Albums by this artist

Hot Rail (2000)

Descamino (1999)

Concerts

June 16, 2001
Old Towne School of Folk Music, Chicago

Calexico

Old Towne School of Folk Music, Chicago (June 16, 2001)

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» A.K. GOLD | STAFF WRITER

Calexico Old Towne School of Folk Music, Chicago June 16, 2001

You could tell by the vast array of instruments arranged on the Old Towne School of Folk Music's stage that Calexico wasn't going to be performing a standard rock and roll set. With two trumpets, a xylophone, pedal steel, a slew of guitars, an upright bass, a drum kit and a vast array of items most aptly called do-hickeys and thingamabobs, the average guitar, bass and drums lineup seemed a 1000 miles away. Fortunately, for all who had the pleasure of attending the band's Saturday night performance, the stage setup only hinted at the enjoyable evening of musical genre-melding that lay ahead. The two men that are Calexico -- drummer John Convertino and guitarist/singer Joey Burns -- took to the stage with a crew of four musicians in tow to cover the numerous instrumental parts that define the duo's unique brand of Tex-Mex rock and roll. As Calexico's atmospheric tales of western desolation and cowboy loneliness emerged from the stage and spread about the room, the crowd members were entranced and started tapping their toes and nodding their heads in approval.

The true magic began a couple songs into the set with the band's performance of "Sonic Wind," which appears in remixed form on an EP entitled Even My Sure Things Fall Through (Quarterstick, 2001). The syncopation that opens the song was padded by a muted trumpet and the lugubrious and rhythmic tale spiraled into a jazz combo-like state of ecstasy with a smoldering trumpet solo and a ringing xylophone part.

Continuing further down the startling instrumental path, the band performed the opening track from 2000's Hot Rail (Quarterstick), "El Picador," which featured a two-trumpet Mariachi intro. Later, they offered up a country-infused rocker in the form of "The Battle of Cable Hogue." In the performance of this story, Burns used his dry, mysterious, Lou Reed-like delivery to recount the spaghetti western tale of a gold miner's betrayal at the hands of his French mistress.

Throughout the 80-minute set, which included an encore performance of "All the Pretty Little Horses," the band's musicianship was startling and fantastic. Calexico's studio recordings have always been multi-instrumental affairs with layered and well-thought-out production. But in the live setting, by stripping away the studio and adding the immediacy of playing with a band, Convertino and Burns' quirky and multi-genre songwriting style and impressive instrumental ability were pushed to an entirely new level. If Saturday night's performance is any indication -- and I think it is -- it proves that Calexico is, far and away, the best country-inflected, Mariachi-influenced, jazz-infused, Lou Reed-loving rock and roll band around.

A.K. GOLD | A.K. Gold lives in Washington, D.C., where she slaves away for a non-profit organization and constantly compares everything to New York City or Chicago. She's earned her "cred" as a college radio and pre-1960 country music DJ, committed indie label street teamer, sporadic zinemaker/contributor, retired mail-order filler and occasional freelance writer. From time to time, she publishes Anecdotal Evidence, a per zine that will some day be considered for the National Book Award, or possibly not. If you want to buy a copy, or desire to write to her for some other reason, email criticgirl@hotmail.com.