Artists For Action (Calexico, Sergio Mendoza, Kinch, etc) - Live at Marquee, Tempe, 28 Aug 2010
Kinch, the first band to go on, was incredible. They play a kind of power-pop, slightly They Might Be Gigantic music, which I don’t normally seek out. They were so in control of their music, though - they had tons of little change-ups and never really missed anything. The guitarist looked like he was going to cry from joy while he was doing no more than hammering chord-chord-chord-chord through a song, but then pow they were doing a ska thing or playing a lick in 17/8. I listened to a bit of a recording they did, and it was the same music; but fixed into sound their precision was less amazing. In some ways they were the opposite of later performer Miniature Tigers, who seemed like some guys screwing around on stage with a big bear costume, but on record are kind of interesting.
Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta played a sort of big band latino music crossed with psychedelic rock. It was good. Salvador Duran sang with them. Later, his 15 minutes singing solo on the outdoor stage held me rapt. He accompanied himself with what he and friends told me was a standard mariachi style of guitar playing, somewhat flamenco-derived but very rhythmically solid. He sings with conviction.
I left the concert saying “what’s happened to Calexico?” May be that I never knew them. These guys were part of OP8, which made one of my favorite albums, Slush. I’ve often remarked about listening to Germano regularly - not often, but at times with great feeling - while being surprised at Calexico lacking the assorted odd noises and sparkling flips of heart which characterize Slush.
I’ve never seen Calexico live before, but I have to assume that back in the 90’s they were a much more spare and careful group, perhaps even just playing as a duo. Here they played a kind of mix of Sting or Steve Miller style big rock with three guitars, and would occasionally wildly veer into adopting the Mendoza Orkesta musical and performance style, encouraging several Orkesticians to join them, and then sending them backstage while they played “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” or something… Before their set I intended to request “Lost In Space” (a favorite Joey Burns OP8) tune, but as it wore on I realized just how ridiculous that would be. Still, they’ve done some great things in music.
I think I just have to grow up to appreciate them more, or just listen to music which hasn’t grown up yet. I recognize that this is puts me in an ethically questionable situation. We benefit from Lisa Germano’s ongoing exploration of the dark places in her soul. Artists often go so far out on a ledge that the path out into the void starts to seem preferable to the trip back up. The people in Calexico stepped out a bit, looked down, and looking back at their admiring friends went back to the lodge to tell stories about their brush with death.
There’s someone like Ian MacKaye, who seems to develop without assimilating.
1 year ago
