Joey Burns and an abbreviated Calexico lineup stopped for a special-engagement show at Boulder’s Fox Theater last Friday. Photos by Nick Groke.
An all-Tucson lineup of pulled into Boulder for a little respite from the desert heat Friday at the . The mariachi-spiked indie outfit, which took the stage just after 11 p.m. after opening acts and , scorched through a one-hour set of 13 songs.
Called upon to perform in Boulder during a radio convention in town last week, the band cobbled together in the absence of several members, while the band is on break before launching its tour in support of a promising new album, “Carried to Dust.” That tour should stop at Denver’s Gothic Theatre in the fall.
Missing in Boulder were band co-founder and drummer John Convertino and core members Paul Niehaus (pedal steel) and Martin Wenk (trumpet). In their places were part-time Calexico player and engineer, the formidable Nick Luca, who sported a fabulous Gretsch-looking guitar; Chris Giambelluca on bass; and Michael Carbajal on trumpet. Sergio Mendoza, who has previously provided piano for the band on tour, pitched in this night on keyboards and a small drum set, as well as a melodica, providing a steady beat without the Convertino jazz.
The band offered a sneak preview of songs from “Dust” — mariachi section stalwart Jacob Valenzuela is featured on several new songs, and took the mic to sing en espanol for the wistful “Inspiracion,” which he wrote. “Two Silver Trees” looks to be an early favorite for the album’s first single; the song has an almost Japanese starkness but is probably more likely to be influenced by Calexico’s recent jaunt to South America.
The band studded the new works with old favorites, including what Burns referred to as a “prog-rock version” of “Not Even Stevie Nicks,” and the perennial crowd-pleaser, Love’s “Alone Again, Or,” which included a little surf guitar flair from Luca. “Across the Wire,” “Quattro (World Drifts In),” “Sunken Waltz” and “Crystal Frontier” also got time, before the band encored the abbreviated show with “Guero Canelo” for one last dance.
Angela Clemmons is an editor at The Denver Post and a contributor to Reverb.
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