Calexico collaborated with Iron & Wine and a 'lot of things came together' quickly
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
October 13, 2005
With a touch of desert noir and spaghetti Western beauty, the Tuscon-based band Calexico dwells in the wide-open spaces of the Southwest. Formed in 1996 by ex-Giant Sand members Joey Burns and John Convertino, Calexico lives in the musical territory of the border town: not quite Mexico, not quite the United States. Mingling the passion of dual mariachi trumpets, dreamy vibraphones and the twang of the pedal steel, the band takes an ambient, improvisational approach to traditional Mexican-American music.
Along with a bevy of Calexico albums, Burns and Convertino have explored the art of collaboration by producing and backing a handful of worthy artists: Neko Case (on 2002's "Blacklisted"), Panóptica of the Nortec Collective ("Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3") and Los Super Seven (Tex-Mex supergroup, well worth checking out).
But its latest collaboration with indie folk artist Iron & Wine – aka Sam Beam – may be Calexico's most interesting pairing. During a four-day recording session in December 2004, Calexico and Iron & Wine laid down tracks for seven Beam-penned songs. Eventually released as the EP "He Lays in the Reins" in September, the disc combines Beam's quiet introspective folk and Calexico's Southwestern atmospherics.
"I think over the years Joey's become more of a songwriter," says Calexico drummer Convertino via cell phone from Brooklyn, where the duo is mixing a new Calexico album due in the spring. "But initially, our songs were based in the instrumental vein. We come from a more instrumental, ambient foundation. Sam definitely comes from a singer-songwriter foundation. I think that was a great combination."
The chemistry between the musicians is evident on first listen, from the title track (which also features Mexican singer Salvador Duran) to the hushed folk meets marimba musings of "Dead Man's Will." The whole affair felt natural for Convertino, despite having never met Beam before recording in Tucson.
"From hearing the demos, I was thinking 'This is going to be a very quiet situation. We're going to have to be playing really softly,'" Convertino recalls. "(Beam) actually wanted to go the other way more: still be inside the song and sensitive to what the song is doing, but not hold back. It wasn't like we had to think about it that much. The way he played and sang, it was a pretty natural process for Joey and me to do the basic tracks of the record. A lot of things came together in two or three takes."
The speedy process of recording, mixing and touring in support of "He Lays in the Reins" all within one year gives the music an immediacy not normally found in collaborative albums.
"There's something great about when you record a record (in four days), then you mix it and you release it," says Convertino. "There's a certain kind of momentum that goes along with it. Howard Greynolds – the owner of Overcoat Records – put the whole thing together. He's been in the business long enough to see when the music is recorded and mixed and released and toured (in a short period of time), it's all one breath."
Convertino says shows on the present tour – which stops at the House of Blues Monday – will consist of a set by Iron & Wine (Sam Beam and his band), a set by Calexico and then a final set with both Beam and Calexico onstage together. For Convertino, the sense of exploration and momentum that fueled the recording process is sure to spill over to the collaborators' tour: "We've only played one or two songs live, so we're really looking forward to getting onstage and seeing what happens."
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
