The Gourds News

1-15-12 Austin, TX

2012-01-15T22:57:00.006-05:00

© Tony the Plumber

The Gourds
Bless Your Heart - Fundraiser for Chris Gray
The Continental Club
1315 South Congress Avenue
Austin, TX
1-15-12

01. Gravity Talks (Dan Stuart/Chris Cacavas)
02. Michoacan (Doug Sahm)
03. Mister Betty
04. Web Before You Walk into It
05. All in the Pack > Destroyer (Ray Davies) > All in the Pack
06. LGO
07. Lower 48 *

*Rare studio arrangement

Special thanks to Tony the Plumber for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

1-07-12 New Braunfels, TX

2012-01-07T23:32:00.011-05:00

© Alfred Ramos

Video: Soundcheck / Blood of the Ram > Sympathy for the Devil / New Roommate / Declineometer / Cranky Mulatto / Marginalized / Tex-Mex Mile / Ants on the Melon / Burn the Honeysuckle / Pill Bug Blues / Wired Ole Gal

The Gourds
Gruene Hall
1281 Gruene Road
New Braunfels, TX
1-07-12

01. Blood of the Ram > Sympathy for the Devil (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards)
02. (the new way of) Grievin' & Smokin'
03. New Roommate
04. Declineometer
05. Shreveport
06. Cranky Mulatto
07. Marginalized
08. Drop the Charges
09. Want it So Bad
10. Tex-Mex Mile
11. You Must Not Know
12. Drop What I'm Doing
13. Haunted
14. Ants on the Melon
15. Burn the Honeysuckle
16. Illegal Oyster
17. Pickles
18. Pill Bug Blues
19. Hellhounds
E:
20. Nights in White Satin tease (Justin Hayward) *
21. Lower 48 **
22. Wired Ole Gal
23. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Easy (Lionel Richie) > Superman (Gary Zekley/Mitchell Bottler) > Gin and Juice

© Cerise Gillis Gillett

*A cappella
**Richmond Ditch version

© Ducktaper

Special thanks to Tomski, Alfred Ramos, Ducktaper, Catarina Sigerfoos, Jason & Cerise Gillis Gillett, Richard Spencer Benton, Jenna Perez, Jeff Levy, and Greg Hammer for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

1-06-12 Dallas, TX

2012-01-07T08:39:00.004-05:00

Video: Honduras / Your Benefit (pending) / El Paso / All the Labor

The Gourds
The Kessler Theater
1230 West Davis Street
Dallas, TX
1-06-12

01. Peppermint City
02. Drop What I'm Doing
03. Haunted
04. Do 4 U
05. Drop the Charges
06. Lower 48 *
07. Tex Mex Mile
08. Honduras
09. Plaid Coat
10. I Want it So Bad
11. January 6
12. Melchert
13. Caledonia
14. Jesus Christ with Signs Following
15. Cranky Mulatto
16. Pine Island Bayou
17. I Like Drinking
18. Mister Betty
19. Burn the Honeysuckle
20. Your Benefit
E:
21. All in the Pack > Swingin' (John Anderson/Lionel Delmore) > Hello, I Love You (Jim Morrison/Robby Krieger/Ray Manzarek/John Densmore) > All in the Pack
22. El Paso
23. All the Labor

© Dana Bradley Gentry

*Richmond Ditch version

© Karl Manley Richter

Special thanks to Karl Manley Richter, Jeffrey Liles, Dana Bradley Gentry, Allen Vanblarcum, and Mario Hernandez for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Texas Music Scene: Top 10 Albums Of The Year

2012-01-06T20:00:00.004-05:00

Editor's note: The following review was taken from a Jan. 6 list by Mike Messick covering the third and final round of his "30 Albums of the Year". Click here to read the rest of that article.

3. The Gourds – Old Mad Joy. I don’t generally like it when other writers use the word “gumbo” to describe a band with rootsy, funky, diversely-influenced style, but dammit if it doesn’t always seem to fit the Gourds. They’ve been the premier purveyors of ecstatically out-there folk rock for the last 15+ years and apparently there’s still plenty of gas in the tank … “Two Sparrows” is a Dylanesque epic, “Drop The Charges” a punk-tinged stomp, “I Want It So Bad” a sunny, shuffling rocker. Even the more middling songs are hardly anything to be ashamed of, and more just a byproduct of how their best material sets the bar so high.

12-31-11 Austin, TX

2012-01-01T15:14:00.013-05:00

© Ducktaper & © Bill Bayne

Photos: by Rick Kern / by Cassandra Ladino (incl. opening act) / by Bill Bayne
Video: Gin and Juice > Cupid > Surrender > Time of the Preacher > Gin and Juice / My Name is Jorge / Maria / El Paso / Tex-Mex Mile / Blanket Show / Mister Betty / Haunted / Your Benefit / Burn the Honeysuckle / Ants on the Melon / Lower 48

The Gourds
Willie & Friends Family New Year
Moody Theater
310 West Willie Nelson Boulevard
Austin, TX
12-31-11

01. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Cupid (Sam Cooke) > Surrender (Rick Nielson) > Time of the Preacher (Willie Nelson) > Gin and Juice *
02. My Name is Jorge
03. Maria
04. El Paso
05. Tex-Mex Mile
06. Blanket Show
07. Mister Betty
08. Haunted
09. Your Benefit
10. Burn the Honeysuckle
11. Ants on the Melon
12. Dooley (trad.)
13. Lower 48 **

© Rick Kern

*Joined by Dennis Quaid of the Sharks
**Richmond Ditch version

© Rick Kern

Special thanks to Cassandra Ladino (via Rhonda Peterson), Ducktaper, Rick Kern, and Bill Bayne for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

12-29-11 Houston, TX

2011-12-30T10:09:00.007-05:00

Photos: by Jennifer Cassaday / by Cassandra Ladino
Video: Shreveport / Tex-Mex Mile / Haunted / Burn the Honeysuckle / All the Labor

The Gourds

The Continental Club

3700 Main Street

Houston, TX
12-29-11

01. I Like Drinking
02. (the new way of) Grievin' & Smokin'
03. Declineometer
04. Shreveport
05. I Want it So Bad
06. My Name is Jorge
07. Tex-Mex Mile
08. All in the Pack > Pump it Up (Elvis Costello) > All in the Pack
09. Haunted
10. Caledonia
11. God's House
12. Two Sparrows
13. Bridgett
14. Drop What I'm Doing
15. Jesus Christ with Signs Following
16. Burn the Honeysuckle
17. Melchert
18. El Paso
19. Ants on the Melon
20. Your Benefit
21. Drop the Charges
22. Peppermint City
23. Do 4 U *
E:
24. All the Labor

*Jimmy sang the first verse

Note: Due to technical difficulties, Kevin's first attempt at using a head-set microphone was unsuccessful tonight.

© Jennifer Cassaday

Special thanks to Alison MacIver Goodson, Jennifer Cassaday, Annie & Sean Doyle, William Michael Smith, and Cassandra Ladino for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Houston Press: Towering Townes

2011-12-28T23:22:00.004-05:00

Van Zandt, John Nova Lomax, and Lightnin' Hopkins (c. 1968)

Editor's note: The following paragraph was taken from a Dec. 28 review by John Nova Lomax of the Brian Atkinson book on Townes Van Zandt, "I'll Be Here In The Morning". Click here to read the rest of that article.

In Kevin Russell's chapter, the Gourds front man says, correctly, that Van Zandt's finest album is Live at the Old Quarter — as it captures Van Zandt at the peak of his vocal and instrumental powers and is utterly shorn of schmaltz. Russell then goes a little too far when he says it's the only Townes you'll ever need. Yes, the old studio albums were overproduced, but there are quite a few great songs on them nonetheless, many of which are not on the Old Quarter album: "Sad Cinderella," "Colorado Girl," "Quicksilver Daydreams of Maria," to name but three he recorded before the Old Quarter taping, and gems like "Flyin' Shoes," "Snowin' on Raton" and "Marie" that came later. All of that said, if you've never listened to Old Quarter, you've cheated yourself of a chance to truly appreciate Townes. And that goes double if you've been suckered into buying one of the many, almost always ghoulish, posthumous live albums.

Rolling Stone: Wise Worn Hearts Beat Inside The Roots

2011-12-23T22:03:00.004-05:00

Editor's note: The following review was taken from a Dec. 23 list of "The Best Under-the-Radar Albums of 2011" by Senior Editor David Fricke. Click here to read the rest of that article.

The Gourds – Old Mad Joy (Vanguard)

Founded in 1994, this Austin, Texas institution issued nearly a dozen records on its way to this earthy, lyrically incisive pleasure produced with an invigorating touch by Larry Campbell, the ex-Bob Dylan guitarist who now plays with Levon Helm. The Gourds have always had a good long streak of Helm's old outfit, the Band, in their progressive-country dynamics and barroom-sawdust party. But the best thing about Campbell's empathy was the way he brought light and focus to the central continuing dialogue of the Gourds' primary singer-writers, guitarist Kevin Russell and Jimmy Smith – the wise worn hearts that constantly beat inside the roots.

Patriot Ledger: A Compelling & Raucous Collection

2011-12-20T22:30:00.002-05:00

Editor's note: The following review was taken from a Dec. 20 list of the "21 Awesome Albums You May Have Missed In 2011" by Peter Chianca. Click here to read the rest of that article.

9) “Old Mad Joy,” The Gourds. New Orleans stomp, roots rock and southern boogie (and even a wisp of punk) join with country twang for a compelling, raucous collection.

Next Step: I Want It So Bad

2011-12-17T21:25:00.002-05:00

What’s Your Next Step?
December 17, 2011
By Kim Reisman

I want it so bad…

One of my favorite bands is the Gourds. They were in Lafayette a few weeks ago & John & I went as we usually do when they pass through. They’ve got a new album out right now call Old Mad Joy. You can check it out on iTunes. One song in particular struck me given that we’re smack in the middle of one of the most commercialized, co-opted by capitalists, holy seasons of the Christian faith – those days leading up to Christmas. It’s called I Want It So Bad & it’s a great swing type tune that John & I immediately had to dance to…

The first time I gazed upon that glorious thing/It made we wanna dance and delightfully sing/I whirled and twirled and laughed til I cried,

I love this song! I’ve been driving around delightfully singing every since I bought the CD. But there’s a little more to it…

I was so ecstatic until I realized/It was not mine nor would it ever be./Then a storm of emotion swept over me/My heart was broken, my hands were tied,/my one desire had been denied.

I want everything...

This time of year we’re bombarded with images of all the things we think we need but probably just want. And often we want those things really bad – that think-we-can’t-live-without-it kind of bad that can end up really messing with our heads…

Maybe it’s a dream, maybe it’s a thing,/Maybe it’s something that you’ve never seen/Maybe it’s happiness, maybe it’s love/Or maybe yer waiting for something to come from above

Maybe it makes you feel like you never succeed,/Maybe it makes you feel like you never get what you need./It’s a feeling that comes from within,/It’s universal between women and men

We just wanna be loved, we just wanna be whole,/We just wanna get back what we feel like was stole/From us as a child when we got schooled./Man that wasn’t fair, that wasn’t cool…

I’m still singing to my CD because this is a really catchy tune & I love to delightfully sing in the car. But here’s the kicker…

There ain’t no rule, there ain’t no law/That says we ever get what we want at all/We all know life ain’t fair/But we forget it when desire becomes despair…

Oops…got me…

I want this… no, I need this… wait, I deserve this. But I can’t have it….. Now what?

[Next Step is a faith formational ministry whose mission is to train, encourage and challenge Christ followers to live more fully as committed disciples of the Jesus way, to share their faith with greater love and boldness, and to impact their world with greater courage and integrity on behalf of Jesus Christ]

The Rag Blog: Highly Praised & Historically Resonant

2011-12-14T00:51:00.006-05:00

Old Mad Joy: No Last Waltz for the Gourds
By Jan Reid / The Rag Blog
December 14, 2011

In the 40-odd years since Austin became more than a backwater of American music, none of its talents have been more rousing and enduring than the band called the Gourds.

The Gourds came out this fall with a highly praised and historically resonant Vanguard release, Old Mad Joy. They have four fine singers and songwriters and an astonishing facility with an array of instruments that include acoustic and bass and electric guitar, mandolin, accordion, violin, piano and organ, and drums. They blend strains and echoes of gospel, rock, blues, country, bluegrass, Cajun, even barbershop harmony -- sometimes all of that blended in one song.

I first encountered them about 10 years ago, and I thought, good lord, it was like seeing and hearing The Band. That first exposure led me to an album called Shinebox, which was recorded in the Netherlands, and that started with a pitch- and humor-perfect country-western take on Snoop Doggy Dogg's hip-hop classic, "Gin and Juice." The band's leader -- to the extent they have one -- is a large good-natured man named Kevin Russell. The cover was an Internet sensation, and reached the notice of Mr. Dogg, as the late Molly Ivins tagged him. An associate on his radio program reached Russell and asked the Gourds to roll on over and rap.

Russell hesitated and said they would have to make some travel arrangements. “The guy said, ‘You’re where?’ Like everybody in the world lives in Los Angeles. I guess if you live out there it seems like they do.” Shinebox also contained eclectic covers of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust," Townes Van Zandt's "Two Girls," and Billy Joe Shaver's "Omaha." But now the Gourds seldom play any covers, because their own writing is so prolific and so good.

Jimmy Smith, the Gourds’ bass player and another star singer, has curly black hair and sideburns that are going a little gray now. In style and voice Smith reminded me of the late singer and piano player Richard Manuel, of The Band. David Langford, a rancher and nature photographer whose son Keith is the Gourds’ drummer, told me that I had it wrong. “Listen to him again,” he said. “He is Rick Danko” -- the late singer and bass player of The Band, which in the sixties and seventies, especially with the parting Martin Scorcese movie The Last Waltz, far transcended its origins as Bob Dylan’s backup group.

Smith nodded politely as I mentioned the similarities and perceived influences. “We’d never heard of them until people like you started telling us that we sound like them,” he said with a smile, perhaps putting me on. It was a gentle way of saying I was old enough to be his father.

Russell asked me one time, “You want to know why we became an acoustic band?” He laughed and said, “We didn’t want to haul around amps.

“Why the Gourds?” I asked about the name.

“When we came to Austin we were the Picket Line Coyotes,” he replied. “There was some history associated with that, and we just decided it was time to change. Jimmy wanted us to be the Sun-Dried Diegos. I guess he wanted us to play happy hours at Central Market.

He had this little house we called The Steamy Bowl. A shack, really, but he lived there 10 years. Off the road, 200 bucks a month, nobody we could bother much. It was the classic band house. We played, we crashed, we slept on the floor. And he had this little sculpture in the front yard. Broken guitar, various junk. Between its legs was a butternut squash.” Russell shrugged.

“That seemed to be us. The Gourds.”

Russell’s dad worked for an oil company. They lived first in Beaumont, where an uncle used to play Willis Alan Ramsey’s legendary only record and long for the old days at Armadillo World Headquarters, and then his dad’s work moved them to suburban Houston, and then Shreveport.

“I was into Southern rock,” Russell said. “Anything Southern. Lynyrd Skynyrd was my favorite.” Then punk bands from Minneapolis and the West Coast caught his ear, and punk was somewhat the tenor of the Picket Line Coyotes. “We sort of got run out of Shreveport,” Russell said. “We were just playing music, and drawing crowds, but fraternity guys were getting drunk and tearing up joints. The owners blamed us. We were blackballed.”

The evolving band moved to Dallas, and then Austin. Smith was from the Dallas suburb Plano. Max Johnston, the third lead singer, had come down from Kentucky and played banjo and acoustic guitar and the violin, which he plays like a violin, not a fiddle. He has a fine song on the new album called TK [Editor's Note: Haunted].

Red-bearded Claude Bernard joined the band blowing on a hooter and bought his first accordion for 35 bucks at a flea market; he’s also the keyboard player. The original drummer was the immigrant Welshman Charlie Llewellin, now Texas Monthly’s new media director and the band’s favorite photographer. Keith Langford, the drummer they settled on, is Russell’s brother-in-law. He’d been playing heavy metal [Editor's Note: Punk] in San Antonio.

Russell had a day job in Austin’s popular independent Book People. He thought an appearance by the band might lighten up employees who wanted to air their grievances at work. The Gourds were initially an in-crowd discovery of people who frequented the bookstore. “Lots of women dancing together,” said Bernard. “Wild dancers. They whipped up the crowd in a way we couldn’t possibly manage.”

They played for crowds of 20 at the Chicago House, then moved up to the Hole in the Wall, across the street from the University of Texas campus and KLRU studios but still far removed from Austin City Limits. “Alt-country” was a rubric of the nineties that began as a fanzine of Uncle Tupelo. The Gourds were uncomfortable about being branded alternative anything and lumped into a yuppie stampede to bib overalls and old swimming holes, but they were Austin’s foremost beneficiary of alt-country.

