Calexico is a band from Tucson, Arizona that shares a sun-bleached border with many performers and musical styles. Comprised of two core members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, Calexico became its own entity in 1996 with the release of the Spoke LP. Although that record marked the band's first official output, Joey and John had already been playing together as collaborating members of Arizona mainstays Giant Sand. A wide variety of tours, performances (including the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals) and recording sessions as Calexico and with other artists (Neko Case, Victoria Williams, Richard Buckner), as well as their continuing relationship with Giant Sand, allowed the band the opportunity to develop as artists. Over time, Calexico has featured a revolving cast of musicians and instruments, and the band's sonic growth can be traced through its varied releases.
After raising the bar with The Black Light and honing their vision on Hot Rail, Calexico offers Feast of Wire, their fully realized new release on Quarterstick Records. Feast of Wire discovers a band with the confidence and ability to exceed all expectations and push their music into lush, new areas. This is undoubtedly Calexico's most varied record to date, with flavors ranging from understated piano ("The Book and The Canal") to full-on jazz ("Crumble") to speak-and-spell dance lesson ("Güero Canelo").
Pedal steel finds a fitting home on several songs, most notably painting long, sad strokes across "Quattro (World Drifts In)". Noir-ish strings take "Black Heart" into a cinematic realm of epic melancholy, and "Not Even Stevie Nicks..." mines a vein of bittersweet pop that floats on a shimmering vocal melody.
Feast of Wire was recorded at Wavelab Studios, Tucson AZ. It was produced by Calexico and Craig Schumacher, and features a variety of guest musicians making contributions ranging from trombone and trumpet to upright bass and violin.Calexico will be touring the US and Europe extensively throughout 2003, featuring the following full band line-up:
Joey Burns - vox, guitar, mooger frooger
John Convertino - drums, percussion
Paul Niehaus - pedal steel
Jacob Valenzuela - keys, trumpet, vibes
Martin Wenk - accordion, guitar, synthesizers, trumpet, vibes
Volker Zander - upright bass
