Geckøs: Dance of the Gecko

Geckøs, the collective spirit of acclaimed songwriter M. Ward, Giant Sand visionary Howe Gelb, and Irish multi-instrumentalist McKowski, announce the release of their debut single "Dance of the Gecko” (listen).

The idea for Geckøs first sparked at the wedding of a mutual friend in Tucson. What started as an impromptu recording session quickly evolved into a full-blown creative partnership, blending the rich flavors of the Southwest with indie folk, Spanish influences, and a touch of desert mysticism.

The journey began with initial recordings at a Tucson studio, with Gabriel Sullivan of XIXA engineering. From there, Geckøs became a true transatlantic project: sending ideas back and forth between Omagh, Portland, and Tucson. They eventually regrouped to finish the songs in studios across Ireland, London, and Bristol, where renowned English producer John Parish mixed the debut single, among other tracks.

Offering a first glimpse into their cross-cultural soundscape, "Dance of the Gecko" blends the sun-bleached textures of Southwestern folk with ghostly echoes from across the Atlantic. It’s a sound that feels both familiar and wholly new: the ghosts of the desert dancing in step with something uncharted. The track conjures a dusty, dreamlike landscape where layered guitars sway like mirages, restrained percussion taps out an ancient rhythm, and voices drift in and out like desert winds.

“Dance of the Gecko shouldn’t exist, but it does,” explains McKowski. "The result of what happened when we all found ourselves in the same room at the same time. Something caught fire and the song wrote itself in front of us, completely by accident. Luckily Gabe Sullivan was there to press the record button and bottle the magic. The song has since become our calling card. The seed that Geckøs grew from.”

"Dance of the Gecko" is available now across all major streaming platforms. A full-length album from Geckøs is currently in the works, with more music and select live performances expected later in 2025.

The group will tour and perform together, both individually and as Geckøs, in Spain this May:

May 14, 2025 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Upload
May 15, 2025 - València, Spain - 16 Toneladas
May 16, 2025 - Granada, Spain - CajaGRANADA Cultural Center
May 17, 2025 - Cádiz, Spain - Edificio Constitución 1812