Monday, January 02, 2006
On new years eve eve, I bore witness to another fine shining example of live music that keeps my hopes up. At the Solar Temple of Music and Culture in Tucson, Arizona (insert hippy joke here) I saw what was called Calexico and friends. You may know calexico from their collaborations with indie troubador iron and wine.
if you don't know much about calexico, they are from tucson arizona, calexico being a town in california in the sonoran desert, a border town, whose mexican sister is mexicali. The word border is an important word when it comes to describes what calexico is and is trying to become. In mixing southwest cowboy music, rooted in a punk rock ethos, with mexican rythms and harmonies is the band calexico. lead singer joey burns said during the show "I wanted to write songs concering the border, the merging of many different cultures" if that was his goal, this concert was an amazingingly successful experiment. bringing his band, along with singer/songwriter nick luca, singer/songwriter/comedian salvador duran, and the amazing mariachi band Mariachi Luz de Luna he managed to showcase both the individual talents of each outfit, while incorporating these talented players into an equal collaborative effort.
one of the mariachi's said "it was great to be brought onto this stage as equals, with something powerful to say" it was truly a delight, to see the power of mariachi luz de luna performing their own songs, before playing with calexico.
it was like the clash and willie nelson, hanging out in a border mexican town with a mariachi band, getting drunk and playing music i don't know how to describe the sound, but alot of people liken calexico to an ennio morricone soundtrack (the good,the bad, and the ugly, etc..), a sound with a large palate, incorporating our ideas of the american west with distinct cultural elements, with a larger than life feel. for the gear head inside of me and you here's an inaccurate list of some of the equipment used gretsch drumkit, simple set up korg electric piano myriad of tasty electric (guild, national) and acoustic guitars upright bass, fender jazz bass xylaphone mariachi setup 3 violins/violas horn section mariachi specific guitar/guitar-like instruments (bass, midrange. high range) jesus, at one time there were 14 musicians on stage. one song featured spanish, french, and english lyrics. musicians were given time to shine. this concert was the closest to a Largo-esque vibe i've seen outside of, well , Largo of course. I almost halfway expected jon brion to show up, joining in on the fun.
I wish I had the beautiful writing skills of mark twain, or pablo neruda to describe how the music made me feel. but I dont. the music gave me hope that there are still avenues to explore. hope that we can come to understand our differences through song. there is hope that the american public can raise their collective standards and expect better from the labels, both indie and major. and hope that all my concert-going is not in vain, that it is leading me closer to my idea of what I must do in life.
thats all for now next up, my rant on consumerism in a post "fight club" world. thoughts from a scottsdale, az mall. ¶ 1/02/2006 11:01:00 PM
if you don't know much about calexico, they are from tucson arizona, calexico being a town in california in the sonoran desert, a border town, whose mexican sister is mexicali. The word border is an important word when it comes to describes what calexico is and is trying to become. In mixing southwest cowboy music, rooted in a punk rock ethos, with mexican rythms and harmonies is the band calexico. lead singer joey burns said during the show "I wanted to write songs concering the border, the merging of many different cultures" if that was his goal, this concert was an amazingingly successful experiment. bringing his band, along with singer/songwriter nick luca, singer/songwriter/comedian salvador duran, and the amazing mariachi band Mariachi Luz de Luna he managed to showcase both the individual talents of each outfit, while incorporating these talented players into an equal collaborative effort.
one of the mariachi's said "it was great to be brought onto this stage as equals, with something powerful to say" it was truly a delight, to see the power of mariachi luz de luna performing their own songs, before playing with calexico.
it was like the clash and willie nelson, hanging out in a border mexican town with a mariachi band, getting drunk and playing music i don't know how to describe the sound, but alot of people liken calexico to an ennio morricone soundtrack (the good,the bad, and the ugly, etc..), a sound with a large palate, incorporating our ideas of the american west with distinct cultural elements, with a larger than life feel. for the gear head inside of me and you here's an inaccurate list of some of the equipment used gretsch drumkit, simple set up korg electric piano myriad of tasty electric (guild, national) and acoustic guitars upright bass, fender jazz bass xylaphone mariachi setup 3 violins/violas horn section mariachi specific guitar/guitar-like instruments (bass, midrange. high range) jesus, at one time there were 14 musicians on stage. one song featured spanish, french, and english lyrics. musicians were given time to shine. this concert was the closest to a Largo-esque vibe i've seen outside of, well , Largo of course. I almost halfway expected jon brion to show up, joining in on the fun.
I wish I had the beautiful writing skills of mark twain, or pablo neruda to describe how the music made me feel. but I dont. the music gave me hope that there are still avenues to explore. hope that we can come to understand our differences through song. there is hope that the american public can raise their collective standards and expect better from the labels, both indie and major. and hope that all my concert-going is not in vain, that it is leading me closer to my idea of what I must do in life.
thats all for now next up, my rant on consumerism in a post "fight club" world. thoughts from a scottsdale, az mall. ¶ 1/02/2006 11:01:00 PM