The North Carolina independent Sugar Hill picked up the Gourds, but they paid their bills from their income on the road. The South by Southwest festival swirled around the Gourds in Austin, but Russell told me that if I’d come to Jovita’s I wouldn’t encounter anybody with plastic cards hanging around their necks. Smoke billowed back then, beers were handed back from a long line at the bar, and now and then a waitress would maneuver through the mass of bodies, holding a tray of enchiladas aloft.

The players were handing back and forth instruments that seemed to never need tuning, though the venue had problems; a clogged air conditioning duct poured a stream of water at their feet. “I think it’s gone beyond towels,” said Russell, blinking and thrown off stride. Smith walked over, spread his arms, and raised his face to the shower. The album they were pushing then was Cow Fish Fowl or Pig.

The title of the record was drawn from Smith's fanciful song about a vendor calling on William S. Burroughs, Henry Ford, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Muhammad Ali. Performing it, Langford was bearing down on his harmonica, Bernard hugging and swaying with his accordion, a chorus of voices singing genial nonsense, bop bop, bah dooh dah, bop bop. “My name is Jorge and I twist and I juke/ I roll into town on a wagon of fruit.”

The Gourds crowd presented a stunning array of young women. A blond whose face would fill up a movie screen looked at her boyfriend, raised her elbow with a grin of delight, and I watched them go swirling and stomping their heels in the ageless bacchanal.

The Gourds have come a long way since then. The banjo and harmonica have mostly receded from the mix, and they're plugged in now -- more often than his mandolin, Russell plays lead electric guitar in a style that echoes Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, and other Southern rock bands that influenced him as a kid. "Most bands grow out of rock and roll when they get to be our age," Russell told me with a laugh. "We've done everything kind of backward."

One of the most impressive things about the Gourds is their longevity. They have persevered for 16 [Editor's Note: 17] years, getting better all the time, and they’ve done it in a once laid-back city where the cost of living has skyrocketed. Smith’s Steam Bowl shack and the $200 rent is a fading memory. They have mortgages now, and Smith told me, "Between us we have five daughters and seven sons.”

They rehearse now in an un-airconditioned former nursing home in South Austin; the room they utilize, once the kitchen, has no windows, much musicians' equipment, and a homey pleasant clutter -- one wall sports a bumper sticker that reads, "My honors student has a career in the service industry." They get started by 11 a.m. and work no later than 1:30, and then they scatter to pick up their kids after school.

They’ve got devoted followings all over the country now, and they've escaped the European touring routine that sustains but also traps so many Texas bands. They've got no roadies -- for roadies expect a living wage and tend to be temperamental wannabe musicians. The Gourds don't have the star routine down in which all the instruments are in tune, the sound system is thoroughly checked, and they walk out and hit the chords of the first big hit. Their music is too intricate for that, and they dress like what they are -- onetime hippies who are in their forties now.

They've been at this together since 1995 [Editor's Note: 1994] because they love and respect what they have going. And now they're no longer scuffling. After years of deserving it, the Gourds have hit the big time.

David Langford, the drummer's father, told me, "Keith grew up listening to our records of The Band, and that's how he plays the drums." Jimmy Smith flaps his elbows like The Band’s Rick Danko when he performs, but he's a better bass player. Danko played bass with a pick, as does Paul McCartney.

Smith has the thick muscular hands of a blues guitarist, fingers up on the frets, working the thick strings with a callused thumb below, and with Keith Langford's drumming that's one of the reasons their sound is so tight. Smith's voice is an untethered tenor, and he does sound a lot like Danko. The legacy of The Band and the Gourds’ inheritance is now inescapable.

Through the efforts of their manager Joe Priesnitz, who once represented Stevie Ray Vaughn, they signed a Vanguard contract overseen by executive Bill Bentley, an Austin expat who saw Willie Nelson first captivate an Austin crowd of hippies and anti-war militants assembled for the campaign of George McGovern in 1972, and for a while worked as a publicist for the multicultural rocker Doug Sahm.

Bentley engaged as the Gourds’ producer Larry Campbell, a gifted studio musician who has recorded with Willie, Sheryl Crow, Little Feat, K.D. Lang, Cyndi Lauper, and Levon Helm; he was a member of Bob Dylan's road band from 1997 to 2004. Early last spring, when there was still snow and ice on the ground in upstate New York, the Gourds arrived for a dose of Campbell's breathless style in Helm's storied Barn Studio in Woodstock.

"It really is a barn, but a real nice barn," Russell told me. "Levon lives in an upper story of it." Did the legendary drummer and singer of The Band take part in the sessions? "No, he wandered through every so often in his house shoes. He was very friendly, and wanted to take particular care of Keith. 'Do you need anything? Some water, a soda pop?' Seems to be some kind of voodoo with drummers.'"

Of course that's reasonable. In the late summer rehearsal I observed in Austin, Langford was the one who came out of that fire in the kitchen soaked in sweat.

As in past records, the smooth baritone Max Johnston contributes one of the best cuts on Old Mad Joy, the melodic rocker “Haunted.” But Jimmy Smith and Russell again claim most of the lead singing and writing credits. Smith slurs his lines more than Russell, and as a result his singing is not as accessible as his longtime partner's. And that’s a shame; in wordplay and jitterbug of thought that’s as offbeat as Kerouac, his writing is remarkable.

His great song on this record is “Marginalized.” It’s a paean to a painful subject in our culture, fully in view amid Austin’s stream of BMW convertibles and Escalade SUVs. The hero of this song is the one standing out in the heat beside a stoplight with a message of his life’s misfortune scrawled on a cardboard sign, counting his fortune by the bills and coins dropped in a tin can, pushing all he owns in a cart heisted from a grocery store.

But elevated by Russell’s mandolin and the backup harmonies, the sorrowful song manages to soar. “Well, I’m taking it home on my tectonic plate/ crashed in a pyramid and claimed squatters’ rights/ shared a coop with a fellow wouldn’t shut up about a girl named Isis/ had to blend with the tourists when they came in the a.m…”

Earlier this year, Russell released an album called Shinyribs that was an instant favorite in Austin, singing only his songs and bringing just Keith Langford from the Gourds in a studio band that included one of the cosmic cowboy survivors, Ray Wylie Hubbard (the writer of Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother.”)

Russell said it didn’t mean he was splitting off from the Gourds. “With a band like this you have to make a lot of compromises. Everybody’s got material they’d like to get out there. I’ve got boxes full of songs that I’ve never done anything with. Shinyribs is a break that allows it to be just me, with a terrific other band besides.”

Russell’s rock and roll high point on Old Mad Joy concerns that dreaded gig of road musicians, a dive in nowhere with a vile crowd that brings out the complaint: “My heart is black but in my sack/ I got a sammich and half a pack/ of vitriol and self-abuse/ who can I call to accuse and abuse/ for bringing me to … Peppermint City!” He said there is no such place, but then they’ve played them by the dozens. He laughed when I told him I’d never before heard a rock song with the word “vitriol.”

He also offers “Two Sparrows,” a song about Jesus that he wrote years ago. “His innocence held such clarity, Gethsemane still on his breath/ barefoot and burdened unjustly but love never leaving his breast/ from this began my wandering, my punishment for the crime/ of standing still among an angry mob, all of them friends of mine.”

Vanguard is pushing a rocker called “I Want It So Bad” as the single, but the best of it is Russell’s “Eyes of a Child.” “It’s true I am wicked, it’s true I am mean/ I must have lost my way chasing a dream/ It’s true I’ve done things that I’m ashamed of/ But I still need tenderness and the warmth of love/ I’ve come clean and I’m redeemed/ since I have seen through the eyes of a child.”

All of this may not sound entirely joyous. But turn it up. It’s some of the best music since "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."

A few refrains in this piece previously appeared in the 30th anniversary edition of Jan Reid’s The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock.

[Jan Reid is an author and music historian and a writer-at-large for Texas Monthly, and his writing has also appeared in Esquire, GQ, Slate, and The New York Times. His books include Texas Tornado: The Life and Times of Doug Sahm, The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock (considered the definitive tale of Austin music in the 1970's), the novel Comanche Sundown, and books about Tom DeLay and Karl Rove. His, memoir The Bullet Meant for Me, was the story of his mental, psychological, and emotional recovery from a brutal 1998 robbery and shooting in Mexico City -- and his sustaining friendship with the two-time world champion boxer Jesus Chavez. Reid is now writing a biography of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.]

12-10-11 Austin, TX

2011-12-11T15:43:00.009-05:00

The Gourds
Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison Holiday Show

The Paramount Theatre

713 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX

12-10-11

01. Peppermint City
02. On This Christmas
03. Best of Me
04. Hot Burrito #2 (Chris Ethridge/Gram Parsons)
05. X-Mas on the Isthmus (Terry Allen)
06. Have the Stones Ever Done a Christmas Song?
07. Blankets
08. Jesus Christ (Alex Chilton)
09. Blanket Show
10. The Last Month of the Year (What Month Was Jesus Born In) (trad.)

Special thanks to Grahame Jones, Tracy Kirksey Brewster, and T.G. Caraway for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

12-09-11 Austin, TX

2011-12-10T03:06:00.013-05:00

Photos: by Amanda / by Tim Griffin
Video: On This Christmas / Best of Me / Hot Burrito #2 / X-Mas on the Isthmus / Have the Stones Ever Done a Christmas Song? / Blanket Show / The Last Month of the Year (What Month Was Jesus Born In)

The Gourds
KGSR 21st Anniversary Party
Moody Theater
310 West Willie Nelson Boulevard
Austin, TX
12-09-11

01. On This Christmas *
02. Best of Me
03. Hot Burrito #2 (Chris Ethridge/Gram Parsons)
04. X-Mas on the Isthmus (Terry Allen)
05. Have the Stones Ever Done a Christmas Song?
06. Blanket Show
07. The Last Month of the Year (What Month Was Jesus Born In) (trad.)

Note: Related articles/reviews can be found here and here.

*1st live performance of this unrecorded original

© Laura Feeney

Special thanks to KGSR 93.3 FM, Polycom, Laura Feeney, Tim Griffin, BrooklynVegan, and Amanda at Accidental Music for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Alert...Alert...New Shows!

2011-12-06T19:05:00.008-05:00

© Thomas Self & Ian Robinson

12-09-11 Austin, TX ACL Live/Moody Theatre KGSR 21st Anniversary Party *
12-10-11 Austin, TX The Paramount Theatre
12-29-11 Houston, TX The Continental Club
12-31-11 Austin, TX ACL Live/Moody Theater Willie & Friends Family New Year
01-06-12 Dallas, TX The Kessler Theater
01-07-12 New Braunfels, TX Gruene Hall
01-15-12 Austin, TX The Continental Club Fundraiser for Chris Gray *
01-27-12 Austin, TX Antone's *
01-28-12 San Antonio, TX Private Event
02-03-12 Fort Worth, TX Lola’s Saloon on Sixth
02-14-12 Austin, TX TBA *
02-16-12 Denton, TX Dan's Silver Leaf *
02-17-12 Tulsa, OK Private Event
02-18-12 Tulsa, OK Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame
03-02-12 Austin, TX Private Event *
03-21-12 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle *
03-22-12 Atlanta, GA Smith's Olde Bar *
03-23-12 Live Oak, FL 16th Annual Suwanee Springfest
03-24-12 New Orleans, LA City Park 3rd Annual Hogs for the Cause Concert
3-25-12 Tallahassee, TN Private Event *
3-26-12 Tampa, FL Private Event *
04-14-12 Dripping Springs, TX Private Event *
05-04-12 Hot Springs, NC 15th Annual French Broad River Festival *
05-05-12 Wilmington, NC Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
05-11-12 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle *
05-12-12 Beaufort, NC 24th Annual Beaufort Music Festival
07-07-12 Norfolk, NE Private Event
07-30-12 Fort Worth, TX Private Event *

*Indicates a new show that was not listed on the previous New Tour Date post

Please note that some dates get cancelled or rescheduled for a variety of reasons. This itinerary reflects the most up to date information available. Private events do not appear on The Gourds official website calendar

No Depression Blog: Still Seedy After All These Years

2011-11-23T13:01:00.004-05:00

The Final Blog Down or We Love What We Do & Each Other Too or Still Seedy After All These Years (if you can fit in the van you can be in the band) Durango-Lafayette.

By Kevin Russell
November 22, 2011

Durango is one of those towns that has always been good to us. Going way back to the Storyville days we have always had great shows here. The Henry Strater Theater is part of an historic hotel of the same name. As I arrived a kid was toting jack o lanterns out to the dumpster and tossing them unceremoniously into the rotting cavity of the receptacle. To me it felt a little sad, these gourds, past their prime being thrown out with the everyday trash. A young girl came out with him for the last load of Halloween harvest. I said hello to them and smiled but they did not acknowledge me. They gave off a subtle Children Of The Corn thing. That paired with the destruction of my calabaza cousins was enough to put me on guard. Knowing the haunted history of this hotel I could take no chances.

The stage was smothered in a hopelessly tangled morass of red cables laid out by a stage hand. We mumbled complaints to Mark [Creaney] and he assured us that it would be just fine. But...but...it looks like a shit ton of red licorice, I have a deep fear of red licorice. It's a laxative. That much of it in one place could be highly dangerous. It could induce evacuation by mere proximity. Mark assured me it would not, could not cause my bowels any problems. That frozen burrito from the hotel vending machine in Santa Fe is what you should worry about, he reminded me. The food at this haunted hotel was stellar. House made sausage, Chorizo stuffed chicken and potato-leek soup. We ate in our green room in front of a mirror. I have sat across from all of these chaps eating many times. But, sitting next to them, eating together in a mirror was like something from the mind of Stanley Kubrick. The show was sold out and solid gold.

We had to get up early and bust ass up to Boulder for the Fox show.

American Alt Country throw down is how the promoter described this show. A third act had been added at the insistence of the venue, Miss The Boat they were called. They were a nice bunch of chaps it seemed. Musically they were highly derivative of that Colorado hippie jam grass style. We have worked on a theory that the jam band style evolved in higher altitudes where it is difficult to sing effectively due to lack of oxygen. While singers caught their breath the band played on, noodling upon noodles until the singer could sing again. This is how that band sounded. They were good at it. But, again, as is always the case with jam bands, no great singers. They all were pretty good, nobody great or distinctive though. The green room at The Fox theater is underneath the stage. If one wants to get out into the main houses, one must at some point walk onto the stage. Eagle [Eye Williamson] was wondering how to do this while they were playing. I told him in that situation I would wait until the end of a song and then run across quickly while the applause was still ringing. He took my advice and then waited while they played a song, solo after solo they went on and on and on. We laughed about the situation of having to wait for a jam band to stop. When he finally did get an exit point he ran up the stairs as fast as he could. I didn't see him for a good 15min or during the whole next song. Then he appeared as applause erupted overhead, as if he were being applauded on his decent into the underworld like Orpheus, the rock star going down into the cavity of earth in search of his leather clad Eurydice asleep in her high heels and lace trimmed, seamless, jezebel bustier. "Man, I have been waiting for ever for that song to end," he sighed. Then he illustrated some of his favorite stupid dances for us, "The TNT," "Ride The Horse," and one that can only be described as "The Scarecrow Meets The Motivational Speaker On Ephedrine."

EagleEye is a lot of fun to have around. He's a great hang and has some great songs too. Boulder really dug his thang. They really got what he was doing. And he was so different from Miss The Boat. It was the perfect blend of opposing forces to set up things for The Gourds to walk on and blur the bubbles, whatever that means. Blur the bubbles we did. Blurred them and twisted the lemons, stirred the pot, picked a pickled pepper, thumped the tummy, popped the clouds, strummed a few winks, bit an apple or two then skated out into the foggy fusion of fragrant filigree. A dazzling dandelion of a show was had by all. We hope to return to Boulder as soon as possible.

Gracious Host: ( inquisitively generous) What's yer favorite shot?
Smart Ass Band Guy: Rubella

Pla Mor Ballroom in Nebraska. It's a great example of early-mid 20th century dance hall. When Bobby Layne bought it from Caril Ann Fugate's lawyer in the Starkweather case, it had hippies squatting in it. He kicked them out and cleaned the place up. It has served as a popular dance hall since then. While trying to find it Keith and I went to 6600 O St. The thing you need to know about Lincoln NE is that the roads are in a grid, letters running east-west and numbers running north-south. Another important fact is that the numbers run east and west like a mirror. Which is to say one can go to 6600 East O st or 6600 West O st. Unfortunately we went to the east O. There we found a dilapidated mall and, by process of elimination, the knowledge of this peculiar city grid design. So, that's right, we drove from 6600 East O to 6600 West O to arrive at this wonderful dance hall. I was not in the best of moods when I arrived. But I soon improved after walking into the musty, old, wooden welcome of our helpers, Dave and Opossum. I love old dance halls. I asked if the place was haunted, because they usually are. Dave told me sometimes he hears tables being moved when he is alone in here. Welcome to Nebraska where even the ghosts are productive, hard working and reliable.

