Fans of electronic music are sure to know the name Thievery Corporation. The Washington, D.C.-based duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have used their DJ and studio skills to create a sound described by various tags such as trip-hop, dub, and downtempo among others. But Garza is taking a break from Thievery Corporation to tour with his musical project known as Dust Galaxy.

Garza grew up mostly in suburban Maryland and met Hilton in 1995 in D.C. The two shared a penchant for bossa nova and jazz albums and decided to try to mix those sounds and other influences in the studio along with some electronic elements. After four albums with the Thievery Corporation, Garza wanted to try his hand at something new. He now fronts Dust Galaxy, a band that he says has rock, punk, and psychedelic influences.

As opposed to the sometimes elaborate DJ-based stage show offered by Thievery, Garza said those attending the Roanoke show will see “a basic rock band, with drums, bass, guitar, and a synthesizer.” And while Dust Galaxy sometimes maintains the electronic influences of Thievery, the band also has guitar riffs that sound like they could come from The White Stripes or The Killers. The show will see Garza taking some time to DJ and also taking center stage playing guitar and singing. “It will be a mix between dance music and rock mixed with dance music,” Garza said.

Garza said he created Dust Galaxy as an expression of some of his other musical influences. He went to London about a year and a half ago to begin working on the Dust Galaxy album with producer Brendan Lynch (Paul Weller, Primal Scream). “I had been doing all the electronic stuff with Thievery for several years and just wanted to do something different,” Garza said. He worked with Lynch and a variety of musicians to create the Dust Galaxy self-titled album.

While in London, Garza got to the opportunity to view the U.S. from a different perspective as well. Well-noted for political messages in Thievery Corporation songs, Garza is a spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program and has been involved in other political and social projects. “It’s very interesting the way the U.S. is perceived (in London),” Garza said. “In some ways, as an American you feel apologetic. You want people to know that everybody in America doesn’t think like George Bush. Things like Black Water and other incidents are not accepted as OK by most Americans.”

Garza mixes his political perspectives with his Mexican-American heritage and numerous musical influences to come up with an exciting eclectic sound for Dust Galaxy. It’s a project and sound that Garza is proud of, but he stresses that he’s in no way finished with Thievery Corporation.

“We have some tour dates already set for 2008 and plan to finish up a new Thievery album that will be released probably in May or September,” Garza said. “And at some point I definitely want to record some more tracks with Dust Galaxy. I just enjoy the opportunity to do a lot of different things musically.”

Dust Galaxy’s mini-tour is hitting major cities such as Montreal, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. When looking at the venues, it may seem like “which one of these things does not belong?” Roanoke seems an odd site next to San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.

Garza said the band thought Roanoke wasn’t too far away from where they were finishing the tour, which was Baltimore. “It’s a place I have not played before,” Garza said. “We thought it would be great to add it to the end of the tour. It’s a new venue for me. I’m looking forward to it.”

Noted DJ Ursula 1000 will also be doing some sets to begin and end the show in what will be a full night of music at 202 Market. Tickets are $25 and the show will begin around 9 p.m.

Tim W. Jackson, a.k.a. DJ TimTayshun, has been known to perform at various 80s parties and drag shows around the New River Valley. He’s also the Editor of the New River Voice.