape and culture of the southwest, as described by Charles Lummis
When blowing dust annoys the urbanites, their reaction is to blacktop the desert
Rather than adapting to the natural environment, urbanites try to alter it to suit their preferences when faced with inconvenience or discomfort.
Contributed by Ryan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nanoshed
This song really does trigger the most extraordinary feelings...an object of rare beauty.
@Phyer37
Listening to this song is like staring into a furnace; primal, powerful and always exhilarating.
@leoaddict
I've been listening to this song for the past couple of hours. It really is my favourite song after all. Simply a masterpiece.
@Xenapage
Calexico was in Portland, OR last night and when I heard the first chords of this song I was so happy - hypnotical indeed! Right after they went into 'Alone Again Or' - what a great band and an amazing show.
@Myria83
This song is hypnotical...
@AuthenticCelestial
amazing. it can make the most mundane task like a sweeping Western or a film noir. out food shopping, feeling like I ought to be sporting a ten gallon hat...
@tickedoffnow
I absolutely love this song, it was in the Public Enemies trailer!!! XD
@DarknessAndSorrow94
Very well-put!
@attempt198
Very cool. Very atmospheric.
@warumauchdasnoch
masterpiece