(in my best urban, contemporary rapper voice)That's why they call this shit, the muhfuggin' Hawtland, Yo!! Cornhuskerz n' shit, kickin' it from the wishbone like Tom Osborne, Starkweather, Caril Ann, a death star was born. We gonna bring it back no matter the cost and never underestimate the loss when you are on the ground watching the ass of Scott Frost skate across the goal line, the soul shine, the song man stands in the corn, the storm, the vibrations of the husk in hand, the hawt land Hawtland Hawtland!!!!! All rise, all stand for the man and the woman in the heart of the land in the hand of the hand of the man who sailed the flat waters in search of peace and harmony.

Opossum put on Old Mad Joy. He said he has been trying to figure out "Want It So Bad" so he can cover it. But he was stumped by the chorus. I got my guitar out and he went and got his and I showed him how to play that part. Larry Campbell had the idea that this song needed a better chorus. He gave me a rough outline of that ascending thing as a possibility, then told me to work it out. I did. And that's what the chorus of that song became. It is tricky though as it ascends in half steps up from the E position, C, E7, F, F#, G, G#, Am, F then back to C and again but different slightly, C, E7, F, F#, G, Am, F, C. Once Opossum saw me play it he seemed to understand right away. He and Dave said they were gonna cover it in their band, Hayseed Cowboys. A Monday night in Lincoln NE could easily have Peppermint City potential. But the friendliness of our promoter, Dave and the genuine appreciation of long patient Nebraskan Gourds fans colluded to provide us a very enjoyable night. The sound on stage was just about perfect I thought. We played an old song of ours as a special tribute to the occasion and location, "Starkweather Made Nebraska." The lyrics had been written on the walls of Jimmy's old Steamy Bowl house on Depew by Claude's bro, Rob Bernard during a bottle night perhaps, in a drunken, slobbering scrawl no doubt. Later Jimmy put some music to it and we played it for a few years. It never made it onto a record. Though Rob had his own music he put to the lyric that did make it onto a Prescott CurlyWolf record, Funanimalworld. We went over it at Soundcheck and it brought me great joy to play it again. Songs, like smells, can bring back feelings and memories. And in many ways this could be thought of as a night of songs and smells. It never occurred to me that perhaps they don't care to hear about the infamous serial killer from Lincoln. Until later, once it rolled around in my head for a while. I considered that if someone were to come to Austin and play a song about Charlie Whitman, I would not be impressed. I would not be offended either. Maybe ambivalent? I am sure plenty of bands have come to Dallas and dedicated, sang songs about Lee Harvey Oswald. It is something most Dallasites would consider history of the city and therefore allowable. Though I have read about the Dallas Cowboys team at the time getting all kinds of shit about the Kennedy assassination when they would go to other football stadiums. Weird, eh? It makes me wonder, will some band ever come to New York City and sing a cryptic, pop culture laden song about Mohamed Atta? Probably, eventually. (Read Welcome To Terrorland, by the way. Good research in there. Similar to me in that he is not the greatest writer but writes about some disturbing shit. So yeah, Starkweather I guess we played it for our selves. And by conjuring a horrific string of heartland murders from the 1950's we made a sentimental connection with an inspirational time in our personal history. That's twisted. But that is sometimes the mysterious way life manifests itself to us humans. I mean it's not like we are a Kali death cult or anything, but life does grow from death.

Speaking of life and death, we had to get up and get back on the blue highways for a long, murderous trip of our own. We would be traveling all the way to Minneapolis MN to the family home of Claude's in-laws. We were hungry when we left Lincoln.But the only foods around were fast food chains. We thought we would find something better maybe up the road. But since leaving Colorado there had been nothing but an endless chain of McArbysubqueen's broken up by the occasional dingy, truck stop annex with the word, "Restaurant" placed strategically to signify that, indeed, this is a place with a kitchen that prepares "food." Nothing against truckers or the trucking industry, but I am not a gambling man. These are the times that try men's holes. As ugly a sentence as that is, it is pretty damn accurate. This is never pretty, ladies and gentlemen. We ended up eating in Iowa at a burrito place. It was a good effort they made but ultimately it failed to reach that convergence of ingredients that equates to what I would call a burrito. We theorized that the meat was boiled instead of grilled. And the salsas had no heat. We knew that the menu offering of three different sour creams said something about the cliental in this market. We are in dairyland boys. (Kev's healthy eating tip: for all of you sour creamers out there, try greek yogurt instead for a healthier option without any compromise in flavor) I will give them points though for having whole wheat tortillas and wild rice option instead of white. As a lo carb, metabolic syndrome foot soldier, I appreciate it. The long road ended in the cold of dark Minnesota evening. The plan, as is usual, when we land in a communal house situation like this is for Jimmy and/or Mark to cook a meal. Mark had pealed off from the tribe to visit a friend. So Jimmy decided he would make a spaghetti bolognese, based on the recipe of the former chef at Louie's 106 in Austin. He was a tall Austrian (i think) fellow named Norbert. That bolognese was some of the best stuff I ever ate. Jimmy can almost hit it on the head too. Since Keith and I arrived earlier we went to the store with a list of provisions from Chef James. We brought'em back and laid stuff out for the arrival of the cook. He hit it as soon as he walked in the door and in a couple of hours we had a fine feast. EagleEye made the bread especially good too. So, yeah, the metabolic foot soldier was swimming mouth deep in carbolicious offerings. Perhaps I could eat a smaller portion? Nope, fail. I pigged out and enjoyed every bite.

After a day of utter stagnant laziness we cruised down to St Paul to the Turf Club. It was maybe the coldest day so far. It sat around the 20's all day. There was some grumbling about conditions, but nothing major. I never ate because it was just too cold to go walk around and find food. There was a Thai place next door. I may be the only Gourd who doesn't really care much for Thai. I keep trying, but it never impresses me. There is just too much aromatic spice or something, I don't know. It always tastes like someone's grandmother's perfume was accidentally dropped in the curry. The turf is a classic twin cities dive. There is something about the place that makes me drink a little more than usual, turn up a little louder, sing a little longer than the average. And since I didn't eat that got me into a little trouble. The show was clammier than usual. But it was low down groovy and greasy too. Sometimes execution is sacrificed for feel. Feel is most important I think. Gear, talent, looks all have varying degrees of value in the world of music, art and thru out society. For me, though, it's all about inspired performance and feel. I judge most all music, art, literature on that kind of scale. If it don't move me, it lose me. Definitely, the audience was movin all over the place. They came from all over. Some from Wisconsin, some from Iowa, Canada, Illinois. It was a cool show I thought. But, sometimes a cool show for me can be a not so good show for somebody else. Sound, health, sobriety, emotions can all affect the kind of show one of us has. Even the greatest bands have off nights. What separates those bands from the others is that the audience will never know about the bad nights. There are a few fans who have seen enough shows to know when we are having a good night, bad night, great night, whatever. Most will never be able to discern that. And, like I said, I can have a great night while the others can suffer mightily. I think Claude and Keith had not so much fun. But they played well I thought Yï and toughed it out apparently. Maybe it was that shitty Thai food.

Madison has been a great town for us for many years. We first played a tiny little place called The Art Bar many years ago. It is still a legendary show in the shared memory of the band. We have been playing High Noon Saloon for a long damn time too. Tag Evers has been a fixture as a promoter in the Madison scene for as long as anyone can remember. Max says even the Wilco guys have stories about him. He is a classic, thick skinned, self determined sort of promoter. If I were making a movie I would cast this guy as a music promoter. He certainly is good at what he does. A little too good for us sometimes. In the past he has done this double booking sort of thing to us. It goes something like, he offers another band to open for us, we reject it because we tour with our own opener. So he books the band anyway for an early show instead. Thereby making it impossible for us to soundcheck. To his credit he did try to inform us ahead of time about this. But, it is so out of the bounds of normal music venue etiquette that we were not aware until the day before when Keith reviewed his paperwork for this show. Nothing against other touring bands having a gig, but not having a proper sound check truly shorts us and our fans from having the best possible experience. We were forced to show up at 8 for a 9 o'clock show. Normally a sound check can take an hour and a half to two hours. Cramming it in quickly while there is a small, gathering audience is stressful and problematic. We were unhappy about that. And it affected this show measurably (Editor's Note: see "Throw and Go"). I had several comments afterwards expressing concern and sympathy in regards to the problems in sound at High Noon. I thought about explaining to them that it was just a normal soundcheck, though condensed and unusually open to witness by an audience because of Tag's double booking decision. Though saying all of this in a noisy bar after a show is an irresponsible use of my larynx. So there ya have it. I will leave it at that because I have learned, as well, some of you don't want to read me bitching about the venues and their dubious ways. Only other musicians are interested in those details. So, maybe I will put together a sour grapes compendium of the most incompetent, inconsiderate, irritating and insane venues and promoters in the USA. A simple facebook page would be best I think. Hell, there probably already exists such a thing. Such might constitute an irresponsible use of my blog.

The coolest part of the Madison show, by far, was meeting Bun E. Carlos. We were aware that he was a long time fan of The Gourds from mail order fulfillments we had done in the past. It was great to finally meet him, one of our favorite drummers of all time. I offered him to sit in on a song, but he said he just wanted to hear Keith play. "Keith is a great drummer" he said. That he is, Bun E. if that really is yer name.

Oh Milwaukee, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. It's Chicago done right. The architecture, the food, the people. We always play Shank Hall and we always eat at an Indian joint down from there. We love this place. It was a star on everyone's figurative calendar for this tour. Next day we hit a German place called Mader's. It was full of barbarian, Bavarian decor. The wall of fame included, Clark Gable, Hepburn, Oliver Hardy, Three Stooges, Reagan, Ford and Kennedy etc. Everyone didn't like their food from here. But I sure did. Sausages, Kraut, Potato dumpling, oh yeah. It set me up perfectly for Chi-town.

"if you can't get up for a Chicago show, then yer in the wrong business" says our old pal Dorsey Williams. He's a consummate, professional, entertainer's entertainer from the old school. And though his anecdotes are colloquial at best, they have a grain of truth in them. This one in particular is right on the money. Chicago, New York done right, Hog Butcher To The World and all that. We had a great turn out at Martyr's and we surely appreciate so many coming to the show. Maybe the best show of the tour. The pacing, the sound, the audience enthusiasm all riding steady and high with a big ol' finish.

Keith and I arrived at Martyr's in Chicago early, followed by the band. As they were loading in I was in the middle of a conversation about the central Texas wildfires. That became a story told by Ray, the owner of Martyr's, about a friend of his, from NOLA, who swam with his family out of the 2nd floor of their apartment building into the black waters of the Katrina flooded crescent city. It was a riveting, sobering reminder of how lucky we all are to not have had such tragedy strike us. I certainly felt that I could not be so insensitive to walk away from his telling me this story to go load in gear. Now the problem is I had, honestly, in recent days, gotten a bit lazy about helping with gear loading. It is not exactly that I had been avoiding it. It is just a matter of timing. Often, since we travel in separate vehicles, we are in different places at different times. Like in mid-conversation with the owner of a venue. I have always made it a point to be the first to begin unloading/loading. I wait patiently for the van to show up and I am back there toting gear as soon as it stops. As this tour went on I became less gung ho. No reason, I'm just tired like everybody else. For the sake of argument (which is almost like for god's sake), if I am at the hotel before the van how long am I obligated to wait? If they are getting corn dogs at Dog O' Bell, how long do I wait? The way I see it is their late night hunger is equal to my late night slumber. Actually, in the end, it all works out pretty evenly. Everyone has times when they don't do as much loading as the next guy. We allow each other slack sometimes. But when it has gone on longer than the unspecified, silently agreed upon time, somebody has to say something. And that is just what Claude said as I was in the last, sympathetic murmur's of this conversation. He called into question whether it was I had to unload the van anymore. I got a little defensive, as he has before. He was right to give me a little kick in the ass, a sort of friendly reminder that we all are in this together. Thanks Claude. I did notice, though, that you and Eagle weren't around after the Chicago show for the load out? And I did sit in the front lobby waiting for the van that mornings night, barely able to keep my eyes open, until I realized they had loaded in the back. Damn I really tried that time. Next morning, same thing. I heard from Don Voci that the cannoli and espresso was on its way. I sat in the lobby waiting, then got a rather important call from my wife. You see? Timing. Then there comes the whole lot of them heading to the buffet. I had missed another load. Unbelievable. At this point I am starting to worry about keeping my job. But, no one says anything. In the true democratic communist anarchy of The Gourds, such things are quickly swept under the rug. And that is how we have stayed together all these years. It may be all out of pure spite and pride, just to prove to each other they were wrong about me, we, them, us. Or it might be that we just don't want to get real jobs, where real bosses and co-workers give you real shit.

By the time we arrived in Lafayette, Indiana one would expect us to be tired, blurred judgement, angst and frustration infiltrating our every attempt at fellowship, the sword of Damocles hanging over our stage. And you'd be exactly right. But, we wouldn't let a little thing like the sword of Damocles dampen the end of our Old Mad Parade. Hell No!! The last show is a special show. It often is where we are looser, well rehearsed and falling headlong into the excitement of returning home. The full retrospective of what we have been through, what we have accomplished in all its absurdity, settles in. We look at each other on that stage of the last night and smile at all the cross words, all the petty bullshit, all the clams, the struggles, suffering and doubt. All of that goes away on stage each night. And it really is true, as trite as it sounds, that we love what we do. We love what we do and each other too. Such was Lafayette Brewing Co. LBC playing for the Friends Of Bob. This is equal parts church social, town hall meeting and rock show. People bake us pies, truffles and give us fine crafted beers. An audience of music lovers assemble there to take in great performances. And that is exactly what they all got on this Sunday night in the middle of boilermaker town. The Gourds were as fine and as fun as ever. We still gots that old mad joy, mama! Still seedy after all these years.

And that my friends is how it ends, happy, fat and gourdly. Its been a fine kick in the arse and an old mad joy. "Rave on children, I with ya, rave on cats he cried, it's almost dawn, the cops are gone, let's all get Gourd-a-fried."

Travel + Leisure: Tips For Would-Be Road Warriors

2011-11-23T12:36:00.005-05:00

© Charlie Llewellin

Beloved Austin Band The Gourds Dishes on BBQ Joints, Travel, and Its New Album
By Kristin Anderson
November 22, 2011

Austin’s roots rock veterans the Gourds are no strangers to the road. For seventeen years they’ve toured the U.S. and abroad with their sweet and spicy brand of southern country-blues-rock. With a new record out, Old Mad Joy, and a whopping nine other studio albums under their belt, the band shows no signs of slowing down. The Old Mad Joy tour takes the Texans from San Francisco to Philadelphia and dozens of towns in between. Frontman Kevin “Shinyribs” Russell calls the live show “kind of a cross between a revival, a house party, a pep rally and a pow wow.” We connected with the guys to ask about their time on tour and tips for would-be road warriors.

Q: You hail from Austin, which has been an indie hotbed for some time now (here’s looking at you, SXSW). Have you noticed a shift in the city’s music scene over the course of your careers?

A: Yes, the scene has been constantly changing for decades now. The biggest change has come from the economic boom of the last 15 years; dot com bubble/high tech expansion and real estate bubble. Also the focus of the city on encouraging downtown residential occupancy and a ridiculous sound ordinance has transformed live music into a migratory population in search of affordable leases and appropriate neighborhoods. The musicians and service workers sort of gravitate nearer to these places. So, lots of them are now in east Austin. The styles have become much more diverse and the talent level much more exceptional.

Q: When you’re on the road, are there particular towns you try to make sure you have a day off in?

A: Well not specifically. It is mostly determined by logistics and scheduling. Occasionally we will try to find some cabins in the woods or in the mountains and cook a big meal, share some down time together like a family. A brief respite from the grind like this can really recharge everybody and help us maintain some sanity in the tumult.

Q: Apart from playing, what do you do for fun on the road?
A: We really spend most of our time talking and laughing with each other. We all genuinely like each other, for the most part. Our sound engineer Mark Creaney is a really great guy. And we often bring a musical friend who travels with us and opens the shows. Other than that some of us escape into writing, computers, art, literature, beer etc.

Q: “Peppermint City,” one of the standout tracks from Old Mad Joy, is allegedly about one particularly divey venue you played somewhere. Can we hear a little more about that?

A: The bone-crushing indifference one meets with in some towns, at some venues resonates with every musician I know. But, this is not just a song about musicians. It is a song about any traveler anywhere. Sometimes one comes into a city that just feels ugly, brutal and wicked. When one feels such, one should get the hell out as soon as possible. There is sometimes an adolescent residual want to blame someone for a given situation. That song is mostly about that.

Q: Austin’s known for its barbecue—care to divulge your favorite joints?

A: The best BBQ in the city limits is probably Ruby’s. Not Rudy’s, which is not bad for a chain. Then I don’t know, there ain’t much else. I have heard about Franklins, but never made it over there. If I am gonna get some Q, then I am gonna go to Elgin (Southside or Meyers), Lockhart (Smitty’s or Kruez) or City Market in Luling. Milt’s in Kyle is great too. Opie’s in Spicewood is good. And it is just outside of a campground, Krause Springs. So you can bring great Q into the tent with you and gnaw on it all night around the fire.

