Desolate. Poetic. Cinematic. Enter the dry crusty world of the Sonora Desert. Quite a scene they have down there.

To make a long story short, Giant Sand evolved from the 80's band Giant Sandworms, and moved from L.A. to Tucson, Arizona in the early 90's. It took songwriter/singer/guitarist Howe Gelb a few years before finally settling with a steady band lineup, who themselves moonlight significantly as Calexico(read on).

New to Giant Sand? Start with the masterpiece - Chore of Enchantment. For an album that was recorded over 3 years in several different studios and w/ different producers, it is one of the most coherant and intriguing "concept" albums since Pink Floyd's "The Wall". The album is a tribute to Howe's friend and co-hort Rainier Ptacek.

Once you get sucked in, we suggest committing equal interest to Howe's solo albums. Confluence was released on a major label in 2001, while you can only get Down Home 2000 through the OW OM store.