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
Moon Never Rises
Calexico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Back's against the wall
The voices in my head
Playing with my heart
They say the drink won't drown you
Smoke won't burn your eyes
Idle hands are the devil's playthings
Moon never rises
Stars don't shine
Walking thru the darkness
Until these days of sorrow pass on by
Outside birds are singing
Flowers start to bud
The vines have nearly covered
The place we used to rest
Forgotten and forsaken
The day my lover left
Sweeping up the ashes
Scattered by the wind
Moon never rises
Stars don't shine
Walking thru the darkness
Until these days of sorrow pass on by
Sin amor la luna no brilla en mí
The lyrics of Calexico's song Moon Never Rises are a reflection of someone who is feeling lost and alone after a heartbreak. The singer is lying in their room, with their back against the wall, battling the voices inside their head that are toying with their heart. The voices advise them that alcohol won't numb their pain, that smoking won't make the longing disappear, and that having idle hands will only lead them astray.
Despite the voices' warnings, the singer can't help but feel like the world around them is collapsing, and the moon is never going to rise again, and the stars won't shine anymore. The lyrics are an ode to a world that is seemingly without hope, where walking through the darkness is the only path until the days of sorrow have passed.
Outside, the birds are singing, and the flowers begin to bud, reminding the singer that life goes on even though they feel stuck in time. The vines start to envelop the place where they used to rest with their lover, a memory that is now discarded and disregarded. The lyrics suggest that there is a disconnect with nature, as the sky has lost its shine and light without love in their heart.
Overall, the song is a lamentation of a love lost, and the singer's feeling of being left in the darkness with no light to guide them through. They must walk through the sorrow and the pain, with only time to heal their aching heart.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm lying in my room
The singer is currently in their bedroom
Back's against the wall
They are standing with their back against the wall
The voices in my head
The singer hears voices in their mind
Playing with my heart
The voices are causing emotional distress to the artist
They say the drink won't drown you
The voices tell the artist that alcohol won't solve their problems
Smoke won't burn your eyes
They also say that smoking won't help
Idle hands are the devil's playthings
The voices warn the singer against being idle, as it can lead to negative thoughts/actions
Now the world starts to fall
The artist's situation feels like it's getting worse
Moon never rises
The artist feels like there's no hope or light in their life
Stars don't shine
Everything seems dark and bleak
Walking thru the darkness
The singer feels like they're wandering aimlessly in a dark place
Until these days of sorrow pass on by
They hope that their current emotional state will eventually improve
Outside birds are singing
Despite the singer's internal struggles, life goes on and nature continues to thrive
Flowers start to bud
Spring is beginning and new life is emerging
The vines have nearly covered
Nature is slowly reclaiming an abandoned place
The place we used to rest
The artist reminisces about a place where they used to find peace and solace
Forgotten and forsaken
Now that the artist's lover is gone, that place holds no meaning for them anymore
The day my lover left
The singer is still coping with the loss of their significant other
Sweeping up the ashes
They are trying to move on and clean up the mess left behind
Scattered by the wind
The pain and memories of their relationship can never fully be erased
Sin amor la luna no brilla en mí
This Spanish line translates to 'Without love, the moon doesn't shine on me.' It expresses the artist's belief that they need love in their life to truly feel alive and happy
Contributed by Madison V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@notis01
I’m lying in my room
Back’s against the wall
The voices in my head
Playing with my heart
They say the drink won’t drown you
Smoke won’t burn your eyes
Idle hands are the devil’s playthings
Now the world starts to fall
Moon never rises
Stars don’t shine
Walking thru the darkness
Until these days of sorrow pass on by
Outside birds are singing
Flowers start to bud
The vines have nearly covered
The place we used to rest
Forgotten and forsaken
The day my lover left
Sweeping up the ashes
Scattered by the wind
Moon never rises
Stars don’t shine
Walking thru the darkness
Until these days of sorrow pass on by
Sin amor la luna no brilla en mí...
(Pong...)
@westernblood3732
The rhythm contains ghosts of a Jamaican sound system. Another winner by Calexico.
@vickykaraklani5549
I really love this song ,I think is bittersweet,it has a nostalgic sound....💕💞🎼🎤
@Augussth
This song is perfect! I love Calexico.
@notis01
I’m lying in my room
Back’s against the wall
The voices in my head
Playing with my heart
They say the drink won’t drown you
Smoke won’t burn your eyes
Idle hands are the devil’s playthings
Now the world starts to fall
Moon never rises
Stars don’t shine
Walking thru the darkness
Until these days of sorrow pass on by
Outside birds are singing
Flowers start to bud
The vines have nearly covered
The place we used to rest
Forgotten and forsaken
The day my lover left
Sweeping up the ashes
Scattered by the wind
Moon never rises
Stars don’t shine
Walking thru the darkness
Until these days of sorrow pass on by
Sin amor la luna no brilla en mí...
(Pong...)
@vidalllamas897
La melodía es tan mágico!
@user-pj6nq2tj6o
The best of the best!!!
@dasmeisterlein
sooooo awesome!!!!
@swittle
reggae beat is universal!
@nininana6496
relaxant
@crisserna735
"Sin amor, la luna no brilla en mí".