Guest blogger Kristin Anderson is based in New York City and writes about music and travel.

The Gourds perform a track from their latest record, OLD MAD JOY, live on KUT Radio in Austin, Texas on August 31, 2011. The performance was shot for ALL THE LABOR, a documentary feature in-production about the band. For more info on the documentary, go here.

Photo by Charlie Llewellin; video courtesy of Vanguard Records, directed by Doug Hawes-Davis.

11-20-11 Lafayette, IN

2011-11-21T23:40:00.011-05:00

© Cassandra Ladino

Audio: by Friends of Bob
Photos: by Cassan dra L adino
Video: Web Before You Walk into It / Luddite Juice / I Want it So Bad / Do 4 U > Midnight Rider > Do 4 U / God's House / Collections / Shreveport

The Gourds
Lafayette Brewing Company
622 Main Street
Lafayette, IN
11-20-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Web Before You Walk into It
04. Luddite Juice
05. Haunted
06. I Want it So Bad
07. Do 4 U > Midnight Rider tease (Gregg Allman/Robert Payne) > Do 4 U
08. Melchert
09. Marginalized
10. Pine Island Bayou
11. Sweet Emotion tease (Steven Tyler/Tom Hamilton)
12. God's House
13. Collections
14. Drop What I'm Doing
15. Blankets
16. Eyes of a Child
17. Limelight tease (Geddy Lee/Alex Lifeson/Neil Peart)
18. Shreveport *
19. Jenny Brown
20. Your Benefit
21. Lower 48 **
E:
22. Money tease (Roger Waters) > All the Labor
23. Long Gone Like a Turkey thru the Corn (Lightnin’ Hopkins)

© Troy White

*Original set list had Two Sparrows
**Richmond Ditch version

Note: Related article/review can be found here.

Special thanks to John Frigo, Cassandra Ladino, Troy White, Shawn Beason, and Ethan Merrick for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

11-19-11 Chicago, IL

2011-11-20T08:32:00.012-05:00

© Amber Wagner

Photos: by Cassandra Ladino (incl. opening act) / by Amber Wagner (pending) / by Jessica Teske (pending)
Video: Gangsta Lean / Haunted / Bridgett / LGO / County Orange / Illegal Oyster

The Gourds
Martyrs'
3855 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
11-19-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Gangsta Lean
04. Drop the Charges
05. Haunted
06. Eyes of a Child
07. Tomb of Nefertari >
08. Lament
09. Bridgett
10. LGO
11. Cranky Mulatto
12. I Want it So Bad
13. County Orange
14. Illegal Oyster
15. Blankets
16. Burn the Honeysuckle > The Super Bowl Shuffle tease (Richard E. Meyer/Melvin Owens/Bobby Daniels/Lloyd Barry) > Burn the Honeysuckle
17. God's House
18. Drop What I'm Doing
19. All in the Pack > I Fought the Law (Sonny Curtis) > All in the Pack
20. Lower 48 *
E:
21. All the Labor
22. Tex-Mex Mile
23. The Tinys Variety Hour (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa)
24. War Pigs tease (Tony Iommi/Ozzy Osbourne/Geezer Butler/Bill Ward)
25. Long Gone Like a Turkey thru the Corn (Lightnin’ Hopkins) > Call Me the Breeze tease (J.J. Cale) > Long Gone Like a Turkey thru the Corn

*Richmond Ditch version

Special thanks to Amber Wagner, Morgan & Jessica Teske, Cassandra Ladino, the Legendary Eddie V, and Jan The Lazyman for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

11-18-11 Milwaukee, WI

2011-11-19T15:05:00.010-05:00

"mouth-breathing never sounded so good" © Amber Wagner

Photos: by Amber Wagner

The Gourds
Shank Hall
1434 North Farwell Avenue
Milwaukee, WI
11-18-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Bottle & a Dime
04. Marginalized
05. Haunted
06. Flavor on yer Tung *
07. Pine Island Bayou
08. Pickles
09. Drop What I'm Doing
10. I Want it So Bad
11. Do 4 U
12. Melchert
13. Luddite Juice
14. Omaha (Billy Joe Shaver/Hillman Hall)
15. Two Sparrows
16. Shake the Chandelier
17. New Roommate
18. Declineometer
19. Burn the Honeysuckle
E:
20. Your Benefit
21. Dying of the Pines
22. Whiskey & Blood
23. Lower 48 **

*Tractor version
**Richmond Ditch version

Special thanks to Morgan Teske, Amber Wagner, the Legendary Eddie V, Jan The Lazyman, Beth Johnson, and Kevin Gosh for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

11-18-11 Milwaukee, WI [Private Event]

2011-11-19T08:00:00.003-05:00

The Gourds
WMSE Radio 91.7 FM
Milwaukee School of Engineering
1025 North Broadway
Milwaukee, WI
11-18-11

1. I Want it So Bad *
2. Long Gone Like a Turkey thru the Corn (Lightnin’ Hopkins) *

*Kevin, solo acoustic

Note: On the topic of whether this was a Kevin (i.e., Shinyribs) or Gourds performance, Mark Creaney said: "I'm calling this Gourds. 1. Keith was in studio. 2. It was promo for the Gourds, not Shinyribs. 3. Neither songs played have ever been played in a Shinyribs set. I rest my case".

Special thanks to thenotoriousmark for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

AltCountryForum: Rootsrock Van De Bovenste Plank

2011-11-19T07:48:00.005-05:00

The Gourds - Old Mad Joy
By Martin Overheul
November 18, 2011

Ook op hun tiende studioalbum Old Mad Joy tappen The Gourds uit het vaatje dat ze veertien jaar geleden openden met hun prima debuut Dem’s Good Beeble. Opnieuw steken Kevin Russell en Jimmy Smith hun bewondering voor hun grote voorbeeld The Band niet onder stoelen of banken. In het geval van minder begenadigde bands zou dat al gauw leiden tot inspiratieloze na-aperij. Bij The Gourds resulteert het echter al jarenlang in rootsrock van de bovenste plank. De songschrijvers van deze groep hebben zo’n uitstekend gevoel voor harmonie, ritme en sfeer dat je de evidente overeenkomsten met The Band graag voor lief neemt.

Old Mad Joy werd opgenomen in The Barn, de privéstudio van Levon Helm, en werd geproducet door Larry Campbell, die in het verleden al mooie dingen deed met Richard Shindell, Levon Helm himself en de geweldige blueszangeres Catherine Russell. Campbell zorgt voor een lekker rammelende livesound die perfect past bij de ongepolijste rurale muziek van The Gourds. Dankzij die aardse benadering komen uiterst genietbare songs als Two Sparrows, Melchert, Ink And Grief, Marginalized en het aan Keith Richards refererende Your Benefit voor het volle pond tot hun recht. Wat overigens ook geldt voor de rest van de songs op dit in alle opzichten geslaagde ‘jubileumalbum’.

11-17-11 Madison, WI

2011-11-18T20:51:00.006-05:00

© Morgan Teske

The Gourds
High Noon Saloon
701 A East Washington Avenue
Madison, WI
11-17-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Web Before You Walk into It
04. Mister Betty
05. Haunted
06. I Want it So Bad
07. Do 4 U
08. Melchert
09. Hellhounds
10. Pine Island Bayou
11. God's House
12. Marginalized
13. Luddite Juice
14. Blankets
15. Two Sparrows
16. Grave on the Green Hillside *
17. Drop What I'm Doing
18. Plaid Coat
19. Lower 48 **
E:
20. All the Labor
21. The Tinys Variety Hour (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa)
22. Burn the Honeysuckle

*Original set list had Pill Bug Blues
**Richmond Ditch version

Special thanks to Kevin Gosh, Morgan Teske, and Beth Johnson for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

11-17-11 Madison, WI [Private Event]

2011-11-18T00:37:00.007-05:00

The Gourds
WMMM 105.5 FM / Live from Studio M
7601 Ganser Way
Madison, WI
11-17-11

01. I Want it So Bad
02. You Must Not Know
03. Country Love
04. My Name is Jorge

Note: This live studio performance was recorded for later broadcast on 105.5 FM

Special thanks to thenotoriousmark for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Bluegrass Catastrophe: Comforting As Worn Leather

2011-11-17T23:55:00.000-05:00

Album Review - The Gourds /Old Mad Joy
By Christina Walker Davidson
November 17, 2011

Recorded in Levon Helm’s studio barn, Old Mad Joy eagerly conveys the tradition of classic roots rock and gritty country jams. Not that the fans of The Gourds would expect anything else; the band has proved themselves over and over since forming in Austin, Texas, back in 1994. This release contains many fine tunes penned recently; however, they feel as broken in and comforting as worn leather. “Two Sparrows” and “Marginalized” are slow-burning jams that linger and build in all the right places. Despite lyrics that aren’t entirely coherent, the musicianship and delivery is strong and contains flourishes of fiddle and cowbell to keep the spirit of Old Mad Joy alive. The only selection that feels out of place is “Drop the Charges,” which contains a rather annoying hook that hopefully sounds much better in a live performance. However, if you plan on having a rollicking good time at any party this year, including some of Old Mad Joy on your playlist will serve you well.

11-16-11 Saint Paul, MN

2011-11-17T23:06:00.002-05:00

© Kimberly Feilmeyer

The Gourds
Turf Club
1601 University Avenue
Saint Paul, MN
11-16-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Do 4 U
04. Melchert
05. Haunted
06. Tomb of Nefertari >
07. Lament
08. God's House
09. Drop the Charges
10. Starkweather (Rob Bernard)
11. I Want it So Bad
12. Roll & Tumble *
13. New Roommate
14. Drop What I'm Doing
15. Omaha (Billy Joe Shaver/Hillman Hall)
16. Two Sparrows
17. Shake the Chandelier **
18. Jenny Brown
19. Your Benefit
20. Gangsta Lean
21. My Name is Jorge
22. Lower 48 ***
E:
23. All in the Pack
24. Last Date (Floyd Cramer)
25. Burn the Honeysuckle

© Moon Flower

*Turf version
**Original set list had Cold Bed
***Richmond Ditch version

Green Room © Eagle Eye Williamson

Special thanks to Art Bemunchen, Katie Blake Cook, Phil & Kimberly Feilmeyer, Jk Ron, Moon Flower, Molly Alicia Wulf, and Belinda Loosen for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

11-14-11 Lincoln, NE

2011-11-15T18:44:00.009-05:00

Audio: by dave wave

The Gourds
Pla Mor Ballroom
6600 West O Street
Lincoln, NE
11-14-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Pill Bug Blues
04. Drop the Charges
05. Haunted
06. Lament
07. God's House
08. Starkweather (Rob Bernard) *
09. All in the Pack
10. I Want it So Bad
11. Shreveport
12. Caledonia
13. Marginalized
14. Omaha (Billy Joe Shaver/Hillman Hall)
15. Two Sparrows
16. Ink and Grief
17. My Name is Jorge **
18. All the Labor
19. Burn the Honeysuckle
E:
20. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Life by the Drop (Doyle Bramhall/Barbara Logan) *** > Cupid (Sam Cooke) > I Can't Get Next To You (Norman Whitfield/Barrett Strong) > Let's Get Married (Al Green) > Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys) (Waylon Jennings) > Surrender (Rick Nielsen) > Gin and Juice > Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson) > New Staircase (Kevin Russell) **** > God Save the Queen (Steve Jones/Glen Matlock/Paul Cook/Johnny Rotten) > Gin and Juice

*1st time played in over a decade
**Original set list had Drop What I'm Doing
***For Doyle Bramhall (February 17, 1949–November 12, 2011)
****From the Picket Line Coyotes album Upholstery Van Songs (1988)

Special thanks to Jarron Wayne Storm and Michael Ankenbauer for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

11-12-11 Boulder, CO

2011-11-13T09:58:00.007-05:00

© Sara Bowersock

Video: God's House / Cats of Joy > Blue Bottled One *
Photos: by Joshua Elioseff / by pointblankgirl (incl. opening act)

The Gourds
Fox Theatre
1135 13th Street
Boulder, CO
11-12-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Jenny Brown
04. Haunted
05. Burn the Honyesuckle
06. Melchert
07. Hellhounds
08. God's House
09. (the new way of) Grievin' & Smokin' > Promised Land (Chuck Berry) > Grievin' & Smokin'
10. Drop What I'm Doing
11. Luddite Juice
12. I Want it So Bad
13. Do 4 U > I Want You to Want Me tease (Rick Nielsen) > Do 4 U
14. Pickles
15. Marginalized
16. Cracklins
17. Pine Island Bayou
18. Your Benefit
19. All the Labor
E:
20. Lower 48 **

© Sara Bowersock

*Post-show impromptu a cappella medley by request
**Richmond Ditch version

Special thanks to Sara Bowersock, Chris Fellure, Joshua Elioseff, and Zephus R. McKay for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

No Depression Blog: How Sweet It's Been

2011-11-12T22:24:00.006-05:00

How Sweet It's Been, How Tough It's Getting or The Detritus Of Nostalgia: Neurosis As A Biological Tactic For Survival
By Kevin Russell
November 12, 2011

An old friend of Jimmy's was at the show in Santa Fe. He actually worked with Jimmy at a downtown Austin restaurant back in the gay 90's. I say "gay" in the old school sense of expressing careless joy and happiness. As we crawl towards the 2k teens things are getting mighty grim, eh? Well this fella waxed about one of his favorite days in Austin. It was Easter Sunday 1995. He and a buddy were in East Austin playing croquet and listening to KUT as The Gourds performed live on air. He said he remembers vividly everything about that day. As I remember it, Jeff McCord had invited us up to give it a shot. And we just did what we could do. We made a cassette from that KUT session that we started selling at shows. And for the next year, in every coffee house and cafe in town that tape could be heard playing. This fellow said he had worn out a couple of those cassettes. He was excited to learn that he could get it for free on Archive.org. I always like turning people on to the archive. A great free music resource.

1995, It was the year we broke through in Austin. Suddenly, out of the blue, we had huge crowds dancing and singing with us at The Electric Lounge, Hole In The Wall and Flipnotics. By SXSW we had begun work with Mike Stewart on what would become Dem's Good Beeble and had a record deal with the Dutch indie, Munich Records. A year from then we were touring the States and Europe. It happened so fast. I remember thinking it was just a fluke. I surely did not expect it to last long. In fact, I arranged with my boss at the time at Book People, Phillip Sansone, to allow me a few months leave to do these tours. I trained one of my employees to take over my position and I was out of there. I still need to call them and let them know I am not coming back.

Jimmy's pal talked also about his days in the kitchens. How now in his 40's that he couldn't do it. It's a young mans game. His comments rang true with me. Especially after this gig at Santa Fe Sol or S.O.L. As Jimmy referred to it. The turn out, even after getting radio love from KBAC, was sparse. At this point in the OMJ touring things got a bit bleak. These are the nights when we have to reach down deep and recall the reasons we dreamed this dream, connect with the emotional essence of the old mad joy that brought us along, thru so many years, to this place, here and now with these people to sing our songs. And that is exactly what we did. It wasn't the greatest Gourds show ever. But it was unique and original. I had a few clams that the band bailed me out of. Nothing anyone would notice of course. That is what makes us "pros," says jimmy.

The small audience was really wonderful and enthusiastic. Many of them were hard core fans. A pleasant surprise was the amount of dancing that went on. And it wasn't just the boogie down, shake yer ass dancing. It was a lot of couples, two stepping, twirling, whirling and gliding. I admire people that dance at shows, any shows. It is inconsistent I realize, but I never go out dancing. I can bust a move on stage. But, get me on the floor in a crowd and I get very self conscious. I don't know. Maybe it's some long buried dance trauma. Time turned it all to gone and we loaded out in the frosty full moon with the words of Jimmy's buddy still ringing in my 44 year old ears. How sweet it has been, how tough it is getting. Wish us luck. We are gonna need it.

What a difference a day and some New Mex food makes. A typical Gourds breakdown happened today at lunch. Assuming everyone would want to eat some real good New Mexican food we made a plan to go to La Choza in Santa Fe. This place is "off the chain" as Eagle [Eye Williamson] put it. Since we hit it at lunch hour there was a bit of a wait. I had told the colorful, effeminate host of the fashionably tussled, highlighted hair we would need a table of 7. Once all of us arrived things began to unravel. Claude, Max and Jimmy wanted nothing to do with this place. I am guessing because they thought it'd be too expensive. Suddenly we became 4 and the wait was nothing. I was disappointed about the others bailing because I had eaten here before and knew how damn good it was. I know how much those cats like good food too. Oh well, "you can lead a Gourd to culture but you can't make'em eat," eh? The rest of us proceeded to have what might end up being the best meal of the tour. And it was only 15 bucks. I felt much better after those stacked enchiladas smothered in red chili. Why do I get a participant ribbon in the epidemic of obesity? Because food = happy.

