CALEXICO @ Lincoln Center – Thursday 2/8/07

Blending conventional rock music and Southwestern genres from across the board, Tucson’s own Calexico are pushing the boundaries of mainstream indie and fans are taking notice. Typically, when a band ambitiously tries to blend rock, jazz, meringue, country, and Latin-beat, the result usually winds up being a disastrous amalgam lacking the cohesiveness to draw in casual listeners. This is not the case with Calexico. Masterminds Joey Burns and John Convertino use their classical training and experimental skills to compose harmonies and performances elegant enough to captivate both the most technically well-versed listener as well as the average music fan looking for a change of pace. Also worth checking out are Calexico’s several full length releases, especially Feast of Wire and The Black Light.

RIYL: Friends of Dean Martinez, Oakley Hall, Howe Gelb, Bonnie “Prince” Billy