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Calling on Calexico at the Stimmen-Festival - 15 July 2014
As enjoyable as gigs or festivals are, I would never rank them on par with a holiday in terms of the respite they offer from the daily grind. Or I wouldn’t have, until the Calexico concert at the Stimmen-Festival in Lörrach.
The Stimmen-Festival in general has lived up to its name this year - or perhaps it would be more accurate to say, my interpretations of its name. "Stimmen" can mean voices, and it has certainly provided many refreshing ones in 2014. Another interpretation might be the German word for "votes", as in "the festival has my vote!". Or it could just refer to it being "right" within the context of "these bands are just right!". Either way, the festival has provided delightful slices of escapism at carefully selected concerts.
Lörrach is a quaint little German town only 15 minutes' drive from good old expeditiously labouring Basel, but here the border-dash truly came with a complete change of scenery. On arriving, a romantic little piazza with cutesy delikatessen serving fantastic Antipasti (albeit at a price where quality should be expected) and some merrily chattering restaurants (whose price point made the quality of the food a nice surprise) set the scene for a gig I had been looking forward to for weeks.
The ambiance was a lot more Mediterranean than we are used to from our Teutonic neighbours, but it was the perfect complement to the dulcet Marriachi-esque tunes that awaited, courtesy of Calexico. Their whole style is truly a melting pot of cultures, rhythms and sounds, which is informed by their extensive touring - a habit that their last album Algiers refers to. Since its release in 2012, the band have almost ceaselessly exported their musical and lyrical musings across the continents and even to the White House, at Obama's request.
There is something thoroughly relaxing about watching a band as experienced and technically proficient as Calexico, who have been together since 1990. The almost familial vibe had everyone - from your friendly neighbourhood hipster to his grandma in the back - swaying in peaceful reverie. What with the retro spectacles that singer Joey Burns unpretentiously popped on in order to be able to read the setlist, the whole concert had the air of being set in a different time altogether.
Just goes to show - sometimes all you need to travel, in time or otherwise, is the right soundtrack.
- Ellie Golder