After more than 15 years, one of the key names of the Tucson Americana or desert indie rock scene, Calexico, is finally coming back to Slovenia! The band, established by the former members of Giant Sand, will play at Šiška for the first time, presenting the exciting sound of their new album The Thread That Keeps Us. The record was released via Anti-Records and City Slang this year, immediately setting a whole new standard for the band. We’ll warm up with one of the best regional bands My Buddy Moose, whose perfected indie/Americana sound and live garage energy have been winning over audiences since 2004.
With their swirling of traditional Latin American sounds such as mariachi, cumbia and Tejano with jazz, country and post-rock influences, Joey Burns and John Convertino, who first played together as part of Howe Gelb‘s famed Giant Sand, shaped a unique sound within the broader genre of indie rock. The desert noir of “one of the most interesting and admirable bands from the turn of the millennium” (Radio Študent) quickly established Calexico as one of the flagbearers of the Tucson Tex-Mex scene alongside Giant Sand and Orkesta Mendoza, whose founder Sergio Mendoza is also a member of Calexico, as well as later successors such as XIXA. Calexico’s more melodic, poppy songs rooted the band firmly among broader audiences as well, which the band built on with performances at some of the biggest festivals in the world – Glastonbury, All Tomorrow’s Parties, Bonnaroo and others.
Over more than two decades, Calexico have also distinguished themselves through collaborations with artists such as Arcade Fire, Neko Case, Amor Belhom Duo, Gotan Project and Iron & Wine, with whom they recorded the excellent In the Reins EP. The desert winds have already brought the band to our neck of the woods, first to Rock Otočec, then to Cankarjev dom. Now finally in Šiška, they’ll present their fresh ninth album. The Thread That Keeps Us was released via Anti-Records and City Slang in January, and was heavily inspired by the rugged terrain of Northern California, which gave a new edge to Calexico’s music. Honouring enduring traditions and revealing the band’s confidence in songwriting, the record ultimately sets a whole new standard for the group. Its presentation in the quite appropriate July heat is therefore not to be missed.
My Buddy Moose are regarded as one of the best “small bands” in the Balkans, combining rock ‘n’ roll, punk, soul, country and more in their music. They draw inspiration from artists such as Gram Parsons, Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt, and garage energy from The Sonics and The Stooges. They’ve released four albums so far, including the brilliant last one, IV, in 2017.
Organisation: Kino Šiška.
