On their most recent album, Carried to Dust, Calexico transitioned slightly away from their mariachi-style, brass-laden roots, edging closer and closer to more standard indie rock. The band’s live show has thankfully resisted that change. The brass was out in full force for the duration of Calexico’s eighteen-song, two-encore set on Tuesday night - a set that got the seated crowd at City Winery hooting and hollering along.
It’s not every night you see the lead singer of a band quaffing red wine from fine crystal at the front of the stage, but it strangely seems to fit Joey Burns. Calexico is nothing if not mature, a grown-up band content to let songs develop on their own rather than forcing the notes to adhere to a tempo that doesn’t fit. Sipping Shiraz mid-set, Burns let his songs linger, rather than rushing from one to the next. It was a show to be savored.
It wasn’t all mellow, though. Where songs like “Writer’s Minor Holiday,” “Two Silver Trees,” and “Black Heart” burned slowly, others caught fire. A nasty vibraphone player lent cascading waterfalls of notes to “Mad Made Lake.” Paul Niehaus slid slick steel guitar across “Corona.” And a dynamic duo of trumpeters, content to stand at the far left of the stage, fleshed out the Calexico sound throughout. Whether softly adding muted color to Burns and co. or screaming at full capacity, the brass stole the show.
Calexico was joined by frequent guest Jairo Zavala, a welcome addition. Singing and playing guitar on most songs, Zavala proved that he had the chops – both musical and mutton – to hang with the talented ensemble. So integral to the show was Zavala, it would have been easy to mistake him for the frontman and Burns for the guest. The second encore, during which Calexico thanked the fans for an incredible two-night welcome at City Winery, began with one of Zavala’s solo tunes, the lovely “La Llorona.”
Oscillating between four and nine members on stage, Calexico took advantage of their numbers throughout the evening. The sound, aided by the winery’s fine acoustics, was lush and complex; Calexico savored the silence of the crowd on softer songs and built to huge crescendos on more upbeat tunes. Occasionally, a train would rumble past on the subway underneath – more often than not it serendipitously coincided with an emotional peak in the music.
The band talked very little, although Burns did take a second to address the recent immigration bill in Arizona. “Some bands have been boycotting the state,” he said. “We’re not sure that’s the best approach, but one thing is clear: No to SB1070.” Calexico has been vocal in controversy, urging bands to use their Arizona shows as opportunities to rally people against the bill, rather than scrapping Arizona gigs entirely. Rather than getting caught up in discussion, though, the ensemble used on-stage communication to send a message to the audience, playing with the ease of a group of friends accustomed to each other’s tendencies. Nearly a third of the set’s songs were in Spanish, but it didn’t matter – music was the language of the night and Calexico spoke it well.
Setlist:
Sunken Waltz
Roka
Writer’s Minor Holiday
Bend To The Road
The News About William
Two Silver Trees
Minas De Cobre
Inspiracion
Two Parts In One
Black Heart
Victor Jara’s Hands
Mad Made Lake
Crystal Frontier
Encore:
Across The Wire
Deep Down
Guero Canelo
Second Encore:
La Llorona
Corona