Off to Taos. We played at KTAO's Solar Center. It's basically a giant tent in the shape of a Wienerschnitzel. Um, maybe that is a regional hotdog chain that many of you do not know. So go get a hard back book from yer book shelf, place it spine side up and slowly open the pages at the bottom to make a tent shape and that is what the solar center looks like and a Wienerschniztel too. But inside the walls are like quilted, off-white garbage bags. The floor is wood. And on this night it was full of happy, dancing people of all ages, kinds and degrees of cleanliness. The full moon glowed off the muddy snow outside as the temps dropped into the low 20's. Inside the warmth bounced off the garbage bag Weinerschnitzel walls. Another Gourds show was in full bloom and boom. During Claude's "Wagon Of Destruction" I went pacing through the crowd like a disturbed person, head down and counting on my fingers, gesturing wildly. A short, shirtless dancing young man came up to me tattooed and pierced in every imaginable place on his somewhat squat body. He thanked me sincerely for coming and playing Taos. I reached to pat him on the back and he was as warm and sweaty as a goats bladder. I politely thanked him then walked away with my hand extended from my body, ala Larry David, and dunked it into the iced down beer by the stage. As the audience applauded Claude I patted him on the back to dry my hand off.

After the show I made my way around the room shaking hands, signing CD's and thanking everyone for coming. Sometimes we get an irate customer or two who want to register their complaint in person. Sometimes it is because we didn't play gin and juice, sometimes it's because we didn't play some other favorite, then sometimes it is because they want to tell us that the sound was bad, the sound guy sucked, and that "I tried to tell him but he ignored me. "

When she couldn't get satisfaction from Mark [Creaney], our sound man, she took her case to Eagle Eye at the merch table. Then there she was, shaking my hand and whining about how she couldn't hear the voices. "I've got brothers who are musicians, so I know what I'm talking about." she said. Yes because all musicians have exactly the same experience. We all know the secrets of pristine audio manipulation. And, we are able to impart that timeless technical wisdom telepathically to our siblings. Knowing that, I understood completely that she knew what she was talking about. I assured her that I would reprimand our sound engineer and require he take an on line refresher course about the physics of sound at www.f#%koffsoundbitch.com

After the show some of us gathered in my and Eagle Eye's room for fellowship. C Bumps surfed thru the television channels and stopped on a musical performance by a girl he called, "Feist?" I had never heard of her. But, we watched, listened to the song. She seemed steadfast, sophomoric, almost angry, but still cute enough to make everyone feel safe. Markwad and Cbumps explained to me who she was and sang a bit of a song I would recognize from an IPod commercial. It wasn't that long ago that Neil Young was giving Clapton shit about "This Bud's for you." It used to be frowned upon in rock n roll to pimp products. Now we have whole careers launched from f#%€ing commercials. It just makes me wanna buy some beer and a new car and go get a mcrib then puke. Let's face it, I am like lobby coffee at an Albuquerque La Quinta....bitter. Ugh.

I can't sit here and say that I wouldn't do such a commercial if given the opportunity. But, I think it is safe to say I would never represent anyone's vision for the image of their product. For shits and grins though let's go there. I could sell beer probably. I could be placed in that Beer ad about the "second unmanly thing you've done today." But I would just walk up and check their ID's, take their beers and tell'em to get the Fug out. Then I'd take a swig of a nice, hoppy IPA and laugh manically as it spilled out of my mouth like golden blood. (enter a group of solid Gourds dancers gyrating and spinning around me as gin and juice plays) Boy that was easy. I could make commercials as good as any of those Ad grad's. How hard could it be?

I think the funniest commercials are the erectile dysfunction products. I especially like those Cialis ads. The couple is walking thru a grocery store and suddenly they want to have sex. Which is a rare fetish I have never heard of. I mean there are plenty of perv's who frequent places like grocery stores for lots of creepy reasons I guess. But they are not the target consumer of these spots. Suddenly the couple enters a hallucinatory hyper real world of ultimate romantic cliche' like a beach or the mountains. Then they start talking in the voice of the narrator about the very horrific shit that can happen if you take this drug. I think this is supposed to be the simulation of shared intimacy and friction that we are to associate with sex. Then ta-da (this is funny because the drug name is actually Tadalafil) Ta Da, they are sitting in separate claw foot tubs holding hands gazing into a picturesque sunset. What kind of twisted focus group did they tap into that separate claw foot tubs would stand as a metaphor for the after glow of sex? I don't get it. And how long before someone names their kid Cialis?

We have been in Northen New Mexico now for 4 days and already most of us have begun shriveling up into piñon scented prunes. There doesn't seem to be any amount of water that helps. The lack of oxygen at these heights makes it difficult to maintain the mental capacity to keep count of hydration intake. At any point a Jack London novel could break out. We really feel the altitude during shows. The normal places we might take a breath while singing is different; A dance I might do effortlessly in other places closer to sea level extracts its pound of lung capacity until I teeter. Luckily I can dizzily teeter in rhythm. My neck most mornings feels like a rodeo clown is sitting on my head. But body pain sometimes distracts one from the existential whining and self pity. For some reason that Journey song "Faithfully" pops in my aching head, Steve Perry's annoying alto scrapes a chair across the floor towards the ears of my mind:

"Circus life
Under the big top world
We all need the clowns to make us smile
Through space and time
Always another show
Wondering where I am lost without you."

It's melodramatic, derivative and insipid. But somewhere deep inside of me there is a place where that stuff can be converted to useful emotion. The detritus of nostalgia warbling up into the ether, rank methane to fuel my magic carpet of self loathing, Don Rickels wrestling angels in a swamp of conceit and regret. In my best Ernest Tubb, "They could build a pipeline to Texas for the tears inside me. "

Am I more f#%€ up than the average person? I tend to believe so. But as I grow older and wiser and even more f#%€ up I am gleaning evidence that this may not be true. But neurosis may be evolution's way of making me impalpable to larger predators. And in this group it serves as camouflage that almost makes me appear normal.

11-11-11 Durango, CO

2011-11-12T09:26:00.006-05:00

© Bryant Liggett

The Gourds
The Henry Strater Theatre
699 Main Avenue
Durango, CO
11-11-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Shake the Chandelier
04. My Name is Jorge
05. Haunted
06. Lament
07. God's House
08. Drop What I'm Doing
09. Wired Ole Gal
10. I Want it So Bad
11. Yoli Found a Possum
12. Bridgett
13. Drop the Charges
14. Blankets
15. Two Sparrows
16. Pill Bug Blues
17. Your Benefit
18. Lower 48 *
E:
19. All the Labor

*Richmond Ditch version; Original set list had All in the Pack b/t Your Benefit and Lower 48

Special thanks to Jon Huerta, Bryant Liggett, and Clay Miller for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

2011-11-11T09:48:00.001-05:00

Expect a sellout for The Gourds at the Hank

By Bryant Liggett
November 11, 2011

The Gourds are a musical gumbo; a mix of outlaw country, folk, rock and punk, resulting in a sound that’s uniquely Gourds.

The Austin, Texas, band remains a loose conglomeration of multi-instrumentalists and songwriters, a band with plenty of original music and even more covers. It’s tough to compare them to anything.

The Gourds will make a return to Durango tonight with a performance at the Henry Strater Theatre. No change in the lineup since their last visit: It’s Kevin Russell on guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jimmy Smith on bass and vocals; Claude Bernard on keyboards, accordion and guitar; Max Johnston on banjo, fiddle, guitar, lap steel and vocals; and Keith Langford on drums.

On this tour they’re pushing the new record “Old Mad Joy,” which The Gourds recorded outside their home base of Texas, where the preceding 10 records were put together. They took off to Woodstock, N.Y., to record at Levon Helm Studios with producer Larry Campbell. Campbell played on Bob Dylan’s “Love and Theft” album and produced Helm’s last two releases. Leaving Texas and hiring a producer is a new twist on recording for the Gourds.

“We didn’t want to make the same record we’d been making,” Russell said. “Self-produced records in a band as democratic as our band are a difficult challenge. Especially making those records in Austin – everyone is making them in between their lives, their kids and their wives. Between planning meals and school pickups. It’s not easy to do.”

Woodstock seemed like a good fit, and with the help of new label Vanguard, it happened.

“We wanted to leave town and do it all together in one place, where we could really focus on it for an extended period of time and live with it a bit,” Russell said, adding that he was surprised someone with Campbell’s credentials would take them on. “Also, we wanted to get a producer to have an objective voice and opinion. I thought it was pie in the sky – why would they want to work with a weirdo band from Austin?”

After getting to know the band, Campbell took on the project. The recording sessions were often graced by Helm himself, acknowledging the band, but giving preferred treatment to drummer Langford, who played on the legendary drummer’s kit. Recording in Woodstock and leaving home for the project is something they don’t regret.

“It was probably, and I think I can speak for everybody, that it far exceeded any of our expectations, and we had some pretty high expectations,” Russell said.

The Gourds remain a band that can be loosely compared to Helm’s old outfit The Band; multi-instrumentalists and numerous vocalists who play Americana rock ’n’ roll. Russell joked that the comparisons should end there.

“We lived and loved punk rock, and they didn’t. They didn’t know anything about punk rock,” he said. “Robbie Robertson would tell you he was and is, so you’d think he was open-minded and all cool, but I don’t think he liked the Sex Pistols.”

The Gourds, 8 p.m., $20, Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave., 375-7160.

Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.

11-10-11 Taos, NM

2011-11-10T23:47:00.000-05:00

The Gourds
KTAOS Solar Center
#9 Ski Valley Road/State Road 150
Taos, NM
11-10-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Gangsta Lean
04. Melchert
05. Haunted
06. Tomb of Nefertari >
07. Lament
08. God's House
09. Drop the Charges
10. Maria
11. Cranky Mulatto
12. I Want it So Bad
13. Pickles
14. Wired Ole Gal
15. Blankets
16. Two Sparrows
17. Pine Island Bayou
18. Your Benefit
19. All the Labor
20. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Train in Vain (Joe Strummer/Mick Jones) > Hungry Heart (Bruce Springsteen) > Gin and Juice *
E:
21. Pushed Her Down
22. Wagon of Destruction (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa)
23. Cracklins
24. Waxy's Dargle (trad.)

*Original set list had Lower 48

Special thanks to the KTAOS Solar Center for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

11-10-11 Taos, NM [Private Event]

2011-11-10T12:48:00.006-05:00

The Gourds
KTAO 101.9 Solar Radio
9 State Road 150
Taos, NM
11-10-11

01. I Want it So Bad
02. You Must Not Know

Special thanks to Les JcEnroe for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

11-09-11 Santa Fe, NM

2011-11-09T23:24:00.001-05:00

© Laura Ferguson

The Gourds
Santa Fe Sol Stage & Grill
37 Fire Place
Santa Fe, NM
11-09-11

01. Do 4 U
02. Shreveport
03. You Must Not Know
04. Mister Betty
05. Right in the Head
06. Two Sparrows
07. Pill Bug Blues
08. Haunted
09. Drop What I'm Doing
10. Luddite Juice
11. I Want it So Bad >
12. Take Me Back to Tulsa (Bob Wills/Tommy Duncan)
13. Drop the Charges
14. Jenny Brown
15. Jesus Christ with Signs Following
16. Flavor on yer Tung *
17. Pine Island Bayou
18. Wired Ole Gal
19. Melchert
20. Lower 48 **
21. Marginalized ***

*Tractor version
**Richmond Ditch version
***Not on original set list

Special thanks to Laura Ferguson for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

11-09-11 Las Vegas, NM [Private Event]

2011-11-09T17:17:00.005-05:00

The Gourds
KBAC 98.1 Radio Free Santa Fe (Studio II)
Las Vegas, NM
11-09-11

Audio: by KBAC 98.1 FM

01. I Want it So Bad
02. You Must Not Know

Note: This performance was broadcast live on KBAC

Special thanks to Art Bemunchen for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

No Depression Blog: Jaywalking Towards Bethlehem

2011-11-09T10:57:00.001-05:00

Frankenstein Feet In The Land Of Enchantment or Jaywalking Towards Bethlehem (They come in 4's)
By Kevin Russell
November 9, 2011

Ladies and gentlemen you are appx 4 minutes away from the rental center. All passengers under the age of 16 must be seated. Anyone remaining standing must use the hand rail while the shuttle is in motion. Later I will have special instructions to enhance yer stay in the Land Of Enchantment. 40 degrees.. ? I had to stop in the airport and sit down on a faux Naugahyde chair to get my wool socks on. I am trying to wear my sandals as long as seasonally possible. But Mother Nature is making it very difficult lately. I take some heat for wearing Birkenstocks but honestly those are some damn comfortable foot wear. This sandal love is the reason I have been playing barefoot shows recently. For the sad fact, birk's are not dancing shoes. When I try to dance in them they feel like snow shoes on Frankenstein feet. Plodding, lumbering, square widget convention, maroon jacketed, regional sales managers lifting their varicosed calves to The Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling" feet.

As we arrived at the hotel I noticed the shadow from a work truck created four 4's on the wall of our room. (see photo the gourds FB nov 8)

Our hotel, a La Quinta lay between an airport parking lot and a waffle house, if that gives you any indication as to where we spend most of our time. In the room I found a german cock roach crawling up my arm. That is always a good sign because roaches, I think, eat bed bugs. But most disconcerting was the fact that this Hotelasaurus was still on the ethernet system of in-room Internet service. Un-buh-leevable, in my best Desi Arnez. I mean we still appreciate the occasional Ving Card Key, but Ethernet is like pay phones.

So,occasionally, we find a hotel without wi-fi. Usually they seem to be in this part of the world; west TX, NM, OK, etc. This lo tech offering does not bode well for the morning lobby coffee either. Which is why I decided to walk over to The International House Of Pancakes, The U.N. of 24hr diner chains. Walking around here is no easy task. The roads are L.A. and Phoenix-like in their width and speed. 6 lanes across and full of cars whirring down them.

Even though I am a productive member of materialist society with cars and kids and houses and dogs and cats and tons of food and toys all over the yard, walking in high traffic areas always makes me feel like a total loser. People must be questioning why anyone would be on foot(sandals), in the cold, lurching down littered sidewalks, jaywalking towards Bethlehem. There is no other conclusion but that such a person is a degenerate and a social outcast just waiting for a hand out or a fix or whatever. For the record Birkenstocks ain't the best shoe for running across 6 lanes of traffic either.

As I sauntered into the Ihop "Reminiscing" by The Little River Band sprayed down like a soft 70's mister timed to spew every 44 seconds. I knew we would be going somewhere distinctly New Mexican for lunch. Therefore I was trying to eat the smallest, cheapest egg thing possible. I thought that would be pretty easy. But the menu was like a bad web site, hard to navigate and unintuitive. The thing seemed to be pulling me toward a giant portioned, high calorie, fat and carb laden extravaganza. At the bottom they had another group of widows claiming to be "Super-Fit," 600 calories or less. It seemed like it would just be carb and fat reduced versions of the same fare. The items above were presented in food porn photo's, laid out wide, hot, glistening and cheap. Super Fit was no non-sense descriptions of what each of them didn't have, but not super cheap. It seemed one would have to pay more for less. If you want to eat healthy, it's gonna cost ya. At the very bottom I found a M-F weekly breakfast menu, stashed under the chocolate mint holiday waffles. Boom 4.99 eggs, meat, toast hash brown (another appearance of 4's). It still seemed like a lot of food. But for that price I didn't have to eat it all. Of course a pot of coffee would need to accompany those eggs to my table, please, thank you. 70's mister puffed "Imaginary Lover" by Atlanta Rhythm Section.

As I texted with my wife about this, that and the other I looked around me to see who I would be dining with. And there right in front of me sat three big, burly monks and one little old lady beaming at them (that's right 4 of them). Where I am from the only men that dress like monks are Tibetan. Deer hunter safety orange robes are their gowns of choice. These cats were in thick, gray cassocks with pointy hoods and rosary hung at their sides like prayer pistols. A wild west, Catholic monk, pancake eating, prayer posse. As they rose from their table and hugged the old lady good bye it became obvious that they all looked like me; husky, bearded, shaved heads and smily. Handsome as all get out.

Kawliga: I guess they're still out here trying to convert the savages. Well, they missed one, right behind'em eating fried eggs.

Indian Maid: If they just killed all the chickens you'd have to convert to survive. Like they did with the bison.

I asked some girls at the table next if they knew who those monks were with. Nope. The waitress said they come in often. As best I could determine in a search of near by monasteries they were probably from the Franciscan Provincial House. After they were gone, two more tables arose to leave. One table to the east of the monks former stronghold were 2 Muslim women in hijab or head scarves. The other table west of the monks and next to me were 2 Muslim men who joined their wives on the way out making, yes, 4. I found it interesting they sat separately only because of what I think I know about Islamic law governing the sexes. If they had been a foursome of rockabilly rednecks I probably wouldn't have noticed. Apply a PC judgement to that if you want.

The juxtaposition, though, of Franciscan monks and Muslims in groups of 4 in an Albuquerque Ihop while a faint sound track of soft 70's favorites wafted over captivated my imagination in a fantastic way, that's all. I walked back out to "Peg" by Steely Dan. Land of enchantment indeed.

Alert...Alert...New Shows!

