It´s cold outside. We are playing at Estragon outside of the city of Bologna. It´s even colder inside the industrial style hangar. Spirits are up. I stock up on vitamins and honey-lemon hot liquids. Seems like we are far away from everyone and everything. Where are we? Bologna? Italy? I think about the times when people ask us, what we see when we are on tour. I would love to have gone into town, but energy is low, and we are far from the city center. So we huddle round a spaceheater and do our best to stay warm. Hoping the show tonight brings some good kinetic energy and direction. Missing the old streets and small shops, ristorantes, cafes, etc. Jacob just sneezed himself awake. Jairo is waiting for a call from home to wish his son a Happy Birthday. John looks ready to connect with his Italian roots, Martin was online and is now missing, Volker on the bus? Paul is laying low. Late night show and hours to wait around. Best wishes to all.

A limited number of these silkscreened posters are now available!

Calexico & Friends Poster – Dec 29, 2008 The Rialto Theatre – Tucson, Arizona
12″ wide x 18.5″ high

$25 US & Canada
$30 Worldwide

Epicerie Moderne

I wake up late cuz I stay up late. Hard to roll to sleep when the bus drives off down the cobble stone. There’s movies in the upstairs lounge and drinks/food/discussion with the occasional DJ momento downstairs in the galley. Ray likes coffee at 3am. The chill settles in hard today in Lyon. Val, Jairo and I cab it into town for a look and walk around. We climb with the funiculaire to the top of the mountain overlooking the valley filled with buildings and the Rhone running through it all. Off in the distance the Alps pierce the low lying clouds with a touch of blue sky and shining mountaintop in the sun. It helps to get outside of the backstage. Seems like hours disappear easily there. It might snow tonight Ray says. I bundle up as best as I can and dig into to some rehearsing with band, “Cruel” and “Stray” are some of the cuts we run thru.

I sent some photos from my phone, sorry if they’re fogged or muddled. Must be my pockets full of dust and such that give the gloomy glow. Anyways I sent a photo of the Cathedrale de St Jean hi atop the hill overlooking the sprawl of Lyon, also sent an interior shot of a votive candle I lit for you all especially Jacob Jr, Maurio, y Juanito. Did I send the photo of the Salon du Thé? It was great. Simple and sweet. Chocolat eclaire and tarte de pomme. Merci beaux coups.

School of Rock Barbey

I know I know it’s a funny name for a rock club. Well, it is a school too. And they have a wicked UK red double decker bus for catering and the food was outta this world. Today feels like Monday after the big celebrations last night in Barcelona and watching/feeling the energy in Washington DC with Obama becoming our new President. People here are very proud of us. Feels good. Nice comments from lots of folks tonight and the air seemed much more relaxed. Now, can we repair relations with Cuba? I really wanna go sometime. Alright back to Bordeaux. The audience was so attentive and quiet that we were wondering if they were breathing or not. They were and gave us a wonderful welcome back. This place is special. Ever since we played here in 1998 at the famous 60’s club Le Jimmy’s we have had a strong connection. Tonight we played “Letter To Bowie Knife” and the folks dug it. The show end was one of my favs too “Red Blooms”. Loving the ambience more and more on these late nights in the Mediterranean. Merci Bordeaux.
ps. Really enjoyed singing “Deep Down” tonight as well.