Calexico

Highly loved by the American music press and especially by National Public Radio for their “tantalizing and cross-cultural indie rock,” the Calexico desert rock duo has spent much of the last three decades exploring the dusty musical borders of the American Southwest, and creating singular, cinematic, mysterious and grandiose songs as vast as the desert landscapes that inspired them. Calexico, formed around the duo Joey Burns and John Convertino, were formed in Arizona in 1996; their music emanates the spirit of the cultural mix typical of the populations of the southern United States, at the border with Mexico, with sounds close to alternative country.”

This describes the origins and musical style of Calexico, highlighting their blend of cultural influences and their proximity to alternative country music.

Over the years, Calexico has released eight studio albums (including Years to Burn, in collaboration with Iron & Wine, nominated for a Grammy in 2019), and worked with multiple artists, such as Willie Nelson, Jim James, Nancy Sinatra and Neko Case. 

The band has produced and played on Amos Lee’s number 1 album Mission Bell, as well as participated in various festivals, from Bonnaroo to Lollapalooza, from Glastonbury to Roskilde. And they have played with artists of the caliber of Wilco, Pavement, Arcade Fire and Andrew Bird, always with a very high musical profile, so much that the Washington Post described the band’s live show as “almost flawless”, and WNYC has written about their ability to “roar like Sonic Youth [and] whisper like Elliott Smith” on stage.

Their latest album, El Mirador, serves both as an observation point and a beacon in the darkness; an opportunity to look within and reflect on the bond between the Earth and its people. After decades, Calexico’s music remains boundless and romantic, with their gaze fixed on the horizon in search of the next adventure