Howe Gelb

Howe Gelb
Gelb performing in 2007
Background information
Born	Howard Gelb (1956-10-22) October 22, 1956 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Origin	Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Genres	Indie rock, Americana, alt.country, roots rock, indie folk, folk-rock, lo-fi
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Labels	Ow Om, Loose Music
Website	howegelb.bandcamp.com

Howard “Howe” Gelb (born October 22, 1956, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)¹ is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer based in Tucson, Arizona.²³⁴

Gelb's approach to music is collaborative and he has recorded with a number of side projects. In a 2004 interview with Gelb, The Guardian wrote "Gelb's way of dealing with it was to treat Giant Sand (not to be confused with his 1970s electro-rock band Giant Sandworms) as a loose, uncompetitive, mutually supportive musical collective, a place for friends to hang out and play. 'I just liked the idea of having this kind of removed world, this brotherhood—the idea of a band being something more than a front person or dealing with the throes of fame.'"⁵

In 2013, he worked with the Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall on her fourth studio album Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon. He co-wrote and co-produced, and sang on several songs.⁶ His own solo album entitled The Coincidentalist was released on New West Records in November 2013.⁷

An impromptu performance at the wedding of a mutual friend lead to a long-distance collaboration under the name Geckøs with M. Ward and McKowski of The Lost Brothers. The group released its first eponymous album in September 2025.⁸

Source:⁹

• Valley of Rain (1985)
• Ballad of a Thin Line Man (1986)
• Storm (1987)
• The Love Songs (1988)
• Long Stem Rant (1989)
• Swerve (1990)
• Ramp (1991)
• Center of the Universe (1992)
• Stromausfall (1993)
• Purge & Slouch (1994)
• Glum (1994)
• Goods and Services (1995)
• Backyard Barbecue Broadcast (1995)
• Build Your Own Night It's Easy (1997)
• Chore of Enchantment (2000)
• The Rock Opera Years (2000)
• Unsungglum (2001)
• Cover Magazine (2002)
• Selections Circa 1990-2000 (Compilation, 2001)
• Infiltration of Dreams (2003)
• Too Many Spare Parts in the Yard Too Close at Hand (2003)
• Is All Over the Map (2004)
• Provisions (2008)
• Provisional Supplement (2008)
• Blurry Blue Mountain (2010)
• Tucson (2012)
• Heartbreak Pass (2015)
• The Sun Set Vol.1 [Vinyl LP] (2017)
• Returns To Valley Of Rain (2018)

• Arizona Amp and Alternator (2005)
• The Open Road (2016)

• Incidental Music (1983)
• Dreaded Brown Recluse (1991)
• Hisser (1998)
• Upside Down Home (1998)
• Upside Down Home 2000 (2000)
• Confluence (2001)
• Lull Some Piano (2001)
• The Listener (2003)
• Upside Down Home 2002 (2003)
• Ogle Some Piano (2004)
• The Listener's Coffee Companion (2004)
• Upside Down Home 2004: Year of the Monkey (2004)
• 'Sno Angel Like You (2006)
• Fourcast: Flurries (2006)
• Upside Down Home 2007: Return to San Pedro (2007)
• Spun Some Piano (2008)
• 'Sno Angel Winging It (Live album) (2009)
• Alegrías (2010)
• Melted Wires (2010)
• Snarl Some Piano (2011)
• Dust Bowl (2013)
• The Coincidentalist (2013)
• Future Standards (2016)
• Further Standards (2017) (with Lonna Kelley)
• Gathered (2019)
• Cocoon (2020)
• Howe Gelb's Schlager Christmas Album (2022)

• The Band of Blacky Ranchette (1985)
• Heartland (1986)
• Sage Advice (1990)
• Still Lookin' Good to Me (2003)

• Slush (1997)

• Not on the Map (2021)

• Drunken Bees (1996) – Giant Sand documentary by Marianne Dissard¹⁰
• Looking for a Thrill: An Anthology of Inspiration (2005) – Howe Gelb interviewed¹¹
• High and Dry: Where the Desert Meets Rock and Roll (2006) – documentary which includes music and interviews with Giant Sand members¹²
• This Band Has No Members (2006) – Howe Gelb solo concert film of his Japan tour in 2005¹³
• Ingenious (2009) - feature film soundtrack¹⁴
• Jackie (2012) - actor ("Paul")
• Quantum Cowboys (2022) - actor ("Blacky"), writer, music; winner Best Original Music Award, Annecy International Animated Film Festival (2022)¹⁵