It's been about 25 years since Tucson, Arizona singer/multi-instrumentalist Howe Gelb slapped his Giant Sand moniker on a piece of vinyl and launched a career of atmospheric, sun-baked, Neil Young-inspired roots-rock, one that's delivered nearly two dozen high-quality recordings and directly influenced legions of similarly styled artists (Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Grant Lee Phillips, Centro-matic, and Magnolia Electric Co. are among the first that come to mind). A few years ago, Giant Sand's longtime rhythm section departed to form another like-minded outfit, Calexico, but Gelb has kept the band's moody, elegantly addictive sound intact. New album Provisions is, in a word, stunning, with Gelb's Leonard Cohen-meets-Bill Callahan voice mingling with tremolo guitars, shuffling percussion, piano, lap steel and horns that, put together, taste like last-call drinks, smell like unfiltered cigarettes, look like streetlights illuminating deserted avenues, and feel like delicious defeat and tomorrow's potential triumphs all rolled into one.
Sun., Oct. 12, 7:30 p.m., 2008
*indicates required fields. Please enable browser cookies before filling out this form. All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking Add Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.
Comments may take a few minutes to process and appear on the site. Please do not click the "Add Comment" button again while your comment is being added.
Beautiful Apartment Village $869
Shoreline Beautiful Holiday Home!
Indoor parking available $75/ month. Cat ok.
Large studios available