Tucson's Calexico up for two Grammys

Joey Burns and John Convertino were getting ready for a sound check in Manchester, England, Wednesday afternoon when they heard the news.

Their Tucson indie band Calexico and longtime collaborator/tour mate Iron & Wine (Sam Beam) had just been nominated for a pair of 2020 Grammys for their album “Years to Burn.”

“It was a great way to start the day,” Burns said in an email of the band’s first-ever Grammy nomination. “I’ve been writing to lots of friends and family back home all day.”

Calexico and Iron & Wine are up for Best Americana Album and Best Americana Performance for “Father Mountain.” The nominations were announced Wednesday morning. Other nominees in the Americana album category are Madison Cunningham, Keb’ Mo,’ J.S. Ondara and Yola.

“It was a big surprise especially for John and I since this is our first time,” Burns said, adding that Iron & Wine has been nominated in the past two years.

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Calexico and Iron & Wine have been touring the United Kingdom since early November. They are set to return home next week and as of now have no Tucson concerts planned, Burns said.

This isn’t the first time a Tucson artist has been nominated for an Americana Grammy. Indie rocker Linda Chorney made national headlines in late 2011 when she was nominated for the 2012 Best Americana Album for “Emotional Jukebox.” Her nomination was one of the first for a relatively unknown independent artist.

The 62nd annual Grammys will be awarded Jan. 26. Other nomination highlights:

• R&B newcomer Lizzo snagged eight nominations — the most — including album, song and record of the year.
• The three top nomination-getters — Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X — are all newcomers.
• Former Grammy darling Taylor Swift got the big snub with her 2018 “Reputation,” although she did earn a nomination for best pop performance for “You Need to Calm Down.”
• Country’s Billy Ray Cyrus returns to the Grammy sphere with his nomination for “Old Town Road,” a collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X.
• Tanya Tucker, who grew up in Willcox, has four nominations stemming from her album “While I’m Livin,’” including country album, song of the year, country song of the year and country performance for “Bring My Flowers Now.”