2011-11-08T19:24:00.007-05:00

11-09-11 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Sol Stage & Grill
11-10-11 Taos, NM KTAOS Solar Center
11-11-11 Durango, Co Henry Strater Theatre
11-12-11 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
11-14-11 Lincoln, NE Pla Mor Ballroom
11-16-11 St. Paul, MN Turf Club
11-17-11 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
11-18-11 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
11-19-11 Chicago, IL Martyrs'
11-20-11 Lafayette, IN Lafayette Brewing Company
12-10-11 Austin, TX The Paramount Theatre
12-29-11 Houston, TX The Continental Club *
12-31-11 Austin, TX ACL Live/Moody Theater Willie & Friends Family New Year *
01-06-12 Dallas, TX The Kessler Theater *
01-07-12 New Braunfels, TX Gruene Hall *
01-28-12 San Antonio, TX Private Event *
02-03-12 Fort Worth, TX Lola’s Saloon on Sixth *
02-17-12 Tulsa, OK Private Event
02-18-12 Tulsa, OK Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame
03-23-12 Live Oak, FL 16th Annual Suwanee Springfest
03-24-12 New Orleans, LA City Park 4th Annual Hogs for the Cause Concert
05-05-12 Wilmington, NC Greenfield Lake Amphitheater *
05-12-12 Beaufort, NC 24th Annual Beaufort Music Festival *
07-07-12 Norfolk, NE Private Event *

*Indicates a new show that was not listed on the previous New Tour Date post

Please note that some dates get cancelled or rescheduled for a variety of reasons. This itinerary reflects the most up to date information available. Private events do not appear on The Gourds official website calendar

11-05-11 Austin, TX

2011-11-06T12:17:00.005-05:00

The Gourds
Threadgill's World Headquarters
301 West Riverside Drive
Austin, TX
11-05-11

01. Cranky Mulatto
02. Tex-Mex Mile
03. Melchert
04. Hellhounds
05. Two Sparrows
06. Pill Bug Blues
07. Drop the Charges
08. Wired Ole Gal
09. Haunted
10. Burn the Honeysuckle
11. Flavor on yer Tung *
12. Marginalized
13. Mister Betty
14. Last Date (Floyd Cramer)
15. Best of Me
16. Peppermint City
17. Shreveport
18. Jenny Brown
19. Your Benefit
20. Waxy's Dargle (trad.)
E:
21. Rugged Roses
22. Pine Island Bayou

*Tractor version

Special thanks to Ducktaper, Robert Wilbourn, Richard Spencer Benton and Catarina Sigerfoos for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

No Depression Blog: Space Needle City

2011-11-03T12:45:00.000-04:00

Space Needle City: Car Cramming In The 21st Century, Salsa Lust and Game 6

By Kevin Russell
November 3, 2011

I remember my parents talking about goofy stuff they did as teenagers. Usually an episode of Happy Days prompted their memory of a Chinese Fire Drill, a particular wedgie or some form of bullying that was accepted back then; pulling down pants, tying shoe laces together, garden variety harassment and sexism. Ah, the good old days. friggin' hilarious. Not that my folks were unusually mean or intolerant of others. They were from a different world however. The last generation of the old patriarchy. Children of The Greatest Generation just following orders. But by the time they had their own children sitting in front of ABC watching Henry Winkler expertly executing the scam I refer to as a Fonzie Scheme* a social revolution had begun. Mainly, women, the last of our slaves, were being set free. Their knowledge of this perhaps made it all the sweeter to tell us stories of their rambunctious, rebellious, rock n roll days. One of those wacky stunts was the cramming of a car with as many people as possible. This might have been fun to do for entertainment. Having to squeeze The Gourds and all our gear, luggage and merch into a mini-van though certainly lacks any of the goofy tickle of a youthful prank. Absolutely we crack wise with all manner of acerbic observations and unsavory analysis as we do it. Laugh's are had as often as possible. A running commentary of the absurd runs through just about every situation we encounter. But, the improvisational methods of six men playing a game of tetris in a rental car parking lot at 11pm after having spent the day in Airport smack down mode is not what we would call a good time.

This is the way we operate usually. Like most people we cut cost and try to consolidate ourselves to make it as manageable as possible. Extravagant rock stars we ain't. We are more like itinerant, semi-famous musical ambassadors from our own reality; secular missionaries divining for the right spot; the sublime point where art meets hoedown. But, in order to get to that hallowed ground we must fold our bodies into a minivan laden with tools of the trade. A pretty good job we did this time. Claude's keyboard flight case is a big chunk that usually fits in front between the front and middle captain's chairs laid on its side. Our luggage is laid like bricks on top of it to build an overstuffed wall of suspect structural integrity. The rear we reserve for our cased instruments. The finer tetris game is played back there. Everyman has his own vision of the pack. Generally, though, one must just make it work, somehow. Fortunately JR [Roof] was going our way to Seattle. He carted jimmy and some of the gear in his truck, freeing up a bit of elbow room for us over in minivan land.

Generally Keith prefers to drive. The front passenger seat is occupied by a smart phone navigator. The rest pile in and continue the free form matching of wits, yammering and waxing vile. Let me say here that these are some of the brightest, most clever men I have ever known. It is truly an honor to be among them. They turn the tedium to tinsel, the boredom to beatnik bounty, the sadness to salty salutation.

An uneventful drive and soundcheck at The Tractor in fabulous Ballard, WA. and JR contacted former Missoula man, Gabe to arrange a place for us to watch game 6 of the Series. We were obviously rootin for The Rangers. We only had a couple of hours before showtime though. I had to have a meal and make a set list in that two hours, oh and try to watch the game. As we walked up the block I could not resist the temptation of my favorite Ballard restaurant, Señor Moose Cafe. I split off with thoughts of guacamole in my future. No TV, to hell with the game. Food=Happy. I saddled up to the bar and ordered my food, a dish called Ptalana, I think, chunks of beef cooked in a mole of various chiles with mashed sweet potatoes and salad. I asked for a side of the hottest salsa. I was given one made from chiles and peanuts, wow, crazy. Well, I wasn't crazy about it. I wanted a hot, red salsa. But this place is interior Mexico, not my beloved tex-mex or my other beloved New Mexican. And also they sell their salsa's as an app. I felt like I couldn't ask for another one without buying the whole round of them. They had an order to go though, in which an order of salsa's were placed. The guy ended up with too many red salsas for the order and sat it down right in front of me. I stared at that little plastic cup of red salsa during my whole meal. I ran through the questions, Does he know it's there? Would he miss it? Could I just claim I thought it came with my meal? If possession is 9/10 of the law, then what % is proximity? If it is not really hot then is it even worth it? The small red salsa just sat there both mocking and entertaining me. I actually said good bye to it after I paid. I know it seems pitifully polite, or worse passive, this lack of gumption from a man who is not afraid to gyrate like a Solid Gold Dancer on stage. Perhaps I could be accused of running my own Fonzie Scheme. But, I have those moments like everybody else, I presume, when I just don't want to be a bother. I didn't want to seem like I was asking for something free twice.

I went to catch the end of the game afterwards. That game 6, I am assuming you all know about? If you don't go and look it up. Texas Rangers v St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series. Go ahead, We'll wait......Ok, so, yeah The Rangers had many chances to win the whole world series and could not get it done. So, heartbreakingly close they were. Former hero's became goats before our eyes. I guess we all knew there was little chance they could come back and win in game 7 after that kind of loss. Card's on the other hand could not lose game 7 at home after that. I think the rain out helped the Cards more than the Rangers. And home field of course was huge. I have always like Pujols. And of course I am happy for the great Lance Berkman. He deserves it more than anybody on that team. LaRussa, though, can go suck a sow's ass. There I said it.

After Jackrabbit brought the good stuff for their hometown crowd we took the stage and refused to talk about what had just happened to our team. Much like The Rangers though, we played our asses off. A very different feeling from the previous night in Portland. We were absolutely on fire. From beginning to end we pounded it, laying utter waste to the tractor. Great show by any measure.

*Fonzie Scheme-when a person convinces everyone they are way cooler than they actually are. Ex. Michael Richards, Ashton Kucher, Napolean Bonaparte.

10-29-11 Sitka, AK

2011-10-30T15:38:00.012-04:00

© Leslie Fulton

Photos: by thenotoriousmark

The Gourds
Stardust Ball
Harrigan Centennial Hall
330 Harbor Drive
Sitka, AK
10-29-11

Set I

01. Hooky Junk
02. My Name is Jorge
03. Hellhounds
04. Shamrock Bound
05. Caledonia
06. I Want it So Bad
07. Ink and Grief
08. Jesus Christ with Signs Following
09. Your Benefit
10. All in the Pack
11. Everybody's Missing the Sun (Nils Lofgren) *
12. Dooley (trad.) **

Set II

13. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys) (Waylon Jennings) > Miss You (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards)
14. You Must Not Know
15. Peppermint City
16. Pill Bug Blues
17. Mister Betty
18. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain (Fred Rose)
19. Jenny Brown
20. Burn the Honeysuckle
21. Pine Island Bayou
22. O Rings
23. Waxy's Dargle (trad.)
24. Melchert
25. Drop What I'm Doing
26. Lower 48 ***
E:
27. All the Labor
28. Old Man Will Your Dog Catch a Rabbit (Lead Belly)

© Hector Hurtado

*Original set list had Cracklins b/t All in the Pack and Everybody's Missing the Sun
**Original set list had County Orange after Dooley to close the set
***Richmond Ditch version; original set list had Yoli Found a Possum b/t Drop What I'm Doing and Lower 48

© Mandy L. Evans & © stageview

Special thanks to Mandy L. Evans, Leslie Fulton, Hector Hurtado, and thenotoriousmark for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

No Depression Blog: Tension, Grit And Gravy

2011-10-29T13:19:00.006-04:00

Kicks In Cool Hat City or I Was a 250lb Chunk Of Tension, Grit And Gravy
By Kevin Russell
October 29, 2011

I was a 250 lb chunk o' tension, grit and gravy on the way to airport to be sure. What upside I had was neutralized by the amount of gear I had in my dragging. To the airport I did arrive with 5 pieces on all sides; on back and under arms; in fingers and over shoulders they rode me til I was unceremoniously deposited by the shuttle at the mouth of the entrance to Alaska Airlines.

Gentleman In Socks and Sandles: (In sullen cadence with pompous tone) An airline whose lines at check in, by the way, were not unlike the Iditarod in terms of duration and endurance...hrumph !

McStash: But what they lost in timing they made up for by making us a great offer on the Alaska Airlines Visa card. For that they gave us the hard sell on accepting the brochure form to fill out and return, like a one question scantron test where the multiple choice answers are:

1) Your money
2) Your heart
3) Your soul
4) Your email address
5) Your permission to use your private information to share with our partners and your friends

Bumpalong: It was like flying with Radio Shack.

The Felice Brothers were playing at the Doug Fir the night we arrived. I get them confused with The Pernice Bros. Unfortunately I have not had the pleasure of partaking in their various musical offerings. This night the bar menu held more sway over my imagination than bearing witness to this fine unit out of Nuevo York. They sound cool, though. Today I wish I woulda. Self-preservation is a delicate dancer, a water strider stalking its prey on the face of the rancid pond, eh?

Next morning we woke early from the jet lagging and required tail wagging we were scheduled to provide at KINK FM in The City Of Roses. Live In The Bing Lounge, I think was the name of the show. Our host I was never formally introduced to. Though perhaps that is incumbent upon me to seek such an introduction? No worries, though, no worries. Until, tweerkth....my lower back. Ouch mama, that is sharp drag on my skeletal system. Now I got worried. Back problems suck, especially as I am becoming more and more in demand as a dancer. I have three moves that I absolutely slay at. But, those are some good ones I learned from watching Dick and Don when I was just a wee lad. So, yeah the old back was an issue that I began fretting over. At least, until the sammiches came from HQ.

The little theater there has a very sort of Dutch/Euro aesthetic feel. We had lots of little live radio theater kinds of things we did in our days "Over-Jander."

I like the feel of this place in that way. There is a nice intimacy to these kinds of venues. We had a west coast promo woman from Vanguard Records on site to assist us and presumably chat up the program director as well. We appreciate Laurie and all her help, especially those well timed sandwiches.

We discussed which songs and how many songs we might perform for the show. Vanguard likes us to stick to I Want It So Bad and Drop What I'm Doin'. So those were decided on already. Some talk of Peppermint City came up. But we ended up going with Two Sparrows instead. Max always gets to play his song, Haunted to represent the three headed beast that we are. Jimmy was feeling like a Your Benefit as his other contribution. We all dig that tune so it was confirmed when a young man walked in with a clipboard pressed against his slight abdomen. He held it with his left arm underneath, his fingers softly curling over its top as if he might casually slice his torso in half leaving nothing but his bloody hips and skinny jean legs standing in the doorway of the green room.

The show was fun. Good interview from our host. I still can't find his name. I feel Iike if I am gonna get ahead in this business of music I am gonna have to get better at remembering people's names. I must try and make them think I remembered their names because they made an exceptional impression or because they are indeed, as they suspect, special. In all honesty though I am a fairly self absorbed person. Some days it is all I can do to feed myself and make it through sound check without crumpling into a fetal position and humming Carter Family songs. "Out in the cold world and far away from home, somebody's boy is wandering alone."

As soon as it started it was over. We had become a musical appetizer for the radio faithful. A meet and greet commenced immediately in the mezzanine. Some autographs were scribbled out, some photo's were taken. After everyone had trickled out into the rocktober afternoon I met a man with a chocolate lab service dog. He had enjoyed a career in music journalism in the 1970's. He mentioned once getting to interview David Gilmore for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Having been rather ambivalent about Gilmore and Floyd most of my life I didn't have much to say about that except, "cool," "nice," and my favorite, "wow, cool!" When he compared us to Poco I had momentary panic. For about three seconds I doubted my whole career. Until I realized that he really liked Poco. Then I thought he was just a sweet ol' guy. I still am having echo's of his voice though saying, "poco" in a warbled, mildly sardonic tone. "I was walking out this morning with rambling on my mind. I am going to catch this special. That train called Lonesome Pine."

Soundcheck was long and filled with sonic hassle. A great band from Seattle, Jackrabbit, had agreed to open the show and let us use their back line a/k/a drums and amps. Thanks to Tony, Mo, Aimee and Jason for all their help. Check'em out. They kinda remind me of Poco. Haha. JK!!

The great thing about the Doug Fir is its one stop shopping set up. A restaurant/ bar, music venue and hotel all in one place. The challenge of the music venue is that is converted from half of the old parking garage underground. Sound treatment was done, but it still has some acoustic issues. Other than that, we are just getting louder and louder. At this rate we will be making Motörhead records in the next five years. I am looking forward to being old and loud.

Just before the show, as I was on stage tuning and preparing, I discovered some very old friends from my Shreveport days standing together. They were married recently. I knew them separately and never knew they had been connected. The woman was a best friend of my little sister who I treated like another little sister. The man was a young, talented drummer that I knew through his big brother. Had either of them been there alone it would have been a joyful surprise to see them. But together, married there before me in Portland? Well that was sublime, mind blowing stuff. To have that happen just before a show just tickled me and put me in a bit of an odd feeling of the present, past and future all at once. Unified Kev Theory it was.

That show started out strong and loose, like most do these nights. And we stayed on course for most of it. The always great Portland fans were there with us too. But, the jet lagged and early tail wag crept up on us. We should have stopped with All The Labor, as we often do. But instead we had an odd song to end with, Hi Hi & Lo Lo. I like playing this song, but a closer I would have never thought it would be. And, it wasn't. It got to the end and we were all so tired, we lost focus. It was dying a rather sluggish death. Jimmy made an attempt to spark a segue way by singing a bar of Boil My Strings. He passed it to me and I tried to conjure it. We fizzled and went out like a damp punk. Show was over. We always like to end on an rising feeling. At this point though our bodies felt like it was 2am. There was nothing left in the tank. Crowd though had their demands. We came out and played a decent Jorge. The film crew had a request in for the old version of Lower 48. We gave it a good try. And we hit everything but the end right. There are certain cues at the ends of songs that signal us. It has been so long since we played this arrangement I missed the vocal cue the band needed to know when to end. Keith had to guess where the end might be. And it got cut short a little. In my state it ended up making me feel like Tony Romo throwing the game away on the last play. Of course this was an overreaction. Some of us huffed and ugh'd after the show a bit. It didn't take long to discuss what happened and dispel any conflict. I accepted my responsibility for the mistake and moved on, knowing we just had to communicate at the end next time. This is what we all do when we feel like we had a sub-par show. We remember our mistakes and correct them the next night. Luckily the mistakes were not so many. So this is a rare occurrence of all's well that doesn't end well.

