WOMAD: Calexico

Thu 4th Mar, 2010 in Features

Calexico hardly need an introduction and no doubt will be one of many highlights on the WOMAD schedule. Six albums, six EP’s and a raft of miscellaneous albums will make for an interesting proposition as to what the set list entails. Joey Burns (ocals, guitars, bass, cello, keyboards, accordion, percussion, vibraphone) talks about his return visit.

Are you exited about coming back to Australia so soon after the last tour? “Very much, all my friends are jealous. I’m looking forward to some warmer weather as we have some very fond memories of our last tour here. We got to go out and see some things and I’m just impressed with what Australia has to offer.”

Are there any particular places that you’re looking forward getting back to this time round? “I really loved Adelaide because we actually got to go out and see stuff while we were there. I like being by the water so that will be kind of fun to. Are there wineries? Now you’ve got me thinking so I’ll be referring to my wine book and looking forward to visiting a few wineries. It’s something that I’m quite intrigued about and want to learn more.”

Does it get distracting when you’re in tourist mode or does it help revitalise the band? “It always helps! It’s always inspiring and any time you can get away from the back stage and get out to cafes and markets is so inspiring and crucial.”

Does it mean a lot to be playing a world-recognised festival such as WOMAD? “I think so but not only that just because where we’re at, all of us around the world coming together at a time where it’s tough economically we’re at a turning point to add some positive aspects to it from our countries point of view. There’s a lot of hope here, obstacles and challenges ahead to but when you get to share the stage with bands from so many different countries really opens you up. Those kinds of experiences are precious.”

Can you reveal anything about the set list yet? “We’ll be tapping in to everything from The Black Light from 1998 all the way to what we’ve been working on recently. One day we’ll be on the big stage playing our show and the other we’ll be doing a workshop, which is something I absolutely love doing. It will be very upbeat and festive but looking at the WOMAD website it looks like the perfect place to play.”

Does your festival set differ much from a club show? “It can, I was talking about that earlier as theatres allow you to go more dynamically contrasting and get really quiet. At a festival it can get that way but it rests on the shoulders of the artist and the performance to be commanding and pull it off. We tend to be more upbeat when we play outdoors and we’ll keep the energy up. The time of day has an influence as well so it will be interesting to see what happens.”

Tickets are selling like hotcakes to WOMADelaide 2010 and are available from Venuetix.