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
When the Angels Played
Calexico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You never did feel the wind turning cold
You always said you didn't need that much anymore
You were carrying the weight of the world
Running around with all that pain
So you never did feel my hand in the rain
Dreaming all of your days
You never did wake when the angels played
There was fire in the tunnel fire in the wash
And the ringing of the bells
You never did wake when the angels played
Maybe you'll find your silver
Maybe you'll find your gold
Maybe we'll meet again on the road sometime
Storm in December storm in July
I was standing in the door
When you said goodbye
You never did wake when the angels played
There was fire in the tunnel
Fire in the wash
And the ringing of the bells
You never did wake when the angels played
Well maybe you'll find your silver
Maybe you'll find your gold
Maybe we'll meet somewhere down the road
Storm in December storm in July
I was standing in the door
When you said goodbye
You never did wake when the angels played
"When the Angels Played" by Calexico is a song about a person who is so consumed by their own dreams and desires that they are unable to feel the beauty and magic of the world around them. The song suggests that this person is looking for silver and gold, but they are oblivious to the cold wind and the pain they are carrying. The singer of the song attempts to reach out to this person but they do not feel their hand in the rain. The person is so deep in their dreams that they do not notice the angels playing, nor do they hear the bells ringing. The song ends on a hopeful note, suggesting that the two may meet again on the road, and that the person may yet find their silver or gold.
The lyrics to "When the Angels Played" are open to interpretation, but they seem to describe a person who is so consumed by their own desires that they have lost touch with reality. The line "you never did feel the wind turning cold" suggests that the person is so focused on what they want that they are oblivious to the world around them. The use of imagery, such as "fire in the tunnel" and "storm in December," adds to the sense of urgency and intensity in the song.
The song's melancholic melody and slow tempo match the introspective lyrics, creating a poignant atmosphere. The vocal harmonies and the use of brass give the song a timeless quality that makes it feel like a classic. The song's use of repetition also helps to reinforce the message of the song, creating a sense of circularity that echoes the cyclical nature of life.
Line by Line Meaning
You were looking for silver, looking for gold
You were searching for material possessions and wealth
You never did feel the wind turning cold
You never realized the changes and hardships coming your way
You always said you didn't need that much anymore
You claimed that you were content with what you had, but you still searched for more
You were carrying the weight of the world
You were burdened with immense pressure and responsibility
Running around with all that pain
You were trying to fill an emotional void with physical activity
So you never did feel my hand in the rain
You were so preoccupied with your own worries that you didn't notice my attempts to comfort you
You were dreaming deep down in the night
You had hopes and aspirations that were hidden or kept to yourself
Dreaming all of your days
Your dreams and aspirations consumed your thoughts on a daily basis
You never did wake when the angels played
You were never receptive to the blessings and opportunities presented to you
There was fire in the tunnel fire in the wash
There was chaos and danger all around you
And the ringing of the bells
Signals of important moments or events were occurring
Maybe you'll find your silver
There is a possibility that you will find what you're looking for
Maybe you'll find your gold
There is a possibility that you will find prosperity or happiness
Maybe we'll meet again on the road sometime
There is a chance that our paths will cross in the future
Storm in December storm in July
Difficulties and struggles can occur at any time
I was standing in the door
I was present and witnessed your departure
When you said goodbye
You left without any indication of returning
Contributed by Lucy S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Agustina
La primera vez que escuché esta canción me enamoré.♡
Valentín
Buen tema. Lo estoy oyendo mientras tomo mi vino y me agrada
Taza Guthrie
<3