A sausage party in rm 137 ensued with a discussion of Occupy Oakland. (this sentence sounds more pathetic than it actually was) Specifically we talked of the disturbing video of the war veteran rescue being disrupted by a teargas can thrown by a cop from behind his barricade. Or her barricade? Are their female riot police? I tried to get the host to turn on CSPAN. My requests were disregarded by the circle of men gathered around the plastic cooler of beers. I don't drink much really. But a bud from Missoula had come to the show and brought us some Kettle House Double Haul IPA. I do love the hops. Then a table Four Loko was put into play. This is the drink that has been the subject of much legal and ethical debate in recent years for its combo of high alcohol content mixed with stimulants like caffeine, taurine and guarana. The State of Washington and The State Of Oregon have banned its sale because of a group of Central Washington University kids were hospitalized after consuming it at a party. One student it was reported had blood alcohol level of .30 and nearly died. It's no wonder. Originally marketed as an "energy drink," this stuff is like a 24oz can of Sprite with 12% alcohol and packed with stimulants. One could easily drink a bunch of these and get completely blotto real quick. Dangerous stuff. I would say it is a hundered times more dangerous than beer. I agree with the ban on it. Our host had found some at a liquor store somewhere. Apparently lots of the stuff was bought up before the ban went into effect. And it can still be found here and there. It is going for a premium on Craig's List and EBay, too. Once it was opened I could smell it. I didn't want to spoil my enjoyment of the fine Missoula IPA, so I eschewed the Loko when passed my way.

As I fell asleep that night I heard a cacophonous tussle going in the room above me. I could not figure out what they must be doing up there: the cha cha, the bony macaroni, cuttin the short dog, milking the cow, the hyena, the milkman, the fox trot? I have become expert at tuning out hotel noises of all kinds though. I drifted off to bird land with a little help from my old dream weaver, George Noory.

Next morning I heard over breakfast, from Keith, that there had been a fight in the room up above. A guy got his head cracked and the police came. I slept through it all.

Coffee and commodities with Dave Goodwin was a joy of the new day. He might be one of the only farmers I know. I like the farmers. And I love Pendleton, OR.

We hit an Italian Beef joint down the block for lunch that Max discovered last time through. I placed my order under the name, Eddie Voci as a tribute to the Gourdfather Of Chicago who took us to Johnny's for these wonderful, soggy sandwiches. The back is still tight and painful. But, the trip is in full flow.

10-27-11 Seattle, WA

2011-10-28T21:28:00.011-04:00

© Stano

Audio: by Stano
Video: Marginalized

The Gourds
Tractor Tavern
5213 Ballard Avenue NW
Seattle, WA
10-27-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Web Before You Walk into It
06. Fine Leather Truck
07. Drop What I'm Doing
08. Luddite Juice
09. Two Sparrows
10. Eyes of a Child
11. Melchert
12. Wagon of Destruction (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa)
13. Flavor on yer Tung *
14. Pickles
15. Lower 48
16. Jenny Brown
17. Your Benefit
18. Burn the Honeysuckle
19. All the Labor
E:
20. Mister Betty
21. Shake the Chandelier
22. At the Crossroards (Doug Sahm)

*Tractor version

Note: Related article/review can be found here.

© Stano

Special thanks to Rick Crelia, Meg Estey, Shelby Hopkins, Earl Eiker, John Mollman, JR Roof, Lisa Knight, and Stan Orlowski for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

10-26-11 Portland, OR

2011-10-27T16:59:00.008-04:00

© Ray Y.

Audio: by Ray Y.
Video: High Highs & Low Lows > Boil My Strings
Photos: by Adam Russell (pending)

The Gourds
Doug Fir Lounge
830 East Burnside Street
Portland, OR
10-26-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Web Before You Walk into It
06. Do 4 U
07. Right in the Head
08. Mister Betty
09. Cracklins
10. Lament
11. Pickles
12. LGO
13. Ink and Grief
14. Bottle & a Dime
15. On Time
16. Last Date (Floyd Cramer)
17. Jenny Brown
18. Your Benefit
19. Cold Bed
20. Shake the Chandelier
21. All the Labor
22. High Highs & Low Lows * >
23. Boil My Strings
E:
24. My Name is Jorge
25. Lower 48

© Julie Thompson

*Jimmy started this song and sang the first verse

© Adam Russell

Special thanks to Ray Y., Adam Russell, Julie Thompson, and Meg Estey for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

10-26-11 Portland, OR

2011-10-26T19:00:00.009-04:00

Video: I Want it So Bad / interview with band / Drop What I'm Doing / Haunted / Your Benefit / Two Sparrows

The Gourds
101.9 KINK.FM
The Bing Lounge
1210 SW 6th Avenue
Portland, OR
10-26-11

01. I Want it So Bad
02. Drop What I'm Doing
03. Haunted
04. Your Benefit
05. Two Sparrows

Special thanks to Ray Y. and KINK.FM for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

No Depression Blog: The Curry Also Rises

2011-10-19T20:27:00.004-04:00

Falls Church, When Fans Cook For Us or The Curry Also Rises
By Kevin Russell
October 18, 2011

We used to play The Birchmere all the time, until they started calling us the house band. I believe there was once they told us to get lost on a date we wanted. So we followed the guidance of our long time local friend, Pete Shimm, to this little theatre in Falls Church. Phonetically it sounds like atheist ranting. But, it is just another little Virginia town swallowed by the cradle of filth and forefathers fantasy.

A beautiful day spread out over the whole region. We were on our way from Baltimore after a night of down-home goodness. The State seemed rather aloof in comparison. Sound check seemed to take extra long. These giant theaters are just not much fun for sound. I would much rather play a smaller venue. And I am sure our crowd woulda rather see a show in a smaller place. We also used to play The Iota, even before they widened it.

But, we are all conditioned to be ever expanding and growing in that good ol' capitalist way. Get a bus, play giant festivals and theater to create the rock star illusion all the while retaining one's "indie" street cred. It's all bullshit of course. We know it and some of the people know it. The Gourds, while not escaping all of these trappings, have managed to keep it on a human level. I mean I certainly don't think myself better than the folks who support us. I will tell you though that a lot of performers do feel this way. I can understand an iconic guy like Willie hiding on his bus until show time and then escaping just after. But, there are many who give their fans no time and no respect. We ain't like that. Never have been. I answer almost all emails and am always glad to meet the fans of The Gourds. We truly appreciate all the support we get.

Sometimes fans become friends and end up cooking us great meals. In this case our friends Ian and Sara, who live in the DC. area provided us with a huge, home cooked Indian meal, as they have before. Usually we visit them on an off night at their home. As this was not possible, Ian took it upon himself to bring the meal to us. And it was a great spread. Thanks again Ian and Sara for keeping us fed. Haha.

Pete Shimm and his wife, Robin brought their two brand new twin baby girls to meet us as well. We love the babies, ya know. They had modified onesies that said something to the effect of wanting a Claude song on the next record. I couldn't agree more. In fact I am thinking it should be a total Claudestravaganza. Claude songs only?

Note: Audio, video, and set list from this show can be found here.

No Depression Blog: Gig Poem For Sullivan Hall

2011-10-19T20:19:00.005-04:00

New York, New York (gig poem for Sullivan hall)
By Kevin Russell
October 18, 2011

NY NY Dream machine with a gangsta lean.
A trampoline for the Kings and Queens.
A salute to cute boots what bounce in style
Across the Brooklyn scum,
Audible tongues,
The source of the sum
Seen from a million crooked eyes

New York, oh my ragged tiger pants
My veiny, sparkling date for the dance
Dressed in despair despite the bow
Harlam song of death
angels crest
The lungs to leave the chest
Kissing on nights young glow

NY yer a lover for the clang and gaunt
their sauces sold, hunting for haunt
A racket for former mayor's and ghouls
manhattan's lust for blood
To dust returned from suds
Only trust can break the buds
So it goes with blooms and rules

Note: Audio, video, and set list from this show can be found here.

No Depression Blog: The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ

2011-10-18T18:44:00.007-04:00

The Gourds at The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
By Kevin Russell
October 18, 2011

The Saint asbury park NJ.

The years are stitched together to make this place; concert posters, old advertising boards, Knick knacks, found art, beer clocks, etc. A veritable sum of all its parts. Part of Asbury Park history. So many bands, So many fans have danced, sang, spit, bled, screamed, pissed, fallen, risen, sat, laughed and cried here. As one enters it can all be felt. There is a word for such: soul. It may sound trite, this overused word like lights when night is up right and kickin it. Like fight comes to mind when the sin stops lending it...money, time, worry, fret, sighing.

Scott shook our hands, learned our names and made us some coffee as soon as we walked in the door. This is good hospitality. Something's can't be learned in books. Common courtesy and kindness are a couple of those.

He told stories about The Ramones and Ween playing here. The guy was just so laid back and cool.

This show would be the smallest turn out of the tour, but maybe the most heart of any crowd. Boston was hearty too. But Jersey had attitude, down to earth humor and passion for the band.

These are the kinds of shows that can twist ones mind into doubt about the future and the past. If after so many years of playing great shows, making good records, shaking everybody's hands and saying thanks for coming, we can't draw a better crowd on a Sunday night in Asbury Park, NJ then what have we really accomplished? And, if we haven't broken through that glass hipster ceiling by now, can we, should we, do we even want to anymore?

Those kinds of thoughts must haunt everyone, in some way, shape or form, from all walks of life. Life is full of little lotteries. Some guy gets to be VP of operations, some other woman guides her first business into the fortune 500 and some other guy he gets to be Bob Dylan. The rest of us are at home, happy with our lives. Or we're here in Asbury Park NJ at The Saint on a Sunday night.

But the street food is sublime, the beer is cold and we are among true friends and fans for a night of loose, gourdsian exploratory celebration. Nothing can change the present reality of rock show. When it's show time, we go, we sing, we play, we dance, we talk and laugh. The spirit never leaves us. The dream has been realized, for years. This is what we are, this is what we do. And it is fucking great.

Of all the bands around the world, on a Sunday night, gathered together with their fans and a few friends, this has got to be one of the best shows of the tour. I wonder if we are just happier in this situation sometimes. After playing to thousands of people on other nights, an intimate little club in Jersey seems down right enjoyable. I'll leave the questions and doubts for later, in the hotel where I can imbibe in a little group therapy. No reason to go it alone. As for now, it's all about Jersey and The Saint. Thanks Scott for a great time.

Note: Audio, video, and set list from this show can be found here.

10-15-11 Bay City, TX [Private Event]

2011-10-16T11:33:00.008-04:00

The Gourds
The Houston Wedding
State Highway 60 South
Bay City, TX
10-15-11

01. O Rings *
02. Last Date (Floyd Cramer) **
03. Two Sparrows ***
04. Cranky Mulatto
05. I Want it So Bad
06. All the Labor
07. My Name is Jorge
08. Promenade
09. Hooky Junk
10. Plaid Coat
11. Collections
12. Ants on the Melon
13. Jenny Brown
14. Your Benefit
15. Shreveport
16. Tex-Mex Mile
17. High Highs & Low Lows
18. Ink and Grief
19. Shake the Chandelier
20. Marginalized
21. Country Love
22. Steeple Full of Swallows
23. Waxy's Dargle (trad.)
24. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Cupid (Sam Cooke) > Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson) > Gin and Juice

*First dance
**Father/Daughter dance
***Mother/Son dance

Special thanks to Robert Malina for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

10-14-11 Houston, TX

2011-10-15T09:24:00.013-04:00

© Bart Click

Photos: by Bart Click (pending)

The Gourds
Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar
1031 East 24th Street
Houston, TX
10-14-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Web Before You Walk into It
06. Do 4 U
07. Maria
08. Drop What I'm Doing
09. Shreveport
10. I Want it So Bad
11. Melchert
12. My Name is Jorge
13. Ink and Grief
14. Bottle & a Dime
15. Last Date (Floyd Cramer) *
16. Best of Me
17. Ladies Choice **
18. Tearbox
19. Eyes of a Child
20. Burn the Honeysuckle
21. Jenny Brown
22. Your Benefit ***
E:
23. Lower 48 ****

© April Overhultz Clanton

*Original set list had "Claude [song]"
**Original set list had Drop the Charges
***Not on original set list
****Richmond Ditch version

Special thanks to Bart Click, Catherine Smiley-Click, Tony Drewry, Alison MacIver Goodson, and April Overhultz Clanton for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Houston Press: The Gourds On Italian Sandwiches, Jaded Nashville And Life In A Van

2011-10-14T21:38:00.007-04:00

The Gourds On Italian Sandwiches, Jaded Nashville And Life In A Van
By William Michael Smith
October 14, 2011

The Gourds, Austin's loosest and most literate roots band, rolls into Dan Electro's Guitar Bar tonight. The occasion is the release of the band's latest album, Old Mad Joy. Produced by Bob Dylan/Levon Helm sideman Larry Campbell, the album has been getting positive reviews across country.

The band has been on a month-long tour that found them showcasing the new album in Nashville Wednesday night during the opening of the Americana Music Association annual conference in a time slot right ahead of local hero Hayes Carll. We caught up with Gourds fiddler/banjoist Max Johnston and pianist Claude Bernard just as they arrived home from Nashville.

Rocks Off: What is your favorite song on the new album?

Max Johnston: It changes, but right now I'd say "Your Benefit." And I'm really liking "Want It So Bad."

Claude Bernard: "Your Benefit."

RO: Can you think of a song that you were skeptical of that has grown on you?

MJ: "Melchert." When I first heard it I was like, 'what?' But I really enjoy Kevin's [Russell] guitar parts on that one.

CB: I've got three: "Ink and Grief," "Drop The Charges," and "Eyes of A Child." And I quite like all three of those now.

RO: Which song takes the most work on your part and why?

MJ: "Two Sparrows" definitely takes the most concentration on my part. I've got to be right there all the time. On the record, there are double fiddle parts and Larry Campbell played a lot of that in the studio. In fact, I said he should've been given a credit on that. But anyway, there are really intricate fiddle parts with a lot of potential for egregious sonic badness, so I've got to be thinking the whole time when we're doing that one.

CB: Again, "Ink and Grief." It's a groove thing, and I'm not the world's greatest piano player anyway. Sometimes I hear it differently than Keith [Langford, drummer] does. So I have to concentrate and hold myself in line.

RO: What was your favorite part of doing the record?

CB: The Italian and tuna sandwiches from this place that Larry Campbell showed us. And of course, just working with a total pro like Larry. We made up our tentative arrangements of the songs, working them up in this kitchenette thing we rented, and it was a lot of fun watching Larry sorta scratch his head and think something over and then go 'let's try this.' He's a genius.

RO: How much of the new album will be in the set list tonight?

MJ/CB: We've been starting with four or five new ones right out of the gate. And we'll probably play seven or eight of the new ones.

RO: You played Nashville last night. How was that?

MJ: I don't know if that was just a jaded crowd, like we've heard it all before, or if they were just there to see Hayes Carll and not us.

CB: We started with a bunch of our new ones and I don't think anyone got it or much liked it. Or else they weren't there to see us. Hayes Carll was on next.

RO: You guys have been riding in vans together since 1998. How do you stay sane and keep the band together?

MJ: Non-lethal weaponry. You've got to be completely malleable, you have to accept the fact you never get your way but you get enough of your way to make it work. And you also have to say to yourself this is our job and our families' livelihood, so you do what you have to do to make it work.

CB: One thing that helps is that Kevin and Keith will ride in a separate vehicle while Jimmy, Max and I pilot the party wagon. We're the late-nighters in the bunch, although not as much as we used to be. You have to have respect for each other, and I think that is something that has really grown within the band as we've gotten older. It's easy to forget you're an adult since we live in this kind of perpetually adolescent world of rock and roll. You have to step back once in a while and realize that we're all in our 40s now. Maturity is a big part of it. I think we've all learned to handle the problems and make things work. That's our job, you know?

Follow Rocks Off on Facebook and on Twitter @HPRocksOff.

Hidden Track Interview: The Gourds

2011-10-13T19:05:00.005-04:00

HT Interview: The Gourds
By Chad Berndston
October 13, 2011

I asked Kevin Russell, vocalist and lead guitarist for the Gourds, to describe the band’s new album, Old Mad Joy, as if addressing both someone who had never heard the Austin rockers before and someone who’s been in on the Gourds for years. Musicians are usually pretty bad with — and notoriously irritated by — requests to do such a thing, but I have to hand it to Russell: a few quick turns of phrase that nail what makes the Gourds such a terrific listen.

“Great mix of rock n roll and ballads expertly played by a seasoned Austin band whilst in a barn in Woodstock, NY, at the end of a long, cold, lonely winter,” said Russell, apparently without breaking a sweat.

And for the Gourds aficionados?
“Post-ironic, subversive classic rock.”

Bam.

Call them what you want — alt-country and folk-rock are two more commonly associated tags — but the point is the Gourds have been at this for a good long while, and been underappreciated almost as long, downplayed amid higher-profile, similar-sounding acts that have their own strengths, but execute rarely with as much aplomb. It’s hard to believe the band’s been on the job since 1994, harder to believe that Russell, bassist/vocalist Jimmy Smith, keyboardist Claude Bernard, drummer Keith Langford and multi-instrumentalist Max Johnston have been a solidified lineup since more or less 1998, and maybe hardest to believe, in this humble scribe’s opinion, that they’re still best known for a twangy re-imagining of Snoop Dogg’s Gin ‘n’ Juice — a still-called-for staple of Napster-era college dorm coolness, and for years credited to everyone from Blues Traveler to Ween thanks to over-circulated, badly-researched mp3s.

