Calexico's Joey Burns on the making of 'The Thread That Keeps Us,' the Tucson rockers' ninth album

Joey Burns has just turned off the news.

“A good sobering moment,” he calls it.

The Tucson-based singer-guitarist is on the phone to talk about the tour that brings Calexico to the Van Buren on Friday, June 1, in support of their latest release, the politically charged “The Thread That Keeps Us.”

But the news is clearly weighing on his mind.

The Republican Party, he says, has abandoned conservative values in favor of bigotry and racism.

“That’s why I think a lot of these people like Jeff Flake are leaving, right?” he says.

“They see the writing on the wall and they’re like, ‘No way. I’m not gonna put my family through all that.’ Now, Joe Arpaio is coming back into the mix. What the hell? It’s taking everything and making it evil, twisted, dark and negative.”

Burns pauses.

“That’s where we come in,” he says.

And then he laughs.

But he’s not kidding.

“The Thread that Keeps Us” is, in many ways, Calexico’s response to our current political climate, written in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election.

An opening track about searching for light at the end of the world in the age of extremes is followed by a song inspired by the plight of refugees.

The lyrics feature references to war machines and fallout shelters. But there’s also hope and, hopefully, catharsis.

Here’s Burns on the state of the union and Calexico’s response to that.

Political response

Question: On “End of the World With You,” you sing about love and light “in the age of the extremes” and I was wondering if you see the role of Calexico’s music as offering a bit of that?

Answer: Yeah, sure. After the last presidential election, we were all really stunned and deeply frustrated, so we wanted to get to work right away. And the first thing we did is that I drew a T-shirt design and we raised about $10,000 for Planned Parenthood.

I’ve been inspired by the activity of the teenagers from Parkland. I follow David Hogg and he’s incredibly insightful. We are friends with Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly. We knew her before the shooting.

We’re personally affected by gun violence and see a need for many changes and just some kind of reality check.

I think music does help. We just finished a European tour in March that was probably one of our most successful yet. That gives me hope. Here in the States? There’s more work to do.

But regardless of the size of audience you’re playing to, just putting out a positive message is really important – especially in times like this. I think people are really confused right now because there’s so much play on the manipulation of news.

I have a lot to say, but I’ll cut it off right there (laughs).

A celebration of diversity

Q: You don’t have to cut it off right there. It’s clearly shaped the album.

A: Of course...

I love Tucson. I love Arizona. I love Mexico. I was born in Canada. So I’ve always been interested in things that are not always the same. I want to explore. I’m curious.

We’ve been kind of funneled, maybe, through corporations, the marketplace, our society. I don’t feel that same kind of funneling when I’m in Europe.

In Europe, people sit down for a long meal and conversation and appreciate food, culture, company. We’re getting further and further away from that, for the most part, except for maybe some small pockets.

For the first time in my life, I’ve really had to examine, “What am I going to do now that I’m a dad and my twin daughters are 7 years old? Do I stay here and fight?”

That’s my first instinct. But after having been in Europe, it sure feels good not having to worry about guns. It’s not perfect but there’s more openness and appreciation. So that’s a tough one. I’ve never felt that way. I’m always really happy to come home.

But for the first time, I’ve really had to think about that.

And the kids in the school in Parkland, that was a big moment because they helped turn things around and I feel that movement inside myself and in everyone I talked to along this East Coast tour we just got back from felt the same way.

Getting out the vote

Q: This year’s elections should be a decent gauge of where we’re headed.

A: And that’s what we all said in 2016. I remember. And what I’ve learned from that is to think, “OK, so what can I do to help out?”

At our shows, I keep saying “Men, it’s time for us to sit down and women, it’s time for you to step forward and we’re here to support. And let’s remember November. Let’s get out there and encourage others to vote.”

I’m not trying to force it. I’m just trying to be natural and honest, like “Hey, this is on my mind. I’m up here singing songs but what I’m really thinking about is our future.”

Q: You talked about being open-minded and accepting. Do you think that side of your nature was maybe heightened by being involved in music? Do you think it steered you more in that direction?

A: Yeah. I think so. I think music has definitely helped. And my wife probably disagrees to a certain extent. She still feels that I’m not as adventurous as I claim I am.

And that’s the beauty of being in a relationship is that you’ve got that other person not only to get your back but to encourage you to continue to grow and to change and accept the challenges and uncertainties and unknowns.

