Podcast No.4 - Dancing in the Badlands. March 25th, 2007
Joey Burns has often cited writer Cormac McCarthy's work as a major influence on the band around the 'Black Light' period.It's also been suggested that the whole album was a loose story sequence with themes similar to 'The Border Trilogy'.
So, for this podcast, I've tried to bind the music together with extracts and samples from 'The Crossing' and 'Cities of the Plain', very kindly read by Mr Brad Pitt. Thanks, Brad!
It kind of makes sense to me - you can make your own minds up. Play loud on headphones for best effect!
The featured songs are: Pepita
Live at the China Theatre, Stockholm, 25th April 2003. Full concert available at archive.org Overall
With the lovely Francoiz Breut, live at the Berlin Arena, July 2005. Full concert on dimeadozen Wash
Joey and John as a duo, opening their set at the Roskilde Festival, July 2001. Full concert available at archive.org Stray
From the 1999 John Peel BBC session. I particularly like this version, seems a little bit more mysterious and dreamy than later takes. Anywhere on this Road - Lhasa
Speaking of mysterious and haunting, you'd be hard pushed to find a better example than the magical voice of Lhasa de Sela, who manages to be mournful and enigmatic in three separate languages.
This song is from her award-winning album 'The Living Road'.
Lhasa has been mentioned as an artiste Calexico would love to collaborate with - let's hope it happens one day. The Black Light
This title track from the band's second album doesn't get played live that often - so it's good to hear this frenetic workout at the Eurockeenes Festival, July 1999. The early lineup features Martin, Volker and fellow-German Michael Lembach. (Whatever happened to him??) Trigger
Another early version, before 'Trigger' was merged with the instrumental 'Frontera' to become ...well, Trigger/Frontera.
Live recording at Nita's Hideaway, Tucson AZ iin March 2001 - features John, Joey, Jacob, Nick Luca and Jon Rauhouse on pedal steel. He Lays in the Reins
This is, of course, unashamedly lifted from the best-selling 'In the Reins' collaborative EP with Iron and Wine.
I tried several different live versions, but none of them quite seemed to blend with the soundclips like the original. Roka
Audience recording live at the London Roundhouse, November 2006.
At the end of the journey, all that is left is the dance.. Other clips in the background come from Calexico's soundtrack for the film 'Committed' and from the 'Descamino' vinyl remix.