Just when you thought Giant Sand couldn’t get any bigger, Howe Gelb has done just that by regrouping, expanding and magnifying his vision with the newest version of past ensembles, calling it (appropriately enough) GIANT GIANT SAND. As a sort of homage, he’s named the album Tucson after the town he’s called home for forty years. This self-described country rock opera by one of music’s leading risk-takers, is set to be released on June 11, 2012 on Fire Records.
In GIANT GIANT SAND you will recognize six members, all hailing from Denmark, who have been a part of past incarnations of Giant Sand. In addition, you’ll be introduced to six new musicians from Howe Gelb’s native Tucson making their Giant Sand debuts.
The inspiration for assembling these collaborators (or cast if you will) for an album was the idea of a country rock opera, a vision that has followed Howe for decades.