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
Heavy With the Bass
Calexico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Driving north on the harbor freeway
Up and over st thomas vincent bridge
Making stops as you go, everyone you used to know
Flashing your fury, gonna lay your enemies to waste
Never hear them when they come
Hear them when they come
Drop 'em to the floor, settle every score as you roll on
Out of the southbay, into the san bernadinos
Down into the valley drivin' to meet your connection
Driving with the bass
Never heard you when you come
When you come
Heavy with the bass
Never heard you
Drop 'em to the floor blood pumping thru your vein
Riding off with the score
Driving 'neath the stars, you pull over to the side
A voice trickles from your heart
Now the bleeding won't stop
Now the bleeding won't stop
Drivin' you insane
Heavy with the bass
Only a bullet could stop your pain
Never heard you when you come
Never heard you when you come
The song "Heavy With the Bass" by Calexico tells the story of a person who is driving through various locations seeking revenge on their enemies. The singer is depicted as an individual who has a lot of pent up anger, and is out to settle every score as they drive on. The lyrics "Flashing your fury, gonna lay your enemies to waste" convey this hostility and suggests that the singer is not a person to be trifled with. The lyrics also use imagery that harkens back to the classic road movies of the 1970s, with the singer driving through various locations and making stops along the way.
The lyrics are also interesting in that they use the metaphor of heavy bass to convey the emotional state of the singer. The lines "Driving with the bass, Heavy with the bass" appear throughout the song, suggesting that the singer is feeling something deeply emotional, and that the driving and the music are helping to channel and express this. The lyrics "Now the bleeding won't stop / Drivin' you insane / Heavy with the bass" suggest that the singer is carrying some kind of emotional baggage that is weighing heavily on them, and that they are trying to escape from it by driving and listening to music.
Overall, "Heavy With the Bass" is a song that paints a vivid picture of a person who is fighting to overcome their inner demons as they drive through various locations. The use of imagery and metaphor adds an extra layer of depth to the lyrics, making it a song that rewards close analysis and interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Right outta port angeles like a bullet with no pain
You are speeding through Port Angeles with no care, like a bullet shooting through the barrel of a gun.
Driving north on the harbor freeway
You are driving on the freeway that hugs the harbor and continuing north.
Up and over st thomas vincent bridge
You go over the bridge named St. Thomas Vincent that connects two areas.
Making stops as you go, everyone you used to know
You are stopping at the places where you used to spend your time and meeting everyone you once knew.
Flashing your fury, gonna lay your enemies to waste
You are showing your anger, and you are going to deal with your enemies very harshly.
Never hear them when they come
You're not paying attention to your enemies until they attack you.
Hear them when they come
You become aware of your enemies when they attack you.
Drop 'em to the floor, settle every score as you roll on
You take your enemies down and settle your scores as you continue on with your journey.
Out of the southbay, into the san bernadinos
You leave the area called South Bay and enter the San Bernadino area.
Down into the valley drivin' to meet your connection
You are heading down into the valley to meet someone who can help you.
Driving with the bass
You are driving with loud music, possibly to block out your thoughts.
Never heard you when you come
People don't notice you until you make yourself known.
Heavy with the bass
Your music is very loud and prominent.
Never heard you
People don't notice you until you make yourself known.
Drop 'em to the floor blood pumping thru your vein
You cause your enemies to fall to the ground, while your adrenaline is high.
Riding off with the score
You are leaving the scene with the rewards from your victory.
Driving 'neath the stars, you pull over to the side
You are driving under the stars and pull over to the side of the road.
A voice trickles from your heart
You hear a gentle voice that seems to be coming from inside, from within your heart.
Now the bleeding won't stop
You are hurt or wounded, and the bleeding seems to be excessive and unmanageable.
Now the bleeding won't stop
You are hurt or wounded, and the bleeding seems to be excessive and unmanageable.
Drivin' you insane
Your pain and injuries are driving you to madness.
Heavy with the bass
The thumping of your music is still affecting you, even in this difficult moment.
Only a bullet could stop your pain
Your pain is so intense that the only way to stop it would be a physical bullet.
Never heard you when you come
People don't notice you until you make yourself known.
Never heard you when you come
People don't notice you until you make yourself known.
Contributed by Alexis H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.