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Howe Gelb
Biography
It took singer/songwriter Howe Gelb nearly 20 years to receive the type of attention upstart indie rockers routinely obtain by their second album. During those two decades, Gelb released an abundance of material at the helm of his group, Giant Sand, presenting a highly original take on Southwestern roots and garage rock. Gelb rarely stepped off his wayward musical course and onto even ground for any length of time. Combining this with inadequate promotion and distribution from a number of independent labels, and Gelb was ensured regrettable obscurity. By the late '90s, however, people finally began to take notice of a group of musicians gathering in Tucson, AZ. Gelb and Giant Sand had spawned a number of side projects including OP8 (Giant Sand plus Lisa Germano), Calexico, and the Friends of Dean Martinez. Gelb received the biggest critical and commercial success of his career with his Chore of Enchantment album in 2000.

Howe Gelb formed the first incarnation of Giant Sand (then, the Giant Sandworms) in 1980 with longtime friend Rainer Ptacek. Like most of the early lineups, however, the group didn't last long, undergoing the first of many personnel changes. In 1985, Gelb took a new quartet (which included future Friends of Dean Martinez drummer Tom Larkin) into the studio to record Valley of Rain (the official debut as Giant Sand) for $400.
Selected Discography