Joey and John visited the KXCI studios on Friday, May 23rd to perform songs, talk about their new album and to promote the benefit show they played Friday night at the Rialto in Tucson to send Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo High School to Washington DC for the National Independence Day Parade.

During Friday’s Home Stretch show hosted by Kristi Lloyd which I heard thanks to a fan on the Calexico Yahoo group who snagged the Internet feed of that show it was announced that the new album is finished and will be called Carried to Dust and will be released September 9th in the U.S.

Calexico played three songs (I think) but I only heard two of them. The first song was new and they didn’t announce a title for it, but it was a slower song with a road or driving theme, and they played another new waltzy song titled “The News About William” played on acoustic guitar and brushes on drums. No earth-shattering change in direction in my opinion, but more strong music in the familiar Calexico vein.

The tour dates are filling in for Calexico this summer and it looks like they might be holding most of the U.S. dates until after the album release. There are three dates, though, Detroit on 7/5, The Newport Folk Festival in Newport, RI, and the World Music Festival in Chicago on 9/25. The World Music Festival will be a free one, so I might consider making a long weekend in Chicago for that one.