Iron and Wine, Calexico December 16, 2005

Calexico. Iron and Wine. Calexico and Iron and Wine. Separately it brings a smile to your face; together it plasters a huge one over your mug. The two bands have developed a unique and loyal following over the last few years. They've played their own headlining tours, participated in the growing U.S. festival market and supported some of the biggest names in music (Wilco, Nickel Creek, The Shins). If you've had the occasion to see either act, then you know one rarely leaves disappointed. This set of shows will be traditional in many ways and unconventional in a number of others. After recording their upcoming collaborative project, In the Reins, band leader�s Joey Burns (Calexico) and Sam Beam (I&W) started kicking around the idea of a tour. Initially discussed was a tour with both bands playing a few songs from the record with various openers on the bill. However, as the two went back and forth, the idea grew into something more special and interesting for both them and the fans. Given that Iron and Wine have spent much of '05 on the road and Calexico will spend much of '06 in many of the same locales, the two believed something exceptional needed to take place nightly, rather than 'just another show'. Having had the pleasure of playing a number of festivals over the last few years, Iron and Wine and Calexico wanted to bring that level of excitement and participation into each night's performance and setting. Drawing inspiration from the carnival-like offerings of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue and the execution of performances in The Band's Last Waltz, the two settled on a spirit for the tour. Simply put -- book the show, have the two bands there and ready to go at show time, invite friends down and ask them to come out for a few songs. Give it structure, but don't rob it of any spontaneity.

The structure they speak of will be two full sets by each band. Which band will play first will vary from night to night. The show will close each night with Iron and Wine and Calexico performing In the Reins in its entirety. Cover songs, guests, performance artists, rare exotic animals and anything else happening in between is being secured and will be revealed closer to the show date. No one really knows what lies ahead, but we guarantee it will be unlike anything making the rounds this fall.

http://www.variety-playhouse.com/schedule_November05.htm#iwc