Calexico

www.touchandgorecords.com/bands/band.php?id=5

BIOGRAPHY:

There’s always been intrigue and adventure at the heart of CALEXICO. Ever since they were a largely instrumental duo experimenting with their unique collection of instruments and soundtrack sensibilities, Joey Burns and John Convertino have constantly imbued their music with an unparalleled sense of drama, calling upon the myths and iconography of the American West and its Spanish speaking neighbor Mexico, equal parts Sergio Leone, Larry McMurtry, Carlos Fuentes and Cormac McCarthy. Naming themselves after a town near the California/Mexico border in honor of this cultural mélange, they’ve spent the eighteen years since they met in Los Angeles mapping out musical territory that had otherwise been neglected or at the very least considered the preserve of historians.

CALEXICO’s music has always mirrored Burns and Convertino’s penchant for new experiences. From their intimate beginnings on Spoke, their dusty but highly evocative debut album for Germany’s Haus Musik label, they’ve never shied away from embracing whatever inspires them. As their horizons have expanded, through both their relentless touring schedule and growing reputation, they have been able to call upon a growing community of collaborators and an ever-increasing familiarity with music from around the world, integrating both seamlessly into their idiosyncratic sound.

Known for their ability to adapt to working with other musicians – from Nancy Sinatra to Neko Case– the cast on CARRIED TO DUST includes Sam Beam, who appears on ‘House Of Valparaiso’, a furthering of their work together on Iron And Wine’s breakthrough release In the Reins. Tortoise/Brokeback mainstay Douglas McCombs contributes to the ghostly sounds of album closer ‘Contention City’, and Pieta Brown lends her plaintive charms to ‘Slowness’, “one of the album’s few love songs”, Burns admits. Amparo Sanchez (of Amparanoia, whose solo debut was recently recorded in Tucson with CALEXICO and who appeared on fourth album Garden Ruin) guests on ‘Inpiración’, while Jairo Zavala – another acclaimed Spanish artist to benefit from CALEXICO’s production and playing skills on his forthcoming album – contributes to a number of tracks, including the upbeat opener ‘Victor Jara’s Hands’. Meanwhile, on ‘Bend To The Road’, Mickey Raphael – who CALEXICO met while working on the soundtrack to the acclaimed Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There – shows why his understated harmonica skills have not only earned him a place in Willie Nelson’s band since the mid 1970s, but have also seen him work with the likes of U2, Emmy Lou Harris and Neil Young.

“The collaborative side to what we do is probably most recognizable on this album,” Burns states proudly. “Over the years we’ve played on many people’s albums and done remixes for groups like Goldfrapp, Arcade Fire and Gotan Project. I had this idea to do a straight up band album with all our members and then next, record an album where we back up a bunch of guests we’ve worked with in the past or who we’d always want to work with. The more I mentioned this idea, the easier it seemed to ask friends to sit in on current songs. All these distinctly different parts work in their own way to highlight the many aspects of our sound and feel. Whether from Barcelona, Berlin, Austin or Iowa City, there is a thread that flows through our music.”