Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the rock band Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States with Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured his melodic, blues-based lines set against Latin American and African rhythms played on percussion instruments not generally heard in rock, such as timbales and congas. He experienced a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s.
Calexico is an American indie rock band based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1996, the band's two main members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, first played together in Los Angeles as part of the group Giant Sand. They have recorded a number of albums on Quarterstick Records and City Slang, and their 2005 EP, In the Reins, recorded with Iron & Wine, reached the Billboard 200 album charts. Their musical style is influenced by traditional Latin sounds of mariachi, conjunto, cumbia, and tejano mixed with country, jazz, and post-rock.
Restless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1986 by Enigma Records and primarily released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records. And Restless had a fully owned subsidiary Pink Dust Records.
Giant Sand is an American musical group from Tucson, Arizona, United States. Its most constant member is singer-songwriter Howe Gelb. The groups have developed idiosyncratic sound rooted in alternative country, but touching on a wide range of other styles and featuring Gelb's beatnik-influenced vocals and songwriting. Since about 2012, they have also performed as Giant Giant Sand when featuring a larger ensemble than their traditional four to six musicians.
Naked Prey was an American rock band from Tucson, Arizona. United States, which was formed in 1982 by the former Green on Red drummer Van Christian and David Seeger, who had been in the original line-up of the Giant Sandworms as well as The Pedestrians, a band credited with having performed the first punk rock show in Tucson. Other artists who recorded or performed with the band included members of Green on Red and the Sand Rubies, John Convertino and Joey Burns, later of Calexico, Chuck Prophet, Rainer Ptacek and longtime drummer Tommy Larkins, who currently plays with Jonathan Richman, famously appearing with him as half of the two-man Greek chorus in There's Something About Mary. Christian himself also performed with The Band of Blacky Ranchette and was in the original lineup of The Friends of Dean Martinez.
Howard “Howe” Gelb is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer based in Tucson, Arizona.
The Dusty Chaps was an American country rock band based in Tucson, AZ from 1969 through the early 1980s. In 1975 they released their first album Honky Tonk Music on a small Tucson label, Bandoleer Records. The band subsequently signed with Capitol Records and rerecorded Honky Tonk Music with an added track in 1977. They released another album on Capitol, Domino Joe (1978). Band members included Peter Gierlach ; George Hawke ; Pat McAndrew ; Leonardo Lopez ; Steve Solomon ; Bill Emrie (violin); Red Davidson ; and Ted Hockenbury. For some time the Chaps were the house band at Tucson's renowned Stumble Inn as well as the Poco Loco.
Rainer Ptacek, also known mononymously as Rainer, was a German-American guitarist and singer-songwriter based in Tucson, Arizona for much of his adult life. His guitar technique, which incorporated slide, finger-picking, tape loops and electronic manipulation, earned him the admiration of notable musicians such as Robert Plant and Billy Gibbons.
The Sidewinders was a rock band from Tucson, Arizona, who released two major-label albums and scored two radio hits in the US before a lawsuit forced a change of name. Another album was released on a major label but by that time the band had nearly broken up. Since then the band has reunited and dissolved several times.
I Hope It Lands is an album by the American band Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. It was released in 1996 through Communion Records.
Daniel Gordon Stuart is an American musician and author best known as the lead singer of the rock band Green on Red, his teaming with Steve Wynn as Danny & Dusty, a trilogy of "Marlowe Billings" solo records released from 2012 - 2018 and three novels, The Deliverance of Marlowe Billings (2014), The Unfortunate Demise of Marlowe Billings (2018) and Marlowe's Revenge (2022).
Straight Freak Ticket is an album by the American alternative rock band Love Battery. The band's first album for a major label, it was released in 1995 on Atlas Records. The first single was "Fuzz Factory".
Ballad of a Thin Line Man is the second album by American band Giant Sand. It was released in 1986 by record label Zippo.
Swerve is an album by Tucson, Arizona-based rock band Giant Sand. It was first released in 1990 on the Amazing Black Sand label, and was re-released in 1993 by both Amazing Black Sand and Restless Records. It features performances by guest artists such as Chris Cacavas of Green on Red, Juliana Hatfield, and Steve Wynn. Its music has been described as "Sticky Fingers country-rock".
The Lazy Cowgirls were a Los Angeles, California-based punk rock band active from 1983 to 2004. They have been described as "punk rock legends" by Westword's Brad Jones. After they broke up, lead singer Pat Todd founded Pat Todd & the Rankoutsiders.
Ramp is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1991. The album was released via frontman Howe Gelb's Amazing Black Sand label, before being picked up by Restless Records.
The Shadow of Your Smile is the debut album by the American band Friends of Dean Martinez, released in 1995. The band included members of two Arizona bands: Joey Burns and John Convertino, of Giant Sand, and Bill Elm, Tom Larkins, and Van Christian, of Naked Prey. The band changed their name from Friends of Dean Martin right before the album's release, after threat of legal action by Martin's representatives.
Brian Lopez is a Mexican-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and recording artist from Southern Arizona. His music is influenced by grunge rock, cross-border musical traditions and has come to epitomize the sound of the 21st-century American Southwest. A significant figure in the development of the Southwest psychedelic rock movement, Lopez has established a number of noted bands including Mostly Bears and Xixa, and played with internationally recognized artists Calexico, Giant Sand, KT Tunstall, and Nouvelle Vague. His solo albums include Ultra, Static Noise, and Prelude. Lopez's musical style has been compared to Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, and Radiohead.
Center of the Universe is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1992. It was the first Giant Sand album to receive wide distribution and a traditional promotional campaign. It was also the band's first album for Restless Records, which had rereleased a couple of older Giant Sand albums. The band supported Center of the Universe with a North American tour.
Glum is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1994. It was the band's first album to be distributed by a major label. Giant Sand supported it with a North American tour.
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