Giant Sand news galore

On Monday I went over to the Bank Of England and the quiet Treadneedles Hotel on Threadneedle Street. This was in order to meet up with Howe Gelb. As always Howe was talkative and the whole conversation went all over the place covering many intended and unintended subjects. You'll be able to read an account of it in a forthcoming issue.

Howe had played the previous week at the Barbican with Giant Sand and A Band Of Gypsies, the musicality from Cordoba, Andalusia, that he's lately taken up with.  Also on the bill was Kristin Hersh reading from her new book, accompanied on those readings by Giant Sand. Intended as a 25th anniversary celebration of the release of Valley Of Rain there were no songs played from that album. Howe seemed a little surprised, though unperturbed, by that revelation. It is, of course, entirely in character with he and Giant Sand, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Howe and the gypsies have released an album, Alegrias, so far only available on the Spanish Eureka label. Here's some footage from the launch in Corboda earlier this year:

Presentación del álbum "Alegrías en la Posada del Potro (Córdoba) "Uneven Light of Day" from eureka music on Vimeo.

 There is also a Giant Sand album Blurry Blue Mountain scheduled for release on Fire in October. Fire are also enabling Howe to reissue all his back catalogue in one place and in a uniform series, and archivist Jim Blackwood is hard at work remastering. Over the next year we should see all of these avaialble:

September 2010

Giant Sand - Valley Of Rain
Giant Sand - Ballad Of A Thin Man
Giant Sand - Storm

September / October 2010

Giant Sand - Love Songs
Giant Sand - Long Stem Rant
Giant Sand - Swerve

October 2010

Giant Sand - Center Of The Universe
Giant Sand - Purge & Slouch
Giant Sand - Ramp

November 2010

Giant Sand – Glum
Giant Sand - Backyard BBQ Broadcast 

Giant Sand - Goods & Services

Giant Sand – Live Album (Volume 1 & 2)

January 2010

Giant Sand - Chore of Enchantment
Giant Sand - Cover Magazine
Giant Sand - Black Out

February 2011 (Howe Gelb re-issue series)

Howe Gelb - Dreaded Brown Recluse
Howe Gelb - Hisser
Howe Gelb – Confluence
Howe Gelb - ...Some Piano Triple CD
Howe Gelb – Sno Angel DVD / Live Album

Band Of Blacky Ranchette – The Band Of Blacky Ranchette
Band Of Blacky Ranchette – Sage Advice
Band Of Blacky Ranchette - Heartland

March 2011

The Band Of Blacky Ranchette – Still Looking Good To Me
Giant Sand - Is All Over The Map
Arizoner Amp & Alternator - Arizoner Amp & Alternator

BOX SET OF ALL “Giant Sand” releases – April/May 2011

July 2011
Howe Gelb - Sno Angel Like You
Howe Gelb - The Listener

BOX SET OF ALL “Howe Gelb” releases – September 2011

I did ask Howe about Lonna Kelley who I first bumped into playing with him at the End Of The Road in 2007 and was pleased to hear that she'll be back singing with him soon and to discover that Eureka have also released one of her records.

Also I should direct you to Mike Brewer's Sa-Wa-Ro site where you can find ludicrous amounts of information about Giant Sand, Howe and related artists.