Calexico

Calexico was founded in Tucson, Arizona by guitarist/singer Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino. Halfway through the nineties, the band got its first recognition with a series of catchy, evocative records that explored the boundaries between their roots, rock and Latin-American influences.

It was the 2003 album “Feast of Wire” from 2003 that would mark the commercial and critical breakthrough of the duo. It led to their first hits in the Billboard charts and raving reviews from The Guardian to Pitchfork, who called the record “absolutely brilliant”.

In subsequent years, Calexico would release eight more well-received studio albums, earning them a spot at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury and Roskilde, next to acts like Wilco, Pavement, Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird and more. The Washington Post praised the live show of the band as “almost flawless”, while the Chicago Tribune praised the lively energy and engaging commitment of their performances. WNYC wondered about the capacity of the group to “growl like Sonic Youth and whisper like Elliott Smith”, all in a single live show.

Next to releasing two much-praised collaborations with their frequent touring partner Iron & Wine (the last of which, “Years to Burn”, resulted in two Grammy nominations), the band collaborated with tons of major artists, including Willie Nelson, Jim James, Nancy Sinatra and Neko Case. They also produced and performed on Amos Lee’s number 1 album “Mission Bell” and composed music for multiple movies.

In 2025, Calexico took a unique theatre residence in the Viennese Folk Theatre, where they composed the original soundtrack for Tennessee William’s “Camino Real”. They performed the music live on stage during the show, weaving their own compositions with the spoken production as a new, integrated layer of the 1953 play.