Calexico

What a decade it's been. 2004 was my first year in the so-called Real World ; jobs, car payments, instability everywhere. Read More

Old-school country-folk beatnik-cowboy singer/songwriter Tom Russell holds a certain measure of respect for the Southwest indie-rock scene, especially younger artists who have recently emerged from Tucson's Wavelab Studio with killer tunes and classic albums — artists like Calexico, Neko Case, DeVotchKa, and Los Lonely Boys. Why else would Russell hole up in producer Craig Schumacher's sonic lair to record what critics are calling the El Paso legend's best album to date? Read More

It was down to Jason or Albert Hammond, Jr., and it was a hard choice. Read More

And after the release last spring of another critically acclaimed record, Middle Cyclone , Case's career arc shows no sign of waning -- as her gig at the 1,300-seat Knight Theater on Nov. 18 would suggest. Read More

Then 40 minutes later during "Polar Nettles", Neko screamed in pain because she got a little electrocuted or majorly shocked from her microphone ... twice. Read More

Neko Case is an animal, De La Soul are guilty bystanders. Read More

Knocking our heads for a spin with his straight-out-of-the-desert brand of stoner/doom rock, Oscape made a big impression on the Ripple office when their first EP The Growing Ground fell into our laps. Read More

For the Dance of the Dead, Gary Patch and Amy Novelli turned the Rialto's interior into a shrine, topped by a colossal replica of a sugar skull, enormous papel picado banners, strings of giant marigolds and lights strung from the balcony to the stage. Read More

Born in Los Angeles in '53, Russell taught criminology in Nigeria, played music in bars in Vancouver, spent time in New York and now calls the El Paso area home. Read More

David Letterman's misfortunes have been to Tom Russell's benefit. Read More