- Photo by Aleksa Brown
- Calexico frontman Joey Burns
Wandering past the Tucson Weekly’s old downtown offices brought back a wave of nostalgia during yesterday’s Festival en el Barrio Viejo, especially since my old partner in crime, Hector Acuña, was here in Tucson for the block party with wife Lisa Weeks and their new baby, Casey.
The bands were a whole lot of fun, too, from Crawdaddy-O’s cover of Tom Waits’ “Down in the Hole” to more mambo mania from Sergio Mendoza y La Orkestra.
Calexico wrapped the show with a long set that included many special guests, including the Silver Thread Trio, who joined the band for a heartbreaking take on “Dead Man’s Will” from the Iron and Wine/Calexico collaboration In The Reins. Another highlight: A cover of Lalo Guerrero’s “Barrio Viejo.”
As the sunlight faded and the show wrapped with an extended jam of “Guero Canelo,” the dancing crowd was evidence that the Festival en el Barrio Viejo wasn’t just another fundraiser for community radio station KXCI. It was a celebration of the downtown Tucson community we love so much. Thanks to all those who made it possible.
- Photo by Aleksa Brown
- Jacob Valenzuela and special guests
This article appears in Apr 1-7, 2010.
Minor correction: the Tom Waits song is “Down In the Hole”, as all Wire fans know. The opening line is “When you walk through the garden…” But Calexico indeed blew off the non-existent roof yesterday.
As a fan of “The Wire,” I am red-faced. And not just by sunburn. Thanks for the assist. Fixed!