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
Puerto
Calexico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
‘Gonna find her way through the thick of it all
Looking at the lights dancing in the sky
Hoping for a fallen star
“Me consuelo viendo estrellas bailando en el puerto”
Brought them gold from the country to help cure their illness
But they landed with only one purpose for conquest
Rigo working one, two, three different jobs
And when he comes back home he welds into the night
Builds an air balloon for his pickup truck
‘Gonna fly up and over the wall
If everything stays exactly the same
Then nothing can move and nothing can change
“Me siento ese pájaro que danza sobre el puerto”
Carried ships from the sea up over the mountains
The warriors fell to their knees by the invisible virus
And still you can feel this wave of unsettling anger that never disappears
She’s talking on the phone in the heart of town
To her Bachata Mama in the heart of the world
Saying “please come back to Santo Domingo
Why you gotta be so far away”
If everyone stays exactly the same
Then no one can move and no one can change
“Amo ver la Luna vacilando en el puerto”
No one fortelling the depth and type of destruction
Nor the sadness trapped on the tongue of Malinche
Quetzalcoatl feathers strewn out over the altar
Blood running down the pyramid steps in the morning
Codices lost to a language that’s been broken
There’s this growing sense of impending anger that never disappears
“Ninguna entrada , queda en el puerto”
The song "Puerto" by Calexico is a powerful critique on the issues of immigration and cultural displacement. The lyrics narrate the stories of people who are trying to escape the harsh realities of their lives by weaving their way up north. The chorus of the song repeatedly refers to the stars and the moon, indicating a sense of hope and longing for a better life.
The opening lines of the song introduce Lupita, a character who is determined to find her way to the land up north. She is hopeful and looking at the stars, wishing for a fallen star to guide her way. The second verse speaks about the conquest and the wave of unsettling hunger that never disappears. The lyrics suggest that despite the gold brought by the country to help cure their illness, there is still a feeling of unease and dissatisfaction.
The third verse talks about Rigo, who works multiple jobs and welds into the night. He builds an air balloon for his pickup truck in the hopes of flying up and over the wall. The lyrics highlight the frustration and desire for change that people face. The final lines of the song speak about a sense of impending anger that never disappears.
Line by Line Meaning
Lupita’s ‘gonna weave a path to the land up north
Lupita is determined to navigate her way towards the north
‘Gonna find her way through the thick of it all
She will overcome the difficulties and obstacles on her path
Looking at the lights dancing in the sky
She gazes at the night sky, admiring the twinkling lights
Hoping for a fallen star
She wishes upon a shooting star for good luck
“Me consuelo viendo estrellas bailando en el puerto”
Finding solace in watching the stars dance in the harbor
Brought them gold from the country to help cure their illness
Gold was brought for medicinal purposes
But they landed with only one purpose for conquest
Their intentions were solely for domination
Though there’s still this wave of unsettling hunger that never disappears
An insatiable hunger still lingers
Rigo working one, two, three different jobs
Rigo has to work multiple jobs to make ends meet
And when he comes back home he welds into the night
Even when he returns home, he works until late at night
Builds an air balloon for his pickup truck
He is building an air balloon to go over the wall
‘Gonna fly up and over the wall
He plans to fly above the wall to reach his destination
If everything stays exactly the same
If there is no change
Then nothing can move and nothing can change
There will be no progress or development
“Me siento ese pájaro que danza sobre el puerto”
Feeling like the dancing bird over the harbor
Carried ships from the sea up over the mountains
Ships are transported over the mountains from the sea
The warriors fell to their knees by the invisible virus
The unseen virus caused the warriors to kneel
And still you can feel this wave of unsettling anger that never disappears
A persistent and unsettling anger still exists
She’s talking on the phone in the heart of town
She is in the center of the town, talking on the phone
To her Bachata Mama in the heart of the world
She is talking to her mother who is in the heart of the world
Saying “please come back to Santo Domingo
She is urging her mother to return to Santo Domingo
Why you gotta be so far away”
She wonders why her mother has to be so far away
If everyone stays exactly the same
If no one changes
Then no one can move and no one can change
There will be no progress or growth
“Amo ver la Luna vacilando en el puerto”
Loving to see the moon shining in the harbor
No one fortelling the depth and type of destruction
No one can predict the intensity and nature of destruction
Nor the sadness trapped on the tongue of Malinche
The sorrowful story of Malinche is difficult to express
Quetzalcoatl feathers strewn out over the altar
Feathers of Quetzalcoatl scattered around the altar
Blood running down the pyramid steps in the morning
Blood flowing down the steps of the pyramid at sunrise
Codices lost to a language that’s been broken
Historical texts have been lost due to the loss of the language
There’s this growing sense of impending anger that never disappears
An anger that grows steadily and constantly
“Ninguna entrada , queda en el puerto”
No entry remains in the harbor
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOSEPH BURNS, JOSEPH G BURNS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rik van Boeckel
Great song! Tucson, New Orleans, Cuba and Mexico come together in one song!
jesstowns10
I wonder how I missed this until now and how many more missing Calexico gems are waiting to jump out at me when I don't expect them.
Bluehopi Bridge
they depth of their discography is astonishing . I just saw them live on their New Album tour in Belgium and it was fabulous again .
c-buck
I know the name of the band for maybe 10 years. I don't know why but I was not interested in what they were doing.But a few weeks ago, I was watching a KEXP video on Youtube and when the song ended, the next one was a Calexico's one. That was a revelation for me ^^' so I perfectly understand what you mean by "I wonder how I missed this until now and how many more gems are waiting" haha!
nah
Desde Bolivia, espero este saludo llegue a puerto. Cosa buena.
Mariangel Troche
Joey has the most beautiful voice in the world.
Hermoso Joey. :*
Bluehopi Bridge
agreed - his voice brings us back home inside .....
Mireia Jaime Ariño
Uau... ¡son buenísimos!
Alejandra Bigode
es una maravilla
JbSmoove56
Fabuloso!