Giant Sand

Giant Sand play The Rebel Lounge on Sunday, October 18, starting at 2 PM. It's a matinee, so you'll be out well before dinner.

If you're not familiar with the name, Giant Sand is the project of Howe Gelb, who sings, writes, and plays guitar and piano. The band started out as The Giant Sandworms, and for a long stretch, the rhythm section was held down by John Convertino and Joey Burns—the two who eventually went on to form Calexico. Since then, the lineup has shifted around Gelb. Keyboardist Chris Cacavas of Green on Red has been in the mix, as has bassist Paula Jean Brown, who was a late-period Go-Go and Gelb's wife at the time, and drummer Tom Larkins. Gelb's daughter, Indiosa Patsy Jean, has also made regular appearances.

The guest list is where the band's reach really shows. Over the years, they've shared the stage with Victoria Williams, Neko Case, Juliana Hatfield, PJ Harvey, Vic Chesnutt, Steve Wynn, Vicki Peterson, and Rainer Ptacek. Gelb has kept busy outside the main band, too: The Band of Blacky Ranchette leans into country, OP8 was a collaboration with Lisa Germano, and he's put out solo albums on his own. The sound that ties it all together sits across alternative country, Americana, country, and folk.

It's a Sunday afternoon show at The Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85016. The music starts at 2 PM.