Mario Calire is an American drummer, based in Los Angeles, known for his affiliations with The Wallflowers and Ozomatli and his wide-ranging freelance work.^[1][2]

A native of Buffalo, New York, Calire moved to California when his father, the keyboard and saxophone player Jimmy Calire, had a gig with the band America. Calire and his two brothers were raised in the bohemian Ojai Valley by his father and artist mother.

Calire studied jazz and world music at the California Institute of the Arts. He played frequently around Los Angeles, joining The Wallflowers in 1995 and remaining during the band’s peak years, during which time the band won the Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for the song "One Headlight".

In 2003, Calire joined Los Angeles Latin band Ozomatli.^[3] The album, Street Signs, won two Grammys and fueled a career resurgence bolstered by the band's live shows. During Calire's ten-years with the bad, Ozomatli toured throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Burma, Mongolia, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Lithuania and India. After an amicable split with Ozomatli, Calire began playing with The Wallflowers again as they toured in support of their 2012 record, "Glad All Over". He has since worked as a freelance drummer with artists like Rickie Lee Jones, Liz Phair, Nikka Costa, Brett Dennen, and Pat Green.

He is the brother of the animation director, Jamie Caliri.

Discography