On their albums, Calexico is a wonderful balance of different layers of music (the marimba, piano accordion, trumpets, double bass, pedal steel, maracas). But in live performance, it was surprising how their lead singer, Joey Burns, took the central stage. In their albums Burns is just one part of the mix. But on stage he was the central focus.
Calexico’s music is enjoyed in a more quiet subtle mysterious way. A loud concert may be alright for some of their faster more upbeat tunes, but once it becomes too loud the intricate melding of music becomes more of a competition for which instrument can be the loudest. Personally, I liked it when the trumpets took the stage.
Calexico played on Sunday, September 12, 2004 at the Double Door
That’s one of the things I critique about bands… how much they move around the stage and share spots with each other. Seeing a band interact with each other, instead of staying on their own little turf. Although Calexico did have some guest singers come in which added a little nice surprise. It was funny how when the guest singers were singing Joey Burns played with his back to the audience… his way of stepping down.