Thievery Corporation Get Conscious at Echo Project

Thievery Corporation's live shows which feature their full band -- as opposed to their DJ set-up -- are exuberant, celebrational affairs with five singers, a wall of horns and an entire percussion section. For their main-stage performance at the Echo Project this past weekend, the band even brought some girls in the audience out onstage to dance for the closing number. It hardly seemed like a set armed with a heavy message.

"Our lyrics are very socially conscious," co-leader Rob Garza told Spinner immediately after walking offstage. "I think a lot of people have no idea what the songs are even saying, but if you go in and read the lyrics to songs like 'Richest Man in Babylon', there's a lot of talk about a lot of stuff that's pertinent."

Performing at a festival such as the Echo Project, where ecological and environmental issues are part of the agenda, is definitely something Garza enjoys. "They have a great lineup," he says of Echo. "The fact that it is socially conscious just makes it that much more rewarding to play."

Garza's new solo project, Dust Galaxy, will release its first album on November 6, followed by a brief tour. While it features love songs and some of the most traditional songwriting Garza has ever released, it also includes tunes such as 'Sons of Washington,' a scathing critique of our nation's political leaders.