
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Friday night, indie-folk act Iron &; Wine took the stage at House of Blues with “Tex-Mex” indie rock band Calexico. ; The supergroup consisted of Sam Beam, the singer-songwriter behind the moniker Iron &; Wine, performing alongside vocalist/guitarist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino of Calexico.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The setlist consisted of tracks from their co-produced albums, <em>Years to Burn </em>(2019) and <em>In the Reins </em>(2005), as well as tracks from each act’s independent albums. ;The group opened with “Follow the Water,” a gentle yet upbeat track from the supergroup’s most recent album. ; I couldn’t resist swaying along to the tender harmonies from the photo pit. ; While I find that folk artists often fail to successfully engage an audience, the interplay between the two vocalists resulted in a captivating performance that never bored.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-6818"><img src="https://tulanemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.10.46-PM.png" alt="Screen Shot 2019-10-04 at 10.10.46 PM.png" class="wp-image-6818"/><figcaption><em>Victoria Conway</em></figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you’re unfamiliar with Iron &; Wine, I would say that the best way to describe their sound is “soft acoustic folk” — think lots of fingerpicking, gentle melodies, and a comforting simplicity. ; Beam’s soothing voice and dexterous guitar technique paints each song as an almost-lullaby, mesmerizing and delicate.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Calexico, on the other hand, has a generally more upbeat vibe, largely in thanks to the Latin flair that characterizes much of their more recent music. ; With tracks like “Flores y Tamales” from their 2018 album <em>The Thread That Keeps Us</em>, it was nearly impossible not to dance along to the beat. ; I was incredibly impressed by the diversity of their discography, ranging from Latin-tinged “Flores y Tamales” to the twangy country sound of “Bisbee Blue,” featured on their 2006 album <em>Garden Ruin</em>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Interestingly, each group’s most popular songs — like Iron &; Wine’s “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” and Calexico’s “Alone Again Or” — failed to make the setlist, much to my dismay. ; Nonetheless, the group did play a handful of songs from each of their independent discographies, resulting in an incredibly diverse repertoire that widely ranged in sound and mood.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-6820"><img src="https://tulanemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.10.26-PM.png" alt="Screen Shot 2019-10-04 at 10.10.26 PM.png" class="wp-image-6820"/><figcaption><em>Victoria Conway</em></figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of my favorite songs on the setlist was the supergroup’s performance of Iron &; Wine’s “Boy With a Coin,” from their 2007 album <em>The Shepherd’s Dog</em>. ; This was a particularly excellent selection because of its unique layering, especially in contrast to many of Iron &; Wine’s other more minimal tracks. ; “Boy With a Coin” features a psychedelic phaser, combined with a lead acoustic rhythm guitar line and earthy percussion. ;With the full sound produced by the group’s large size, the song was absolutely captivating live.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before Friday night, I hadn’t heard of Calexico; in all honesty, I didn’t realize they would be playing with Iron &; Wine until I showed up at the box office the night of the show. ; Despite my ignorance, I’m incredibly glad that the groups are touring together, as the combination of talent that took the stage resulted in an absolutely unforgettable performance.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Cover Photo: Victoria Conway</p>
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<div class="wp-biographia-container-top" style="background-color: #FFEAA8; border-top: 4px solid #000000;"><div class="wp-biographia-pic" style="height:100px; width:100px;"><img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1cf22c72e05b26255169eaff5300b332358e0052f6c6205fa5b92b0b84924ed5?s=100&#038;d=wp_user_avatar&#038;r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1cf22c72e05b26255169eaff5300b332358e0052f6c6205fa5b92b0b84924ed5?s=200&#038;d=wp_user_avatar&#038;r=g 2x' class='wp-biographia-avatar avatar-100 photo' height='100' width='100' /></div><div class="wp-biographia-text"><h3>About <a href="https://tulanemagazine.com/author/vcvi/" title="Victoria Conway">Victoria Conway</a></h3><p>Vi is currently studying to receive her Master's of Social Work. A California native, she has made a home for herself in New Orleans. She likes film photography, independent coffee shops, and her cat Huxley.</p><div class="wp-biographia-links"><small><ul class="wp-biographia-list wp-biographia-list-text"><li><a href="mailto:&#118;ie&#99;onw&#97;&#121;&#64;gm&#97;i&#108;.com" target="_self" title="Send Victoria Conway Mail" class="wp-biographia-link-text">Mail</a></li> | <li><a href="https://tulanemagazine.com/author/vcvi/" target="_self" title="More Posts By Victoria Conway" class="wp-biographia-link-text">More Posts(5)</a></li></ul></small></div></div></div><!-- WP Biographia v4.0.0 -->

Show Review: Iron Wine and Calexico
