A Tucson collective of musicians focussed around Joey Burns and John Convertino, with an eclectic style centred on Southwestern culture and taking in Portuguese fado, Afro-Peruvian music, 1950s and 1960s jazz, country and surf music.

Calexico formed after Burns met Convertino in Los Angeles in 1990. At the time, Convertino was playing with Howe Gelb's experimental rock group Giant Sand. Burns joined the group as their upright bassist for a European tour.

Burns and Convertino found their voice as a duo during a break from work with Giant Sand. They moved to Tucson in 1994 and initially worked with Tucson's neo-lounge combo Friends of Dean Martinez. After a split with Friends of Dean Martinez in 1996, the duo began to get session work.

Burns and Convertino experimented on their own with their new instruments in a home recording studio in 1996, releasing their debut album.