As a Mexican-Swedish American who grew up with cowboy songs, Lawrence Welk, and mariachi music floating through the house, when I first heard Calexico in the early 2000s I was struck by their startlingly fresh way of straddling the southern border. For nearly a quarter century now, singer-guitarist Joey Burns, drummer John Convertino, and their Tucson-based indie-rock band have created sprawing, cinematic compositions that infuse their eclectic desert noir with Mexican borderlands grooves.…
As a Mexican-Swedish American who grew up with cowboy songs, Lawrence Welk, and mariachi music floating through the house, when I first heard Calexico in the early 2000s I was struck by their startlingly fresh way of straddling the southern border. For nearly a quarter century now, singer-guitarist Joey Burns, drummer John Convertino, and their Tucson-based indie-rock band have created sprawing, cinematic compositions that infuse their eclectic desert noir with Mexican borderlands grooves.…