Giant Sand, the iconic and influential band fronted by luminary Howe Gelb, celebrates 30 years of freewheeling and ever-evolving music making on new album, Heartbreak Pass, due May 5 on New West Records. The album spans founder Gelb’s far-reaching career and mixes the rollicking nature of the band’s 1985 debut, Valley of Rain, with the dusty alt-folk, desert-rock and jazzy lounge-piano explorations of his most recent releases.
Heartbreak Pass features the current Giant Sand lineup of Thøger Lund, Gabriel Sullivan, Brian Lopez, Jon Villa, Peter Dombernowsky, Nikolaj Heyman, Anders Pedersen, Iris Jakobsen and Asger Christiansen who trade off on instruments from song to song like a game of musical chairs. Frequent collaborators Maggie Bjorklund plays pedal steel on several tracks while Lonna Beth Kelley offers a smoldering counterpoint to Gelb’s gravelly warble on a couple of tunes.
The album also features Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, Grant-Lee Phillips, Croatian indie folk singer Lovely Quinces, Ilse DeLange & JB Meijers of Dutch Americana band The Common Linnets, treasured alumni Paula Jean Brown and frequent PJ Harvey collaborator, John Parish, who also mixed the record. Original Giant Sand drummer, Winston Watson, who went on to play with Bob Dylan, guests on the album and brings things full circle.
GIANT SAND ON TOUR
March 19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW – Threadgills (New West Records Day Party)
March 20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW – Continental Club – 8 pm (New West Showcase)
May 14 – Lucerne, CH @ Südpol
May 15 -­ Florence, IT @ Viper Club
May 16 – Rimini, IT @ Velvet Club
May 17 – Munich, DE @ Feierwerk
May 18 -­ Heidelberg, DE @ Karlstorbahnhof
May 19 – Nürnberg, DE @ Hirsch
May 20 – Düsseldorf, DE @ Zakk
May 21 – Leuven @ BEL @ Het Depot
May 22 – Utrecht @ Netherlands @ Cloud 9, TivoliVredenburg
May 23 – Schorndorf, DE @ Manufaktur
May 24 – Bern, CH @ Dachstock
May 25 – Basel, CH @ Kaserne
May 26 – Aschaffenburg, DE @ Colos-Saa
May 28 – Barcelona, ESP @ Primavera Sound Barcelona
May 30 – Nimes, FRA @ This Is Not A Love Song Festival
June 1 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
June 2 – London, UK @ Union Chapel
June 3 – Liverpool, UK @ St. George’s Hall
June 5 – Porto, PRT @ Optimus Primavera Sound Porto
September 4-6 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
Giant Sand on tour will consist of various clustering: Thøger Lund, Gabriel Sullivan and/or Brian Lopez, Peter Dombernowsky and/or Winston Watson with logistical incarnations that include Nikolaj Heyman, Anders Pedersen, Jon Villa, Iris Jakobsen, Asger Christiansen + Lonna Kelley
HOWE GELB SOLO SHOWS
March 24 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vera *
March 25 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust *
March 26 – Berlin, DE @ Frannz Club *
March 27 – Reutlingen, DE @ Franz K *
March 29 – Freiburg, DE @ Cafe Atlantik *
March 30 – Zurich, CH @ El Lokal *
March 31 – Lausanne, CH @ Le Romandie Club *
April 1 – Cantu, IT @ All’Una e Trentacinque Circa *
April 2 – Bologna, IT @ Bravo Caffe *
April 3 – Turin, IT @ Spazio 211 *
April 4 – Brescia, IT @ Latteria Artigianale Molloy *
April 8 – Bristol, UK @ St. George’s Church
(preview of Giant Giant Sand tour movie “Out of the Desert)
* With Grant-Lee Phillips