The Injustice Of Our Dreams--Calexico--Convict Pool ep and Live In Tarrytown 10/29/2008

Live Skull

About 2 years ago I saw Calexico perform at the Tarrytown Music Hall in New York. I suppose you could lump them under the vague banner "alternative country", but I think that they occupy their own unique space in popular music, in the same way a band like Sigur Ros does. At the last minute I broke down and got a ticket and I was not disappointed. It was one of the better shows I have seen in Tarrytown. The Music Hall is a very nice venue right in the middle of downtown, surrounded by a substantial number of good to excellent choices for a pre-show dinner. They were still renovating the 19th century interior the last time I was there, but the sound quality is always superb there, due to the sound people or the acoustics of the hall--most likely both.

Calexico hail from Tucson, Arizona and their music is basically dreamy Southwestern desert-influenced Soundtrack music. More specifically, their are elements of Mexican mariachi music, Country, Chamber Music, Punk, Polka, Psychedelia, Jazz, Experimental, Fifties music, Folk, French Chanson, Morricone, Dream Pop. You name it, it's probably here. The founding members of the band are Joey Burns on vocals and guitar, and John Convertino on drums/percussion. These days the permanent band includes Paul Niehaus on steel guitar, Jacob Valenzuela and Martin Wenk on trumpet and keyboards, and Volker Zander on bass. Burns and Convertino did stints in Giant Sand and Friends of Dean Martinez prior to their current band. When I saw them in Tarrytown, their most recent album Carried To Dust had recently come out.

The show was stellar. I was amazed at how much ground such a small group of musicians could cover, and have the music performed without a hitch. Some of the music is extremely subtle, and at time extremely complex. Joey Burns is a talented guitarist and somewhat of a subtle and enigmatic showman. He can quietly croon, or belt one out of the park. Here in Westchester, patrons to show are polite to a fault, and I think that they were at a loss as to how they should behave. Part of you feels like you should be cheering, clapping along to the music, and another part of you wants to watch the music unfold before you quietly awestruck. I think Burns thought we were a bunch of duds. He started telling some bizarre anecdote as a preface to a song from their new album that had to do with the giant pine tree shaped cell phone towers we have in New York. He anticipated some sort of reaction, either humor or knowing recognition, but everyone was baffled. We didn't know what he was babbling about, and that seemed to piss him off, in a "why am I bothering with you dopes" vein, and then broke off into the song. Despite all that they were wonderful. The band is extremely professional and did amazing musical feats on stage.

John Convertino is one of those special musicians. There a lot of drummers, but a really great one is a game changer. He is like the MacGyver of percussionists. He has a teeny tiny drum set, but he gets it done in a way that another drummer with some ostentatious kit could never accomplish. I think he could probably do a


 yeoman's job with bread sticks and a Dixie cup. He drives the shuttle, in my opinion, like a Levon Helm, George Hurley, or Glenn Kotche, and in doing so makes everything around him that much better and interesting. I am as guilty as anybody of ignoring the merits of percussion, but even I can see that without his steady hand on the beat, Calexico would not be the vibrant dreamy visionary group that uncannily channels and taps into some primal wellspring of our North American collective consciousness. Then again, maybe it's just all about old movies.





Volvierdo El Mar en Infierno!

 
I also wanted to talk about the Convict Pool ep in this post. Calexico albums are consistently superb, but there are some specific reason why I decided to profile this disc. For one thing, it is a less subtle starting point for new listeners. Secondly, the diversity shown on the discs gives you a good idea of who these guys are and what they capable of. The first track is a cover of Love's massive Alone Again Or, from their essential 60's album Forever Changes. They do a nice version here, with a little more emphasis on the horns, and it is an example of where these guys are at, at the confluence of California and Mexico. Bryan MacLean's masterpiece combines pop music and folk with mariachi horns to great effect. Alone Again Or could be a mission statement for Calexico.

The second song is a wistfully cinematic Dustbowl folk ballad Convict Pool. Acoustic guitar playing with a thunderstorn advancing. Si Tu Disais combines Chanson with Ennio Morricone--the song cadence and lyrics actually sounds like it could be an Elliot Smith tune. When I hear a song with this kind of intricate construction I can only imagine how much work went into piecing it all together so seamlessly.

The third song is their version of the Minutemen's classic stomping Mexican Polka, Corona. More commonly identified as Theme To Jackass. And to the uninitiated, yes, there are vocals to this song. And yes, go out right now and buy Double Nickles On The Dime if you don't own it. The Minutemen are definitely on the required syllabus for Punk Rock 101. On this disc, Calexico is taking the song and bringing it back to Mexico, redoing the track in energetic traditional mode.

The penultimate track is a majestic rollicking Eastern European accordion romp, Praskovia. In some ways it reminds me of Raymond Scott or something from a Disney soundtrack. The final song is a hard driving, hip shaking south of the border song Sirena. The most noticeable qualities are the lyrics, they seem to be getting at a translation of a certain type of demeanor, a profound romantic melancholy, which is a common theme in Mexican popular music. Of course the twin trumpet attack here is glorious.

Another great starting off point is the World Drifts In (Live At The Barbican London) DVD, where Calexico starts out as a duo, then moves to a full band, and ultimately is augmented with a french singer and a full Mariachi Orchestra. Much like the celebrated Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads. The sound quality and cinematography are first rate, and you get more songs and a little taste of the live experience. A special treat is the lead mariachi, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Ralph Kramden of the Honeymooners televsion series. Even though these guys are not at all under appreciated, I think that people really need to recognize Calexico as one of the most creative groups performing today, musicians who are following their own special muse. Art at the highest level, I say.