Giant Sand, the kings of American indie folk

You may already be familiar with the work of these musicians from Tucson, Arizona, but if not, know that this is a band whose longest-serving member is singer-songwriter Howe Gelb. Others who have emerged from the ranks include Joey Burns and John Convertino, the two musicians who, in the ’90s, started the legendary indie folk group Calexico. An incubator for fine artists and an outstanding representative of the sound that has become known as Americana, the band are still in good shape, after 30 years of line-up changes featuring some of the biggest names in music. However, they now say they have said and sung everything that they had to say and sing. At least, that’s the reason Gelb gave when he announced the break-up of Giant Sand earlier this year. In 2015 they released ‘Heartbreak Pass’, yet another example of Gelb’s prolific talent for writing alt-country songs, and in this year they plan to launch an anthology (‘The Sun Set’) that includes everything the band have recorded since the very beginning. This box set will be released to coincide with the farewell tour that brings them to Europe this summer. A last hurrah from the kings of American indie folk. Festival Grec presents them tonight at sala Apolo.

Le Classique: Calexico “The ballad of Cable Hogue”

El Mariscal Mauro ha triat la cançó de Calexico “The ballad of Cable Hogue” com “le classique” d’aquesta setmana. El rock fronterer dels de Tucson brillarà a la vora del mar, en la presentació a Barcelona del seu darrer treball. Joey Burns i John Convertino porten gairebé tres dècades fent de la frontera la seva llar. Primer com a aliats de Howe Gelb, un altre explorador del desert, a Giant Sand, i des de mitjans dels anys noranta al capdavant de Calexico. Ningú com ells ha sabut acostar el so del folklore tex-mex a la radiant calidesa del pop, fent diana amb la cúmbia i també amb valsos en miniatura. Una riquesa de registres que els ha convertit en tot un referent de l’americana i del country alternatiu.

 

El 2015, Calexico van publicar Edge of the Sun, un disc ple de flamants cançons noves i que, alhora, funciona com una mena de panoràmica de la seva trajectòria, plena de rostres familiars d’amics i col·laboradors: Sam Beam (Iron & Wine), Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses), Amparo Sánchez (Amparanoia), Neko Case… Un elenc de luxe, eclèctic i internacional, per a celebrar unes sonoritats globals que els de Tucson han convertit en gloriós segell d’identitat. Avui com a comiat del Festival Cruïlla.