Hmmmm. It's been a while since I've written. I've had some things going on in my head and didn't want to take the time out to write about them until now.

I finally finished the article that Alison at the music 'zine wanted me to write to show them what my writing style is like. She asked for it to be about 500 words. Unfortunately, unless I wanted to blather on too long and since I'd never written that kind of article before...it turned out to be just over 400 words. C'est la vie. I'm going to paste it in here:

Calexico is a small town in southern California not far from the Mexico border where it is known for being the locale of Orson Welles� Touch of Evil. In addition, Calexico is also a band with a sound that is hard to pin down. To be sure, there is the label of alt-country and folk. Listening to their latest album, Garden Ruin, I can hear shades of Ryan Adams� vocal style. But then unexpected similarities to Brit bedroom posters Belle & Sebastian can show up. Then add to that the ethnic flavors of French and Spanish influences. While it might not appear on paper to go together, Calexico makes it work.

The band started off with the name Spoke back in the early nineties in Tucson, Arizona. Then changed their name shortly after making their first album. Founded by Joey Burns and John Convertin, formerly of Giant Sand, Calexico has officially released five albums. This past year they collaborated with Iron & Wine to release the ep, In the Reins, which was very well received and helped to get their name recognized by a broader audience.

In the past few years, Calexico has also collaborated with Neko Case, Nancy Sinatra and Laura Cantrell. As well as appearing as the bar band in the movie, Collateral, directed by Michael Mann. They also performed at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and this year�s Lollapalooza.

On their previous albums, Calexico has shown their wide range of influences. Touring with Wilco and Iron & Wine added to these influences giving them a different direction to go in. While the members of the band were picking up different instruments, the lyrical content was more political but the music has a more populist sensibility. However, even giving that, they still manage to surprise with the all-French lyrics of Nom de Plume and the Spanish/jazz flavored Roka with guest vocalist Amparo Sanchez of Barcelona.

All this does translate into a very lively show. Calexico�s many devoted fans rave about their performances and long sets. Recent covers in concert include Love�s Alone Again or, the Rolling Stones� Wild Horses and the Velvet Underground�s All Tomorrow�s Parties. The last song on Garden Ruin, All Systems Red, an 11-minute rocking anthem with feedback, has been said to be a real scorcher in concert.

Calexico will be playing Chapel Hill�s Cat�s Cradle on September 20, Wednesday. It is sure to be a show that will leave you wishing for more even on the long ride back to Charlotte.

End of article. Sigh. I guess it's ok. I don't think she's going to be blown away by it. I only just started listening to Calexico so my familiarity with them is limited. But I chose to write about them because I do like them and all. At least I got it to her one day ahead of time. Meeting deadlines..always a good thing.

I went out on Thursday with Julie to the dance club again. This time we got there at around midnight. So by the time we go there, Michael and Paco had already left. Oh, well. Maybe next time!

I started in on the Long Island Iced Teas and was a bit drunk by the time they closed. Julie is moving in with the guy who co-owns the karaoke bar. He also lives with another girl (this is all platonic),Kim, who was there as well. We ended up back at their house watching Velvet Goldmine while lying on Ken's bed. They drove me home around 5 a.m. Julie told me today that Ken and Kim both got a kick out of me. I replied "well, I am a hoot.". :-)

I could have gone to see the showcase that the music 'zine was having tonight at a nearby club. It was free and there were 4 local bands. But since I got about 15 minutes of sleep last night, I came home from work and zonked out for several hours. Then got up and finished the Calexico article and emailed it to Alison.

Oh and yesterday I finally went to get my brakes fixed at Mein@ke which is less than a mile away. The mechanic drove me home since it would take a while to do. Ended up that not only did my brake pads need replacing but also the wheel cylinder had a leak and the roters needed replacing too. I act like I know what all that means. But I do know that it cost me almost $350. Sigh. But I knew it had to be done. So at least my car isn't making grinding noises everytime I stop.

Tomorrow is work again. But later on this week, on Wednesday, is the X concert. Julie and I are making big plans on drinking somewhere beforehand, seeing the concert and possibly going to the karoake bar afterwards. Yay!

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