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
Fractured Air
Calexico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Storms touching down again
Devil's hiding in the house
Angel's in the rain
Corrugated lovers swinging on a wire
Switching on and off the breakers
On a night like this
In the fractured air
Misfired from a distress flare
All the while searchlights reconcile
Cut their losses and run
Clinging to the rooftop
Losing track of days
Devil's up in the attic
And angel's lost her way
Must've mis-dialed the number
Or the telephone's died
Lost you in the darkness and never heard back
Dropped out from the night like a stone
Falling from the fractured air
Misfired like a distress flare
All the while searchlights reconcile
Cut the losses and run
The song "Tornado Watch" by Calexico is a haunting piece that conjures up images of destruction and chaos, and the ways in which people try to find solace and connection amidst these forces. The lyrics suggest that the natural world is both wondrous and terrifying, as storms touch down and the devil and angel figures seem to battle it out in the midst of it all. The sense of danger is palpable, with the "distress flare" and "fractured air" symbolizing a sense of disorientation and confusion.
Despite this tumultuous backdrop, there are moments of tenderness and humanity in the lyrics. The image of "corrugated lovers swinging on a wire" suggests that even in the midst of a storm, people can find love and connections that help sustain them. The repeated refrain of "no one should be alone" further underscores this theme of the importance of human connection in the face of chaos and uncertainty.
Ultimately, "Tornado Watch" is a song that acknowledges the destructive power of nature while also finding hope and resilience in the face of it all. The lyrics suggest that even when everything seems to be falling apart, there are still moments of connection and humanity that make it all worth it.
Line by Line Meaning
From the delta to the plains
The storms are touching down all over, from the river delta to the open fields.
Storms touching down again
This is not the first time that a storm has hit this area.
Devil's hiding in the house
There is something sinister lurking in the building.
Angel's in the rain
There is still hope amidst the chaos, represented by the angel in the rain.
Corrugated lovers swinging on a wire
Even in the midst of the storm, there are still people holding on to each other tightly.
Switching on and off the breakers
Trying to keep the power on, but it keeps going out.
On a night like this
During this particularly bad storm.
No one should be alone
It's important to have someone with you during a time like this.
In the fractured air
The tension in the air is palpable.
Misfired from a distress flare
The signal for help was sent, but it wasn't received correctly.
All the while searchlights reconcile
People are looking for a way to make sense of the chaos that surrounds them.
Cut their losses and run
Sometimes the best course of action is to retreat and regroup.
Clinging to the rooftop
Trying to hold on for dear life and avoid being swept away by the storm.
Losing track of days
Time seems to be suspended in the middle of the tempest.
Devil's up in the attic
Evil has taken root in this building.
And angel's lost her way
Hopelessness and despair have taken over.
Must've mis-dialed the number
Something went wrong when trying to reach out for help.
Or the telephone's died
The means of communication have been cut off, making it impossible to get in touch with others.
Lost you in the darkness and never heard back
Unable to make contact with someone important, and left in the dark about their situation.
Dropped out from the night like a stone
Suddenly and unexpectedly losing contact with someone who was there one minute and gone the next.
Falling from the fractured air
The atmosphere is tense and unstable, with danger lurking around every corner.
Misfired like a distress flare
Attempts to signal for help have failed.
All the while searchlights reconcile
People are still searching for a way to find their way through the storm and come out on the other side intact.
Cut the losses and run
Sometimes the best course of action is to retreat and evaluate the situation before trying again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOEY BURNS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bluehopi Bridge
amparo plays tomorrow in the same hall in brussels !!!! I saw calexico 11 times and it has always been great !!! from 1999 to 2010 ! the best concert ever was on 20th Mei 2000 in the botanique ! 3 hours of grace ! love love love love love love to calexico
Hans de Heer
Saw these guys yesterday in Tivoli/Utrecht (Netherlands) and they were awesome. And so was their guest, spanish singer Amparo Sanchez! Check her out on Youtube too!
SplitRockGuitars
Don't know what I enjoyed more, the song or the look of that customized Tele in the beginning :) Both are beautiful!
Bluehopi Bridge
@The147Man i was there too ....it was Grandioso , specially the end with Amparo !! and the way they saluted the public is the sign of great talent , respect , joy ! i posted 2 vids about that concert ...check it out
vixi89
rečeno, učinjeno
Bluehopi Bridge
Calexico plays Holland on 11 th September 2010 , Germany same period , Norway and Danmark ! hey hey hey
obla59
i was there
Vladimir Bela
a zasto ne dodju u nase krajeve? niko ih ne zove? ili u cemu je problem?