Catfish, the Wedding Dee-Jay

Not every wedding features fire jugglers giving the bride and groom their first taste of peril as a married couple. But, that's the type of people I run with - the joyous, vibrant and adventurous spirits who'll not only invite vagabond jugglers to their wedding, but embrace the show.

That same happy couple brought in one Catfish Vegas as the wedding dee-jay, turning over the speakers for about 13 hours worth of music once all was said and done with the rehearsal BBQ (not much rehearsing done there, as a matter of fact), cocktail hour, dinner and one hell of a dance party.

It's the second wedding I've been asked to supply tunes for, and I gotta say that it's a wonderful way to boost the enjoyment of the night. There's nothing like the feeling of knowing and loving every song that plays throughout the evening.

Mr. and Mrs. Guy Toronto are two of the most tremendous people I know, full of humor and love and open hearts for everyone they meet. I was honored and thrilled to not only throw down the music, but to stand up front as they exchanged vows that even included a reference to the Denver Bronos ("We're a team, like the Denver Broncos, but different").

The whole week was a blur, from the moment Guy and the El Circo del Tres Gringos blew into town. Later that night we lifted Mr. Chair and his girl from the airport, hardly interrupting a fairly thorough bar tour of Downtown Tucson. We fit seven people comfortably in a Ford Grand Marquis. Felix Hurn flew into town the next night. Stu LeBlanc, the General and a host of other good souls painted the town with us. A sunset and some carne seca fell perfectly into the mix. Then there was the rehearsal and wedding and the tunage set a beautiful tone for a weekend of great friends, laughter and a sense of harmony with the entire universe.

This a somewhat vague and cryptic way of saying thanks to everyone involved for making the whole last week the most incredible time I've had in a great long while.

I'll leave y'all with two songs - the first one an Iron & Wine song the groom performed himself at the reception and the second a Magnetic Fields song the best man sang during the service.

DOWNLOAD:
Iron & Wine - Naked As We Came (live)
Mike Doughty - Book of Love (live Magnetic Fields cover)

"One more gift to bring..."

I first heard about the amazing collaboration between Iron & Wine and Calexico long before any official word was released about the In the Reins EP. In late 2004, Sam Beam had been spotted hanging around the Tap Room in Hotel Congress, and he was talking a little about recording with Calexico over at Wavelab. I was immediately intrigued and thought the combination had a lot of promise, though the album wouldn't be released for another nine months or so. Beam didn't have any sort of a band to speak of at that point and Calexico is a band full of seasoned musicians who show tremendous versatility in backing various singers.

After the album dropped they all teamed for a tour, also bringing along Salvador Duran, a Mexican singer-songwriter who's since become something of a Tucson institution. I caught the tour at a very packed Rialto Theatre and later found a free NPR recording of a show from Washington D.C. later in the tour.

The day before the Tucson show, Sam Beam, Joey Burns and Salvador dropped into KXCI for an in-studio session that featured a more subdued take on some of In the Reins top tunes. Most interesting was hearing Burns take the lead vocal on "Prison on Route 41," with Beam providing the harmony. The EP started with Beam songs that he'd written with just vocals and guitar. The bands collaborated in the studio for a much fuller sound, and once the songs are stripped back down for a radio performance, there's somehow something more there.

DOWNLOAD:
Iron & Wine and Calexico - Prison on Route 41 (live KXCI)
Iron & Wine and Calexico - Dead Man's Will (live KXCI)
Iron & Wine and Calexico - He Lays In The Reins (live KXCI)