Beirut @ the phoenix0

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 for four months with his brother Ryan at the age of 17. He stayed most of this time in Paris where he became aware of Balkan folk music, popular with Parisian students. He then lived three years with local gypsies where he studied music and became heavily influenced by their instruments. This discovery and Condon’s subsequent exploration of world music proved to be instrumental in the development of Beirut’s sound. On his return from Europe, Condon enrolled at the University of New Mexico, where he studied Portuguese and Photography. Condon recorded the bulk of the material used for Gulag Orkestar by himself in his bedroom, going into the studio to finish the album with the assistance of Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel, A Hawk and a Hacksaw) and Heather Trost (A Hawk and a Hacksaw), who became early members of the band Beirut.