Giranice does Jazzaldia

As many of you know, Joseba plays guitar in a band.  The group is called Giranice and they are pretty nice to listen to I might say, but then again, with Joseba being in the band, I guess that makes me a bit biased.

An instrumental group, Joseba plays the guitar along with another guitarist and bassist who are complemented by a violin and a drummer.  From time to time they throw in some xylophone and keyboard to attain their unique sound.  The genre of music they play is called Post-Rock, but before meeting Joseba I had no idea what that really meant and to this day I don't do a good job of explaining all of the intricacies of this realm of music.  The way I try to put it in layman's terms is that it is sort of like soundtrack music.  Imagine the movie 300.  Ready?

Ok, so Giranice's music would start out calm and melodic, something you would like to sway to as the Trojans are relaxing or chatting or something, then the scene cuts to them marching into battle and the music changes along with it - dropping into a powerful rock.  Strumming with all their might on the guitars and the voilinist playing his instrument with the enthusiasm of an electric guitarist, the music becomes energetic with multiple layers of sounds happening all at the same time.  They rock and rock until the battle scene would end and then cut back to a melodic and more tranquil tune which leaves your head spinning and ears ringing from the drastic transition from loud to soft as the Trojans walk away with thier victory.  All of these different scenes in their music translates to many different beats, styles and bouts of creativity that leave you very impressed.  For a listen, check out their page that lets you listen online for free or lets you download their first album HERE.  The second album should be coming out soon (like 2 weeks)!

When I first met Joseba the band was coming along but in the past 2 years they have morphed into a group that turns out great music and hops from concert to concert.  After competiting in an international music competition here in Bilbao, in which they came in 3rd overall, they have started gaining more and more recognition.  From radio interviews to magazine blips, the word Giranice is appearing more and more in the Basque Country.  But what does Giranice mean you may ask?  Well, better explained by Joseba, but it is a play on words.  In Euskera, Gira in the French Basque Country means we are and Nice is the English spelling of the Euskera work for Naiz, which means I am.  So, in a creative and Basque Country pride way, the band translates to mean We Are I Am.

Listening to their music is described by critics as taking a roundtrip journey through the sounds.  Having done this roundtrip time and time again, the group were extremely excited to be invited to perform at Jazzaldia, the massive Jazz Festival in San Sebastian.  They performed on Saturday afternoon on a huge stage overlooking the entire beach.  Possibly one of the best places to play, I was more than happy to attend as a fan.

After Jazzaldia, Giranice will be hanging up their guitars, violins and drumsticks as they take a long break.  With members moving to different countries and big life changes happening all at once, the band is stopping at their peak - with good memories and a heck of a lot of fans!

Muxu!
Amanda