New year, new music!
Carrie just released 2 SINGLES from her upcoming Postcards from the Border album. Now streaming on all platforms:
Laboratorio with Calexico
For the first time, Laboratorio will be taking the show to the historic Paramount Theatre, to present a unique collaboration with the iconic indie rock band, Calexico.
Praised by NPR for their “sprawling, cross-cultural indie rock,” Calexico has spent the better part of the past three decades exploring the dusty musical borderlands of the American Southwest, crafting singular, cinematic songs as mysterious and magnificent as the arid desert landscapes that inspired them. Founded in Tucson, AZ, by guitarist/singer Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino, the band first emerged to widespread acclaim in the mid-1990s with a string of arresting, evocative records that blurred the lines between their roots, rock, and Latin influences, but it was 2003’s Feast of Wire that truly marked the duo’s commercial and critical breakthrough, earning them their first appearances on the Billboard charts and rave reviews everywhere from The Guardian to Pitchfork, who called the record “genuinely masterful.” In the years to come, Calexico would go on to release eight more similarly well-received studio albums that would help land them slots at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, and Roskilde, alongside dates with the likes of Wilco, Pavement, Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, and more.
With their most recent release in 2022, El Mirador, Calexico continues to break new ground. Writing and recording alongside long time band member Sergio Mendoza (keys, accordion, percussion), the album expands on long running influences of cumbia, mariachi and the plethora of diaspora sounds flourishing throughout the Southwest. By working with friends and recurring collaborators, Calexico highlights the unique social and linguistic intersections at the US-Mexico border and the magnificent possibilities of a borderless world.
*This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
Postcards from the border
Postcards from the Border premieres Jan 24th and 25th at UT's McCullough Theatre in Austin, Texas! Both shows are sold out, but we'll be adding more soon.
Oscar Cásares, an acclaimed novelist from the Rio Grande Valley, wanted to tell his 10-year-old daughter, Elena, about his experience of growing up on the Texas-Mexico border. To tell her this story, Cásares and photographer Joel Salcido traveled the length of the Rio Grande, from El Paso and Juarez to Brownsville and Matamoros, to share his roots and the subtle and profound details of those who live there.
Originally appearing as an essay in Texas Monthly, these postcards and the human stories they reveal come to life in a new stage production with music composed and performed by singer-songwriter Carrie Rodriguez along with her 5-piece band. Narrated by Cásares, the performance includes Salcido’s stirring images and documentary footage by Luke Jacobs that immerse the audience in the life and culture of the Texas-Mexico border. Collectively, these talented artists use their diverse talents to showcase the often-overlooked stories of generations of families at the edge of our country. This is the story of the border more people need to hear.
*Postcards From The Border was commissioned by and developed in residence at Texas Performing Arts at The University of Texas at Austin.
*Postcards From The Border was made possible with funding by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Theater Project, with lead funding from the Mellon Foundation and additional support from the Doris Duke Foundation.
Brené Brown and her creative loves
Creativity is a paradoxical pursuit: The craft of making requires vulnerability and a certain kind of tenderness or openness to the world around us. At the same time, putting our work out in the world today can take a shit ton of courage and tenacity. This is a space to shine a light on the folks who are straddling these tensions and making us all a little better with their art. —Brené
From Texas With Love
On August 19th tune in for the second season of From Texas With Love - a series celebrating music and collaboration in the great outdoors. Featured guests to include Melissa Carper, John Doe, Bruce Robison, and Matt the Electrician.
‘A SONG FOR YOU’ FEATURED ON NPR
“When the pandemic started and live music was put on hold indefinitely, Carrie Rodriguez had an idea. Now, Rodriguez is a singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. Her response was to start a series of videos published on her website and on YouTube so her fans could keep a sense of community going. The series is called A Song For You, and it features Rodriguez and her partner and musical collaborator, Luke Jacobs, playing together.” - Don Gonyea, NPR
Brené Brown’s Podcast: Unlocking Us
“Meet Carrie Rodriguez and Gina Chavez, the musicians who created and perform the music you hear every week on Unlocking Us. Artists and activists, Gina and Carrie integrate stories, culture, and the heart of past generations into their music to create artful and hopeful futures. You can hear it in their music, and you can see it in their lives. I’m so grateful that our weekly Unlocking Us conversations begin and end with their soulful sounds.”
- Brené Brown