Levitt Pavilion Denver Presents
Calexico with The PlainsSong Symphony Orchestra and Professor Phelyx
Saturday, June 1st, 2024
All Ages | Rain or Shine
Doors Open: 6:00 PM | Show Start: 7:00 PM
Tickets on-sale Friday, March 8th at 10 am MT
Calexico
Calexico returns to Levitt Pavilion Denver on June 1st 2024. Praised by NPR for their “sprawling, cross-cultural indie rock,” Calexico has spent the better part of the past three decades exploring the dusty musical borderlands of the American Southwest, crafting singular, cinematic songs as mysterious and magnificent as the arid desert landscapes that inspired them. Founded in Tucson, AZ, by guitarist/singer Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino, the band first emerged to widespread acclaim in the mid-1990s with a string of arresting, evocative records that blurred the lines between their roots, rock, and Latin influences, but it was 2003’s Feast of Wire that truly marked the duo’s commercial and critical breakthrough, earning them their first appearances on the Billboard charts and rave reviews everywhere from The Guardian to Pitchfork, who called the record “genuinely masterful.” In the years to come, Calexico would go on to release eight more similarly well-received studio albums that would help land them slots at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, and Roskilde, alongside dates with the likes of Wilco, Pavement, Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, and more. The Washington Post hailed the band’s live show as “near-flawless,” while The Chicago Tribune lauded the “vibrant” energy and “compelling conviction” of their performances, and WNYC marveled at the group’s ability to both “roar like Sonic Youth [and] whisper like Elliott Smith” onstage.
Throughout their career, Calexico’s chameleon-like gift for sonic shapeshifting has also made them highly sought after collaborators, both in the studio and on the road. In addition to releasing a pair of widely praised joint records with frequent tourmate Iron & Wine (the latest of which, Years To Burn, garnered two GRAMMY nominations), the band has worked with everyone from Willie Nelson and Jim James to Nancy Sinatra and Neko Case, produced and performed on Amos Lee’s #1 album Mission Bell, and scored multiple feature films.
The PlainsSong Symphony Orchestra
Featuring players from Colorado's top orchestras and ranging from a single instrument to an entire symphony orchestra, The PlainsSong Project is dedicated to the idea that music, with its limitless possibilities, is a positive force that creates lasting bonds, strengthens the community, and enriches the lives of anybody with a beating heart. The group is dynamic to meet the needs of the show, creating unique live performances as well as collaborating with and accompanying any and every variety of musician of any genre.
Founded by Tom Hagerman (Devotchka) and Mackenzie Miller (Denver Violins), The PlainsSong Project offers an infinite range of opportunities for live music, recording sessions, custom musical arrangements, original compositions, and collaboration.
Professor Phelyx
Professor Phelyx is a Colorado native who began fooling folks from stages when he was just ten years old. Since then, he has performed in 6 countries and all over America. He has earned 7 coveted performing artist residencies including 13 years as a core player in Denver's famous Clocktower Cabaret and 100 shows at Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. While he has headlined his one-person-show in Las Vegas and has appeared on stage and screen with acts like Leon Redbone, Jane's Addiction, DeVotchKa, Nathaniel Rateliff, and an enviable list of other notables, he says it has all just been practice for the CALEXICO - Feast of Wire 20th anniversary event here in Colorado!