Live in B72, Vienna on 28^th of January 2002

Howe Gelb – what a man! From bootheel to top of the head an intriguing mixture of American songwriter and overboarding creative genius, with the manners of a southern gentleman and the wry smile of Texan Ladiesman. He is already a little grey around the ears, but that gives him the suave radiation of someone between George Clooney, Hank Williams and a gambler from Las Vegas (the cool ones you see in movies, not the real ones). He was born to let songs flow out of himself, even though he surely wasn’t born to bring those songs into fixed corsets and structures.

But that is the best part about concerts by Howe Gelb or Giant Sand – you’ll never know what you’re gonna end up with, except that it is going to be good. The first thing he did on stage was to play along with the song still running from the P.A. (See DJs in this town think, the music on records, that they put on is just as important as the artist, who came to town and who 250 people have been waiting for for a long time. If you want to know more, about “Why I still hate concerts” check there.) Then he put on his own CD-R, playing a mid-80ies, overproduced kitsch-track from Johnny Cash, and then he played along with that and sang together with Johnny Cash. “Good song”, was all he remarked. Some people in the audience laughed, but I still don’t understand why. Everyone, who ever learned to play an instrument, played along to some records. Everyone. I sure did. That is fun. It’s also a possibility to learn a lot, but it’s more fun than anything else. Anyway, Howe Gelb kept on doodling with his portable CD-Player, using it to play intermissions during his own songs, or using a Count Basie-track as an outro to a song and so on. All making it up as he went along. That is what I call creative genius. “See, I have to do this, to keep myself interested in playing these songs.”

He played great songs such as “Shiver” and “Blue Marble Girls”, covered “Wayfaring stranger” and did a medley of Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” and Neil Young’s “Out on the weekend” – because they are actually the same song. The last two cover versions can be heard on the upcoming Giant Sand LP/CD on Thrill Jockey records called “Retirement”. I hope that title doesn’t refer to a final break of Giant Sand, because as much as I love records by Howe Gelb-Solo, I love Giant Sand records a tiny bit more. Could be the electric guitars and the drums, or maybe it is just an effect of my uncareful usage of the word love. “Retirement” will feature mainly cover-versions, among others songs by Goldfrapp, Black Sabbath, Johnny Cash, amo, but also that great song: “Blue Marble Girl.” Get that record.

one of my favourite Giant Sand-photos. Very dark. The way they really ain't.

What exactly is the status of things with Giant Sand? Well, hard to say. Howe Gelb has been playing with Joey Burns and John Covertino for over 15 years now. That’s quite some time. Maybe some banter between Howe Gelb and a drunken member of the audience sheds some light. That dialogue went on some time, dealing with Howe’s Austrian roots, the city of Bruck an der Leitha in Styria, the spelling of Austria, and so on. When it all went on too long Howe said: “See, this is what Joey figured: Let’s cut all the crap, play straight and add Mariachis. There you go.” (What you get is Calexico; ed.) Answers the man: “You are the greatest, you don’t need them” Says Howe: “It’s not a question of need. It’s a question of desire.” See, as long as the desire is there, Giant Sand will be there. Easy to figure out, just like a sundown in the desert.

The concert was quite long, stretched by the dialogues, the intermissions and the recurrence of a song including cobblestone streets in Vienna and trees in Nigeria. Very interesting. Makes you think, how exactly creative minds do work. Not like the pseudo-creativity in advertisement-business or the hard-working creativity of modern artists, but the easy flowing, steady outpour of ideas. Combined, of course, with the technical ability to set these ideas into words. Howe Gelb has both. He kept changing from his old guitar (an acoustic Gretsch as battered an torn as I have ever seen a guitar to be) and his e-piano, sometimes playing both in the same song.

Howe Gelb is a cool guy, admirable and full with the flavour of independence. Get all his records. His latest are the abovementioned “Retirement” with Giant Sand, the genius “Chores of Enchantment” with Giant Sand from last year, two solo records named “Hisser” and “Confluence” (all Thrill Jockey or Glitterhouse). If you really fall into the guy, check out the homepage www.giantsand.com, which will give you almost any information on the band and the man (except why you like his music so much, you'll have to figure that one out yourself), an extensive illustrated discography and lots of stuff I see no sense in doubling here. And especially the shop-section which features the “Official Bootleg Series pt.1-3” and some Howe Gelb-Solo stuff by the name of “Down Home” (Ow Om records.) These are all great records for driving at through windy nights in a big, powerful car. Very much recommended.