Beirut (band)

Beirut is an American band which was originally the solo musical project of Santa Fe, New Mexico native Zachary Francis Condon, and later expanded into a band. Their first performances were in New York in May 2006, to support the release of their debut album, Gulag Orkestar. The music combines elements of Eastern European and Balkan folk with Western pop music, fusing the American mainstream and indie-rock culture and the World Music market.

History

Early years

Zach Condon was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on February 13, 1986. He was brought up in Virginia before moving back to New Mexico.

Condon attended Santa Fe High School, where he was a student until he dropped out at the age of 16. He later enrolled in community college, which he attended for a short period before traveling to Europe at the age of 17 to stay with his cousin. Here, he became aware of Balkan folk music, most notably that of Goran Bregović and Boban Marković. This discovery and Condon's subsequent exploration of world music proved to be instrumental in the development of Beirut's melodic sound.<ref...
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