© Bill Patterson
The Gourds at The Linda, 9/28/11
By Michael Eck
Special to The Times Union
Sept 29, 2011
ALBANY – Keep Austin Weird. That’s what the t-shirts and bumper stickers say. But no one ever needs to remind Austin’s finest export, The Gourds, to keep it weird.
They do that just fine on their own.
The Gourds are often compared to The Band, and with the quintet’s new album, “Old Mad Joy,” those allegations take on an even truer hue, if only because the album was recorded at Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock.
Neither Helm or album producer Larry Campbell were at The Linda, WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio, Wednesday for The Gourds’ tour stop behind “Old Mad Joy,” but shaggy-bearded Kevin Russell gave them a shout-out nonetheless.
Russell and bassist Jimmy Smith are the principal songwriters in The Gourds, but shows are not just a matter of the duo bouncing a ball back and forth.
Multi-instrumentalist Max Johnston got a few tunes in (including “Old Mad Joy’s” “Haunted”) and keyboardist Claude Bernard (who was fighting a broken accordion key) contributed his take of Nils Lofgren’s “Everybody’s Missing The Sun” from the band’s “Shinebox” album.
For the most part Russell — alternating between mandolin and electric guitar — and Smith focused their selections on the new album.
That didn’t stop them from doling out classics like the romping “Lower 48,” “Caledonia” or “Pickles.”
Smith sang “Jenny Brown,” from the combo’s 1996 “Dem’s Good Beeble,” twice, just to make up for a speedy but shaky first shot.
“We’ve been spending all our time working on the new stuff,” he said.
“Old Mad Joy” leans a little harder on electricity than some earlier releases.
Russell’s “Peppermint City,” for example, charged out of the gate with the singer’s Okie voice ringing. Russell spiked the tune with first of a few killer solos, saving his best for the long coda of “Ink and Grief” later in the set.
Smith kicked off the set with “You Must Not Know,” following it later with “Marginalized” and the rocking “Drop the Charges.”
Russell took top honors of the night with the Southern gospel swoon of “Two Sparrows.” The tune is stately on the album, but it just shimmered onstage, with three part harmonies and fiddle bringing the sentiment home.
Nashville’s Patrick Sweany opened the show for The Gourds with a half-hour of hot shot picking and sturdy songwriting. Sweany, his foot stomping on a tambourine, didn’t need a band. His library of six-string rockabilly licks ably abetted tunes like “Chelsea Swing” and “Everybody Wants The Same Thing.”
THE GOURDSThey do that just fine on their own.
The Gourds are often compared to The Band, and with the quintet’s new album, “Old Mad Joy,” those allegations take on an even truer hue, if only because the album was recorded at Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock.
Neither Helm or album producer Larry Campbell were at The Linda, WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio, Wednesday for The Gourds’ tour stop behind “Old Mad Joy,” but shaggy-bearded Kevin Russell gave them a shout-out nonetheless.
Russell and bassist Jimmy Smith are the principal songwriters in The Gourds, but shows are not just a matter of the duo bouncing a ball back and forth.
Multi-instrumentalist Max Johnston got a few tunes in (including “Old Mad Joy’s” “Haunted”) and keyboardist Claude Bernard (who was fighting a broken accordion key) contributed his take of Nils Lofgren’s “Everybody’s Missing The Sun” from the band’s “Shinebox” album.
For the most part Russell — alternating between mandolin and electric guitar — and Smith focused their selections on the new album.
That didn’t stop them from doling out classics like the romping “Lower 48,” “Caledonia” or “Pickles.”
Smith sang “Jenny Brown,” from the combo’s 1996 “Dem’s Good Beeble,” twice, just to make up for a speedy but shaky first shot.
“We’ve been spending all our time working on the new stuff,” he said.
“Old Mad Joy” leans a little harder on electricity than some earlier releases.
Russell’s “Peppermint City,” for example, charged out of the gate with the singer’s Okie voice ringing. Russell spiked the tune with first of a few killer solos, saving his best for the long coda of “Ink and Grief” later in the set.
Smith kicked off the set with “You Must Not Know,” following it later with “Marginalized” and the rocking “Drop the Charges.”
Russell took top honors of the night with the Southern gospel swoon of “Two Sparrows.” The tune is stately on the album, but it just shimmered onstage, with three part harmonies and fiddle bringing the sentiment home.
Nashville’s Patrick Sweany opened the show for The Gourds with a half-hour of hot shot picking and sturdy songwriting. Sweany, his foot stomping on a tambourine, didn’t need a band. His library of six-string rockabilly licks ably abetted tunes like “Chelsea Swing” and “Everybody Wants The Same Thing.”
with Patrick Sweany
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: The Linda, WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio, 339 Central Ave, Albany
Length: Sweany, 30 minutes; The Gourds, 2 hours
Highlights: Kevin Russell’s bittersweet “Two Sparrows”
The Crowd: Just as shaggy and weird as the band.
Upcoming: Solid Smoke is at The Linda on Friday.
© 2011 Hearst Communications Inc.
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