Biography
Spain Colored Orange, a Houston-based sextet, blends the southwestern melodrama associated with Calexico and the florid homegrown psychedelia of the Olivia Tremor Control along with its numerous offshoots, yielding elaborate carnivalesque arrangements alongside astute pop songwriting. Gilbert Alfaro launched the project in 2000 as a solo acoustic endeavor in which he handled vocals, songwriting, guitar, and keyboards. In a 2005 Houston Chronicle interview, Alfaro explained that the band name originated from an elementary-school map-coloring assignment his grandmother kept displayed on her wall at the time he formed the group. After committing his early solo recordings to tape, Alfaro shared the results with friends, several of whom expressed interest in becoming members. By 2005 the final roster comprised Alfaro together with trumpeter Eric Jackson, keyboardist Justin Peak, bassist Steven Burnett, and drummer James Diederich. The ensemble then signed with the Chicago-based indie imprint Lucid Records and issued the EP Hopelessly Incapable of Standing in the Way in 2005. Early 2008 brought the full-length Sneaky Like a Villain, produced by Dave Fridmann protégé Bill Racine.
Albums