The view from the road

But with music, a large part of what we do is just traveling and waiting around. So while you’re waiting around, you can either dive into a book or you can talk to a stranger or with your fellow bandmates and crew members.

I think all of us in the band really enjoy those opportunities to get to see the world.

Our German trumpet player, I asked him recently after we were touring the East Coast, “What do you think? Do you still want to come back here and play music?” And he goes, “I think it’s important what we’re doing and I love this place. I love the people.”

And I thought that was really important to hear that from somebody from somewhere else. He doesn’t have to stay here. He could opt out. He could be like, “Nah. I’m done with that.”

And some musicians from around the world most definitely feel that way. I think you’re gonna see in the next few years less people coming. It’s not necessarily a strike. It’s just not worth it. All the paperwork. All the hassle. All the taxes.

And then, there’s most importantly, the attitude. People are not open to receiving music from around the world or different voices, different languages. And we lose, we who don’t get those experiences and conversations.

Remember when the Sound Strike happened after SB 1070? You could understand their standpoint. I value their voice. But really, what we need is people coming here to influence people to get out and vote and help others to register to vote.

That would be really worthwhile.

Writing 'The Thread That Keeps Us'

Q: Did you find that writing and singing a song like “End of the World With You” or “Bridge to Nowhere” helps you process everything that’s going on around you?

A: Yeah, it does. Totally. Addressing it in a way that is not necessarily saying “Here is the answer,” just saying “Hey look at our situation we’re presently in.”

The whole corporate design of “Well, we don’t build things to last anymore because then we’ll be out of business,” it’s like, “Hmm, ok, well, that seems really shortsighted and selfish. Is there another way we can work around this?”

It just feels like we’ve been on this trajectory that’s been all about profit, profit, profit. And here we are with teachers being undervalued, underpaid, and here’s our future. I don’t understand how people got so self-absorbed about their own financial future.

That part of the American Dream, to me, is false and it’s sad, because it’s breaking things down at an extremely fast rate.

My parents are a good example. They work really hard and they still are really involved and engaged in the community through volunteering. But they’re very conservative.

I can see where some of the lines get blurred for some people because it feels like, “Oh yeah, I want to make America great again” or “I want to go back to those glory days.”

And it’s like “Wait a minute, now. That’s not what you taught us and how you raised us.” So it’s very challenging. And I think a lot of families are feeling this

So yeah, you have to kind of present these situations. It’s the only hope that I have for connecting and trying to make a difference.

And I wonder sometimes what my family and my parents think when they hear songs like “Voices in the Field,” inspired by the horrible atrocities of the Syrian refugees and the crisis that has unfolded.

They know that I’ve always been interested in the border between the U.S. and Mexico and they’ve even sent me some articles, but I feel like even though technology is advancing, openness is not. We’re moving backwards at an extremely fast rate.

Q: There’s a lot of darkness on the album but it feels like there’s also a lot of hope as well. How important do you think it was in putting the record together to find that sort of balance?

A: Well, I think it’s natural. I look for it, because not only am I a dad but I think generally a lot of the guys in the band are pretty optimistic.

Writing 'Girl in the Forest' with his daughters

Q: One of my favorite songs on the album is “Girl in the Forest.” I was hoping you could talk a bit about the inspiration for that song. It’s so beautiful, sweet and calming.

A: Sure. There’s a lot of intense energy musically and lyrically on the record and I think there just needs to be that natural break or balance to all of it. And that song offers that in a lot of different ways.

But most importantly for me, it’s a song that I wrote with my daughters. We were sitting here on the couch and I said, you know, “Why don’t we take this music and this idea of “Girl in the Forest” and see if we can write lyrics together. So they really helped me.

I was coming in with “OK, let’s imagine the setting. Maybe there’s a forest and then there’s a protest, there’s a conflict, with developers and cranes on one side and then there’s the individuals, the people who actually live there and are protecting the land and want to see it preserved and not be developed or ruined.”

And they kind of just looked at me and said, “Why can’t the song be about the girl who communicates with all the animals in the forest?” And I thought “Beautiful.”

Q: Could you talk about the title of the album and what appealed to you about it.

A: It gives a sense of hope that there is still some common ground that we can find with one another, even though we disagree on many things. Or everything. Let’s find that common ground and build from there.

Calexico

When: 8 p.m. Friday, June 1.

Where: The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix.

Admission: $25-$40.

Details: 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.

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