Calexico, Ada Lea

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C.J. Strehlow

Six people in hazy sunshine.

Calexico

$35 ($32.50 adv.).

media release: Stripped down, loose and fun, Calexico has shared the new track “Rambler,” a song reminiscent of their earliest tracks.

Co-founding member of the band Joey Burns says the track is inspired by time spent in the Northwest, from Idaho and Montana to Oregon and Washington. “Throughout these travels I kept seeing ghosts looking for someone to sing their stories,” Burns said. “When John [Covertino] and I met up to record, the music came together in a flash, and you can feel that spark of spontaneity between the acoustic guitar and drums when you listen. Later on we added some slide guitar (Connor Gallaher) and backing vocals (Luke Ydstie) to build splashes of color and character.”

Next month the band will embark on a tour of the East coast, performing in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Washington DC and more. All upcoming dates are listed below.

Joey Burns and John Convertino have been performing together for over 30 years, sharing a deep love of jazz and usually building songs on a foundation of bass and drums. But all these years later, Calexico is still breaking new ground. Their latest album, El Mirador, came out in April of this year and showcases a sunnier side of the band, cutting through two years of pandemic fog with a blast of danceable optimism. Writing and recording alongside Sergio Mendoza (keys, accordion, percussion), the album expands on long running influences of cumbia, mariachi and the plethora of diaspora sounds flourishing throughout the Southwest.

The title track “El Mirador” features gossamer vocals from Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno, while Spanish rocker Jairo Zavala brings his signature bravado to “Cumbia Peninsula.” By working with friends and recurring collaborators, Calexico also highlights the unique social and linguistic intersections at the US-Mexico border and the magnificent possibilities of a borderless world. “The album is trying to convey openness,” adds Burns. “Look around you. If you're in the North, you need a South to live in balance. We're all breathing together.”

El Mirador stands both as a lookout point and beacon in the dark; an opportunity to search inwards, ponder our connections to the Earth and its people, and hopefully illuminate a path forward. After decades on the road Calexico's music remains boundless and romantic, still gazing upon the horizon in search of their next adventure.

“With brushstrokes of textured instrumentals, the group paints the vast deserts and big skies ... Through these conjured images of a place at once so harsh and breathtaking, the band creates their own magical mirage.” - No Depression