nicloe.com: The case of the calexico cave

You know that summer has begun when you spend your Sunday evening at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl catching some tunes and slopping icecream down your front. This Sunday just past, I was there to see the brilliant Calexico, who were playing support to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Calexico are the only band that I have ever heard playing in a record store, and without knowing who they were, have thought to myself "I must own this album!" and have bought it and loved it.

The sun was just setting as Calexico took the stage, and they got the crowd grooving with their Mexican-inspired sounds: the marimba, piano accordion, trumpets, double bass, pedal steel, maracas. They made me want to yell out Speedy Gonzales catchphrases, but I didn't for fear of ostracism by the people around me.

Nick Cave was an added bonus (I was really just there for Calexico), but let me tell you, he is one suave character. As commented Neko Case at the next night's side show, those guys surely go to bed in their suits. Nick knows how to work his audience, prancing around the stage, and illustrating the stories of his songs via his movement. At one point, he brushed a security guy aside as he tried to usher a fan back to their seat, and a chaos ensued that the Music Bowl had not seen the likes of since the infamous "riots" at the Pearl Jam show in 1995 (I gotta say, I was there, and I certainly wouldn't use the word riot, but I guess I was a little preoccupied with the music). We were left virtually alone up on the grassed area, as everyone took the chance to get as close to the front as possible.

And then there was "the secret show that Melbourne had to have": an event so big that even the Corner Hotel abandoned all business sense to email its mailing list about. At the Hi-Fi Bar & Ballroom, Calexico had a secret show with Neko Case, presumably secret because of some sort of deal with Nick Cave's folk. So, rock up at 8pm, pay your $20, and you were in for one helluva night.

Neko was on first: she has an absolutely amazing voice, but her songs are a little too country for my liking. Calexico rocked the house though. Highlights were "Crystal Frontier" from the Even My Sure Things Fall Through album, and "Guero Canelo" from the latest album, Feast of Wire. For the first encore, Neko Case joined the band on stage, and they played some stuff together - including "Ballad of Cable Hogue", a song which has both female and male vocals in it (from the Hot Rail album). It was awesome to hear this live, as I didn't expect they'd be able to play it. They also covered the Minutemen's song "Jesus and Tequila".

It's good to see that lengthy introductions of band members have not gone out of style, with the lead singer of Calexico going through each person's name, location (he seemed to particularly enjoy saying "Tucson, Arizona"), and the instruments they play. Why is it, though, that whenever a lead singer (it's usually the lead singer) introduces the rest of the band, they never introduce themselves?

Aaaargh! Why did I not know that Calexico were playing a show of their own? I sooo would have gone. I didn't feel like battling it out at the Music Bowl as I'm not a Nick Cave fan, but from what you describe it sounds like it would have been a good night anyway!
Posted by Andrew B on Tue 23 Dec 2003 00:07 #

And actually I have to comment on the "hearing a CD in a shop and buying it" thing... I have only done that with "The Lilac Time" who I heard in Borders. I have never heard of them since then, either, despite them having quite a few albums out. Weird. Never found anyone else who knows them either!
Posted by Andrew B on Tue 23 Dec 2003 00:08 #

Commenting has been turned off because of my inability to cope with the ridiculous amount of spammage I was receiving. Sorry!