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
Quattro
Calexico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All alone in a silent way
World drifts in and the world's a stranger
In a light, eclipsed and alienated
In a time, occupied and invaded
Can't tell what's right, better hit the ground running
Hands are tied and won't let go
Can't escape this place without leaving the world behind
In a light, ashamed and humiliated
In a time, sacrificed for the sake of trade
The soul is bent, feels the weight of truth
Falling through
Left behind, no choice but to run to the mountains
Where no poppies grow, you have to hit the ground running
In a light, paralyzed and spirits fading
Out of time, must decide to fall or run
Into the eye, of the storm no sign or omen
Make it right, or fall to the other side
Where fields are burning
From the day you're born
You'll always hit the ground running
The lyrics of Calexico's song "Quattro" are an expression of the perpetual struggle of the human race, trapped in the fast-paced and competitive world of today. The first line "Love the run but not the race" shows a desire to enjoy the journey, but not the destination. It is a powerful statement of the conflict between individuality and conformity, and how sometimes we find ourselves running a race that we don't want to participate in. The next line "All alone in a silent way" suggests a sense of isolation in this journey, and how sometimes the world becomes a stranger, and even our inner selves are eclipsed and alienated.
The thought-provoking line "Can't tell what's right, better hit the ground running" shows that sometimes we are caught in a conflict where we can't decide what is right and what is wrong. In such cases, the only thing we can do is to not hesitate and take action to move forward. The image of "hills where the tall weed grows" and "hands are tied and won't let go" shows the difficulty of navigating the harsh realities of life, and even though one may want to escape, it's not possible without leaving the world behind. The final line "From the day you're born, you'll always hit the ground running" shows that life is an ongoing challenge where one has to keep running to stay ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
Love the run but not the race
I enjoy the journey, but I'm not interested in winning.
All alone in a silent way
I am isolated and quiet.
World drifts in and the world's a stranger
The world is vague and unfamiliar.
In a light, eclipsed and alienated
I am hidden and disconnected.
In a time, occupied and invaded
I am in a time that's taken over and intruded upon.
Can't tell what's right, better hit the ground running
I'm unsure about what is correct, and I must act swiftly.
In the hills where the tall weed grows
I find myself in a place with abundant vegetation.
Hands are tied and won't let go
I am unable to move or take action because of external forces.
Can't escape this place without leaving the world behind
I am trapped and cannot go without abandoning everything.
In a light, ashamed and humiliated
I feel embarrassed and tormented.
In a time, sacrificed for the sake of trade
I am existing in a period when everything is exchanged and lost.
The soul is bent, feels the weight of truth
My soul is twisted, and I'm weighed down by the truth.
Falling through
I am descending and losing control.
Left behind, no choice but to run to the mountains
Abandoned and helpless, my only option is to flee to the mountains.
Where no poppies grow, you have to hit the ground running
In a place with no comfort, I must act quickly.
In a light, paralyzed and spirits fading
I am fixed in place, and my spirits are diminishing.
Out of time, must decide to fall or run
I'm out of time and must choose between facing the problem or fleeing.
Into the eye, of the storm no sign or omen
I am headed directly into the center of the storm without any warning signs.
Make it right, or fall to the other side
I must make it right or fall to the other side of the problem.
Where fields are burning
Where crops are on fire.
From the day you're born
From your first day on earth.
You'll always hit the ground running
You'll always be moving.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: John Convertino, Joseph Burns
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@loucat2779
20th anniversary tour was one of the best shows I have ever heard. 62yrs old and saw all the "great ones". Damn this tour was amazing. What a great live band!!! Mad respect for Brian Lopez, future headliner!!
@joannehack7588
Love it
@soktornulvidigal2405
Great music
@joannehack7588
🪐✨☮️🙏
@monicaharvatt633
I thought this was a Lindsey Buckingham song when I first heard it.