Giant Sand - Valley Of Rain

2010 marks the 25th anniversary of Valley Of Rain - the debut album by Giant Sand, the ever-shifting alternative rock band overseen by “the Godfather of Alt. Country” Howe Gelb. With that in mind, the band are celebrating in the only way they know how: with a  urry of

great music. This year will see a special one-o  show at The Barbican in London on July 22 and a new Giant Sand album, Blurry Blue Mountain, released in October. Fire Records is also proud to announce the start of a Giant Sand/ Howe Gelb series of rolling

reissues from September 2010, which will see the re-release of roughly 30 albums starting with the re-release of Valley Of Rain and culminating in two box sets to be released next year. “Giant Sands is a mood,” says Howe’s of Giant Sands, as if trying to o er a low-key explanation for his dizzying array of artistic exploration that includes a back-catalogue of some 40 albums as a singer, band-leader and producer. After growing up in Pennsylvania in the 1970’s, it wasn’t until he moved to Tuscon, Arizona that he met his musical soul mate, the guitarist Rainer Ptaceck. The two formed Giant Sandworms and issued only a handful of recordings before the worms were put to rest: since then, Giant Sand have released 24 albums - an impressive haul when considering Howe’s equally proli c output under other

projects including Black Ranchette and Arizona Amp & Alternator as well as his solo releases. Howe, though, is de nitely not content to rest on his laurels. Giant Sand’s 2000 album Chore Of Enchantment has been declared one of the Best 1000 Records Ever Made and scooped up plaudits from NME and The Guardian amongst others, with the former insisting the record cemented his reputation as “a founding father of modern Americana”. His most recent solo project, meanwhile - 2006’s ‘Sno Angel Like You - earned a 5 star review in Mojo and was described by Q as “showcasing an immense generosity of spirit and poetic warmth”. Rather than retrospect, then, this is a time for celebration. Howe and his band will be marking the 25th anniversary of the release of Valley Of Rain by hosting a very special

evening of brand new collaborations and performances. As they play some of their choicest cuts from their back catalogue, they’ll be joined by Kristin Hersch, guitarist and founder of the seminal art-rock band Throwing Muses. “I'll jump at any chance to be on stage with the wild and wacky, kooky and cozy Howe,” says Hersch. “With Howe, I never know exactly what will happen, but it's always great to be a part of it.” As well as The Barbican show, there are three other UK dates scheduled for July in Winchester, Brighton and Gateshead, before the release of the new album Blurry Blue Mountain in October. And with the re-issues and Giant Sand box set still to come from Fire Records, 2010 will certainly be a celebration to remember for Howe and all of his fans. Fire Records will be releasing all 25 records by Giant Sand, Howe Gelb, Arizona Amp & Alternator, Band of Blacky Ranchette.

Tracklisting:

1. Valley Of Rain 2. TumbleAnd Tear 3. October Anywhere 4. Barrio 5. Death, Dying and Channel 5 6. Torture of Love 7. Down On Town / Love’s No Answer 8. Black Venetian Blind  9. Curse Of A Thousand Flames 10. Artists 11. Man Of Want

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