Calexico
Barby
Tel Aviv, Israel
February 28

With the heat, the sea and the never-ending party scene, life moves fast in Tel Aviv. So for people to not only remember, but rave about a little indie rock band four years after they played – that’s a big deal.

But such was the case for Calexico, the Arizona-based, Mexican-influenced, country-tinged rock’n’roll band upon their return to the city after a stellar stop in 2009. For two nights, February 28 and March 1, the city’s best rock club was packed to the brim with fans waiting for more – as if the return was just an encore a few years removed.

Singer and guitarist Joey Burns led his seven-piece band through a rousing, stomping set of more than 20 songs during the first night in town. Calexico is a band with two faces. On record, they play subdued, largely acoustic Southern folk; some tracks on last year’s “Algiers” even sound like sometime collaborators Iron & Wine. But onstage, the band, complete with two trumpeters, turned the floor into a rock’n’roll throwdown.

With his six bandmates constantly switching instruments, from xylophone to accordion to slide guitar, the show maintained a loose, shuffling feel. Burns’ attempts at Hebrew kept the mood light as well: “Mah kor-eh?” he yelled, or “How’s it going?”

The set leaned heavily on the excellent “Algiers,” including the gorgeous “Fortune Teller” and the stormy “Para,” with perfectly placed, swirling trumpet lines.

Calexico’s burnt Americana sound is so crystallized that when the band slyly slipped into a cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” it wasn’t a departure – just another sun-baked folk-rock gem, albeit a few shades darker.

The band played with a practiced and balanced excellence, where each song felt compellingly, expertly played, but maintained a wild abandon. That vibe was a direct connection to Burns, an intense front man with a clear, excited passion for what he does. He wanted the songs to be perfect not for his ego, but so that the crowd heard the best possible music the band could play.

During the second well-deserved encore, Burns smiled wide and called, “Ani o-hev o-t’chem!”

It was clear that the crowd loved him, too.