Like almost every artist who comes to Israel in recent years, the members of the American band "Calexico" were also pressured to boycott Israel and cancel their fourth appearance in our territories.
To be honest, it's a pretty desperate struggle at this point, just as it's a well-worn (yet asked) question in interviews.
The answer to it, it turns out, is easier today than before - thanks to an ambassador who will also return to visit here soon.
"I think it was Nick Cave who gave an answer to that. He was a great inspiration for me and I agree with him," says band member Joey Burns in an interview with Israel Hayom, the night before his band's performance in Barcelona.
"I saw that during his visit to you, he explained that taking music and art from a certain company does not help things change on a political level. I am originally from Tucson, Arizona, USA.
I don't always agree with my government and its policies, especially in the last decade.
A few years ago, we enacted a law called 'Arizona 1070SB' (the 'Law Enforcement Support and Security of Our Neighborhoods Act', which attracted national attention because of discrimination against immigrants, p. There was a boycott of the state of Arizona and artists didn't play there, and this experience gave me a new perspective. I think it helped me understand that even though I don't agree with the government's policy that I'm performing in its country - it's actually important to keep coming and performing, to inspire, maybe even to promote peace." .
As mentioned, the band has already visited here three times.
Although the first performance in Israel, in 2009, and the last one in 2015 were different in terms of materials - it was difficult to stand still in all of them.
Calexico, founded in 1996 and named after a town in California, has always known how to speak to its audience through its feet.
In her work, she combines elements of alternative guitar indie, country, mariachi and Latin rock, and the result somehow managed to penetrate the audience's heart and come out dancing.
This is a group that has always connected a multitude of styles, combined musicians from a variety of nationalities and engraved the concept of ethnic diversity (Diversity) on its banner.
Long before it was a trendy word, the jargon of a generation that woke up and calls for equal rights and political correctness.
A variety of voices and styles
"I've always just followed my heart and my curious musical ear," Burns says.
"I find that I want to hear different types of music from different genres. It seems natural to me. I grew up in a house where many types of music were heard, and from the moment I started playing I wanted to discover more. I'm quite a product of the sixties, and bands like the Rolling Stones were influenced by folk as much as they were influenced by the blues . I aspired to grow musically, and even though I don't speak many languages I wanted to discover more. Music goes straight to the heart and it speaks to emotion, so why wouldn't you want to be exposed to something good that someone from Portugal wrote? There is a local station in Tucson called KXCI that I really like, and the broadcasters there once told me that they We're constantly looking to offer a wider musical range. I understand that now it's something that happens consciously, affects companies and people, and I believe it's a real thing. It benefits people who didn't have the opportunity to make a voice before."
You are signing a mini-tour in Europe and the Middle East in Israel. Will you also be able to stay here a bit like tourists?
"It's always a pleasure to visit you. I think that apart from the fact that the shows were very energetic and the record stores were great, the most enjoyable thing about our visits to Israel was being so close to the water. I remember that on one of the visits we had just landed, and we were already entering the sea. I grew up near the coast in California, so the feeling was Familiar. We already got to explore your area. Last time we were in Jaffa, so we got to explore several cultures through your architecture and food, which I remember being very delicious. You can learn a lot about a culture through its food."
Calexico will perform on July 30 at the "Skyline" complex in Ariel Sharon Park.
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