Asked if the Gourds are bothered that the Gin n Juice cover is still what most listeners associate with the band, Russell instead isolates what the problem is: the charm of a cover like that, by a band like this, is of a different era. He’s right; everyone and his brother does Kanye and Cee Lo covers these days, and shit, even String Cheese Incident has covered Nelly.

“I think it bothers me more when we are not given credit for it,” Russell said. “We are not playing it much anymore, though. It’s just such a stale concept now. When we did it, there were no white artists out there even thinking about reinterpreting rap music. There was still so much apprehension and fear of rap in most of the No Depression/Americana crowd. And frankly, there still is.”

Russell continued: “I am afraid, though, we created a whole genre of ironic covers. For that, I am sorry. I just wanted to be like Johnny Cash when he said he just played songs he loved no matter what style they were.”

More astute fans used Gin n Juice to discover the Gourds, indirectly or not. Hopefully, that’ll lead them to Old Mad Joy, the band’s 10th studio album and maybe its best, with more meat on its bones than previous Gourds albums and a nice balance of country quirk, raw rockers and prettier, singer-songwriter-type fare. Released in September, it was recorded at Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock, NY, and has Larry Campbell in the producer’s chair.

“He was more gracious and welcoming than I ever thought he’d be,” Russel said. “A guy with his talent and experience could certainly approach the world in a very different way. But he chooses the path of mutual respect and graciousness.”

Campbell and the Gourds met through a mutual friend, Bill Bentley, an Austin-based A&R executive for Vanguard Records and formerly of Warner Bros. It’s the first time the Gourds have ever used an outside producer, which Russell said was because the band needed an “objective counterpoint.”

“We all came to work, not to sit around and talk about what we had done,” Russell said of Campbell and the band’s early meetings. “So there was the feeling that we were all in a collaborative moment. We wanted his input into the material and he was inspired by the challenge of it.” Campbell’s sense of arrangement and what Russell called a “perfect ear” helped the Gourds learn a lot, he said.

“He is a self-made man, who busted his ass for years and years to get where he is,” Russell said. “Much respect for the man, we have.”

As anyone who’s made the journey to Helm’s studio can attest, it’s an inspiring location, and the Gourds found it potent, he said. ”It is an ideal place to make music,” Russell said. “We were there in late March, so snow was still falling. For Texas guys living through one of the worst droughts on record, just being in a place where snow was falling had a magical effect on our mood.”

The band spent most of its time in Woodstock in a rented house, or at Helm’s barn, he recalled. ”Now, the barn is a big, open, wooden house with big windows letting the natural light spill all over the walls,” he said. “The split level between the cutting room and the control room gives it the right separation for recording sound, but doesn’t feel like two different rooms. The fireplace is a great mood maker as well. If one can imagine standing there playing a song as the noon light reflects off the snow outside, and the smokey essence of the smoldering fire mingles with coffee and tube amps. Oh my, it is such a great place.”

The Gourds have changed somewhat, Russell said, but he still writes songs with what he called a constant, “very joyous habit.”

“I am not as lazy a writer as I was before,” he said. “Ideas get worked through more meaningfully. I have become very interested in getting in right. I used to be very much a believer in not trying too hard, letting things come from the unconscious. Now, I think I am more in tune with those deeper parts of myself. I want to understand what certain images and ideas mean as they come crawling out of me.”

Not that maturity means the Gourds rock any less.

“I think now we are not trying so hard. We are capable of more subtlety and depth of emotion,” Russell said. “Though, we can rock harder now, too. We have become the immensely versatile combo that we have always been working towards. Now, if Bob Dylan would just call…”

10-12-11 Nashville, TN

2011-10-12T21:58:00.011-04:00

© Rhonda Peterson

Video: Two Sparrows
Photos: by Rhonda Peterson (pending) / by Emily Vardaman Walters (pending)

The Gourds
Mercy Lounge
1 Cannery Row
Nashville, TN
10-12-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. I Want it So Bad
06. Two Sparrows
07. Melchert
08. Ink and Grief
09. Drop What I'm Doing

Note: Related article/review can be found here.

© Rhonda Peterson & © Tim Kiernon

Special thanks to Rhonda Peterson, American Songwriter, Evan Schlansky, and Tim Kiernon for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

10-12-11 Nashville, TN [Private Event]

2011-10-12T19:25:00.011-04:00

Video [Complete performance no longer available]: You Must Not Know (pending) / Peppermint City (pending) / Drop What I'm Doing (pending) / Haunted (pending) / I Want it So Bad

The Gourds
Marathon Recorders
1200 Clinton Street
Nashville, TN
10-12-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Drop What I'm Doing
04. Haunted
05. I Want it So Bad

Note: This performance was broadcast as a live video stream on Music Fog

Special thanks to Rhonda Peterson and Tomski for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

10-12-11 Nashville, TN [Private Event]

2011-10-12T15:04:00.006-04:00

The Gourds
WSM Radio
Bridgestone Arena
501 Broadway
Nashville, TN
10-12-11

1. You Must Not Know *
2. I Want it So Bad *

*Kevin (acoustic guitar), Jimmy (acoustic guitar), and Keith (hand-claps, background vocals) only

Special thanks to Davis McLarty for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

10-08-11 Greer, SC

2011-10-08T20:52:00.026-04:00

© Rhonda Peterson

Photos: by Rhonda Peterson (pending) / by Cassandra Ladino / by Christine Cliatt (pending) / by Gina Owens Kent (pending) /
Video: I Come Up / Tomb of Nefertari > Lament / Darlin' Cory / Big Santiago Bust / Rugged Roses / "Stab" / Plaid Coat / Ringing Dark & True / County Orange / Tearbox / Ink and Grief / God's House > Cold Bed / Drop the Charges

The Gourds
17th Annual Albino Skunk Bluegrass Festival
Skunk Farm
4063 Jordan Road
Greer, SC
10-08-11

Early Set (5:35p)

01. I Come Up
02. Tomb of Nefertari >
03. Lament
04. Darlin' Cory (trad.)
05. Big Santiago Bust
06. Pickles
07. Rugged Roses
08. Dooley (trad.)
09. Everybody's Missing the Sun (Nils Lofgren)
10. "Stab"
11. Plaid Coat
12. Ringing Dark & True
13. County Orange

Late Set (10:40p)

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized

04. Haunted

05. Tearbox

06. Ink and Grief

07. God's House

08. Cold Bed *

09. Drop the Charges

10. Jenny Brown
11. Shake the Chandelier
12. Stuck in the Middle with You tease (Gerry Rafferty/Joe Egan) > Your Benefit
13. Jesus Christ with Signs Following
14. Burn the Honeysuckle > Black Water tease (Patrick Simmons) > Burn the Honeysuckle
15. Maria
16. Michoacan (Doug Sahm)
17. All the Labor
18. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys) (Waylon Jennings) > Slow Ride (David Peverett) > Surrender (Rick Nielsen) > Gin and Juice
E:
19. Layin Around the House
20. Collections

*Hard Rain version

© Rhonda Peterson & © Karma D. Albino Skunk

Special thanks to Cassandra Ladino, Rhonda Peterson, Gina Owens Kent, Katie Barton, Christine & Todd Cliatt, and Karma D. Albino Skunk for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

10-07-11 Carrboro, NC

2011-10-08T10:35:00.014-04:00

© Rhonda Peterson

Audio: by wb (pending)
Photos: by Cassandra Ladino
Video: Haunted / Web Before You Walk into It / Bridgett / My Name is Jorge / Long Gone Like a Turkey thru the Corn / Blankets / The Tinys Variety Hour / I Like Drinking / Burn the Honeysuckle / Your Benefit

The Gourds
Cat's Cradle
300 East Main Street
Carrboro, NC
10-07-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Web Before You Walk into It
06. Hellhounds
07. Bridgett
08. Two Sparrows
09. Pill Bug Blues
10. Melchert
11. My Name is Jorge
12. Ink and Grief
13. Long Gone Like a Turkey thru the Corn (Lightnin’ Hopkins)
14. Blankets
15. The Tinys Variety Hour (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa)
16. Flamenco Cabaret
17. Drop What I'm Doing
18. I Want it So Bad

19. Shake the Chandelier *
20. I Like Drinking
21. Burn the Honeysuckle
22. Your Benefit
23. All the Labor
24. Lower 48 **

*Original set list had Cracklins
**Richmond Ditch version

© Cassandra Ladino

Special thanks to Cassandra Ladino, Rhonda Peterson, 129bill, Monica Sims, and Jonathan Lee for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

No Depression Blog: Boston

2011-10-07T22:24:00.007-04:00

Boston
By Kevin Russell
October 7, 2011

Boston in their heart break over the Red Sox collapse came out to dance and sing those blues away. We navigated our way through highly sophisticated traffic circles to Johnny D's in Somerville, an intimate pub serving good will, good food and good beer to the jovial and downhearted alike. It was challenging in the way these big city gigs are with parking, difficult load-in, questionable green room and small stage. But, it was a thousand times better for the soul than that joint the night before. Why? Because they made us feel welcome and appreciated. Oh and because we made good damn money there. We knew going in it would be a squeeze play with Sweansteen, us and an all-star honk fest kick off party at the end. We had two hours to do what we normally do in 5.

We had just enough time to set up, but no real sound check. Dead cases were stacked in the corner of the kitchen. The food looked all right so I sat at the bar and ordered a cheese burger with peppers and bacon and cheese, oh yeah. There was something that seemed a little tough for my teeth. I had gotten poblano peppers on there and bacon. My theory was that they were somehow conspiring together to create an impermeable barrier to my burger biting. I removed the pepper, they seemed a bit waxy. Next bite, same thing. I removed the bacon, next bite same. I dug deeper into this mystery burger and found to my disappointment half of a piece of paper used to separate cheese slices. The last half of my burger seemed to just melt between my teeth. And hey that's good fiber for a burger.

There was some sort of "Go Green" social group gathered there in the bar eating happy hour buffet food from big foil tubs warmed with sterno logs. That part didn't seem too green. But they all probably walked or rode their bikes there or something like that. Good for them, good for Earth. Now if we could just convince the other 6 billion to do what they do, we'd be in good shape. Though I'm not sure we'd have enough sterno, foil servers or mini- egg rolls.

By the time we reached the stage the place was packed full of adoring Gourds fans. This was a pleasant surprise for us. Boston has never been a very good town for us. We always loved the city, but never had much success here. The venues in the past too were dreary affairs of darkness, stale beer and testosterone. The Ratskeller comes to mind. TT The Bears, ugh. Harpers Ferry was always functional at best. So God bless Johnny D's and Somerville, Mass.

Note: Audio, video, and set list from this show can be found here.

10-06-11 Falls Church, VA

2011-10-06T23:29:00.015-04:00

Audio: by Peter Shimm (pending) / by Tom Huster
Photos: by Ian Glazer (incl. opening act)
Video: Marginalized / Gin and Juice > Cupid > Surrender > Gin and Juice

The Gourds
The State Theatre
220 North Washington Street
Falls Church, VA
10-06-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Eyes of a Child
06. Bean Bowl
07. Melchert
08. Two Sparrows
09. Pill Bug Blues
10. Plaid Coat
11. Drop the Charges
12. Wagon of Destruction (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa)
13. Best of Me
14. Ink and Grief
15. I Want it So Bad
16. Lower 48 *
17. All in the Pack > I Fought the Law (Sonny Curtis) > All in the Pack
18. Burn the Honeysuckle
E:
19. All the Labor
20. Dooley (trad.)
21. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Cupid (Sam Cooke)> Surrender (Rick Nielsen) > Gin and Juice

© Carrie Gilliam-Cumbo

*Richmond Ditch version

© Ian Glazer

Special thanks to Peter Shimm, Tom Huster, Ian Glazer, Cassandra Ladino, myjoogtv, Carrie Gilliam-Cumbo, and Josh Nanberg for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Alert...Alert...New Shows!

2011-10-06T18:04:00.006-04:00

© Michael Molumby

10-06-11 Falls Church, VA The State Theatre
10-07-11 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
10-08-11 Greer, SC Albino Skunk Bluegrass Festival
10-12-11 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge - Americana Music Conference 8pm
10-14-11 Houston, TX Dan Electro's Guitar Bar
10-15-11 Bay City, TX Private Event
10-26-11 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
10-27-11 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern
10-29-11 Sitka, AK Harrigan Centennial Hall
11-05-11 Austin, TX Threadgill's World Headquarters *
11-09-11 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Sol Stage & Grill
11-10-11 Taos, NM KTAOS Solar Center
11-11-11 Durango, Co Henry Strater Theatre
11-12-11 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
11-14-11 Lincoln, NE Pla Mor Ballroom
11-16-11 St. Paul, MN Turf Club
11-17-11 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
11-18-11 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
11-19-11 Chicago, IL Martyrs'
11-20-11 Lafayette, IN Lafayette Brewing Company
12-10-12 Austin, TX The Paramount Theatre
02-17-12 Tulsa, OK Private Event
02-18-12 Tulsa, OK Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame
03-23-12 Live Oak, FL 16th Annual Suwanee Springfest *
03-24-12 New Orleans, LA City Park 4th Annual Hogs for the Cause Concert

*Indicates a new show that was not listed on the previous New Tour Date post

Please note that some dates get cancelled or rescheduled for a variety of reasons. This itinerary reflects the most up to date information available. Private events do not appear on The Gourds official website calendar

Left Lane: Texas Icons Remain Anonymous

2011-10-06T15:46:00.004-04:00

Texas icons remain anonymous in mainstream America
By Rich Gibson
October 6, 2011

If their ultimate goal was to be regarded under-the-radar lifetime achievers, The Gourds have succeeded magnificently.

Ten studio records and a handful of live projects, notwithstanding, the Austin, Texas five-man band is an affectionate hit in its hometown, but remains little more than cult favorites throughout the lower 48.

To be sure, a Gourds concert in the tri-state region would attract only the most marginally curious. Their music, spanning what seems an almost impossible-to-imagine 17 years, is still considered completely beyond the pale by most accounts.

Hard to believe, then, the band has managed to survive with its original members fully intact.

There have been numerous label changes, including L.A. based Vanguard Records which last month released another in the Gourds' sublime catalog of critically-acclaimed if somewhat obscure masterpieces, "Old Mad Joy" to delighted fans.

Count the Lane as a loyal Gourds' supporter and longtime listener. I still maintain the highlight of my trip to Super Bowl XLV in February was viewing a night-before Gourds' gig north of Dallas at an out-of-the-way venue, Dan's Silver Leaf in Denton.

The band spoke that night of an impending change of scenery north to upstate New York to lay down tracks for a new CD which would become 'Old Mad Joy.'

With a label upgrade and a cautious approach at 'enhancing' their sound, the band entered Levon Helm's Woodstock, N.Y. based studio. Their wish list for soliciting an in-demand producer was realized when Larry Campbell agreed to spin the dials.

It is by pure coincidence this record comes out in the aftermath of a recent LL story regarding Donna The Buffalo vocalist Tara Nevins who, likewise, recorded a 2011 record in Helm's studio with Campbell at the control board.

With co-vocalists and songwriters Jimmy Smith and Kevin Russell, Campbell somehow managed to find a happy medium - injecting a fuller sound, though successfully maintaining the band's traditional low profile image.

Russell spoke highly of the outcome in a press release for the new disc.

"Larry's qualification and compassion instilled in us a desire to achieve more than we thought we could as a combo and as individuals. He used the templates and elements of our original demos to create something novel, intriguing and much more interesting."

Smith wrote six of the record's songs and more closely stays the course from the band's mid-90s origins.

Russell, meanwhile, penned five and continues to evolve as the more 'serious' author of the two. In fact, Russell could likely compose a number of top 40 country hit tunes in the proper setting.

In fact, Russell's "Peppermint City" could almost be considered a mild departure from Gourdian. I wouldn't be surprised if the band shopped the song around Americana and public radio markets.

Though Smith and Russell share co-billing as effective vocalists, the Gourds' remaining members: Claude Bernard (accordion, keyboards); Max Johnston (banjo, fiddle) and Keith Langford (drums) all contribute various singing roles.

"I love all the records we've done to this point. But on this one, we had somebody (Campbell) to expedite our talent," Smith stated. "Larry definitely got our attention. And the facility was just off the chart great."

Not so surprising considering the likes of Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, the Black Crowes and Muddy Waters have all made records there.

Also not so surprisingly, no area dates can be found on the Gourds tour page which includes a number of coast to coast stops.

The band's most likely regional live date is Cleveland's Beachland Ballroom a venue they have previously played.

ROADKILL

THE Gourds did receive some national notoriety in 2006 when they performed in an episode of the NBC show Friday Night Lights. They've also been showcased on PBS TV's Austin City Limits....

10-05-11 Edgewood, MD

2011-10-06T02:15:00.011-04:00

© Cassandra Ladino

Audio: by Peter Shimm
Photos: by Cassandra Ladino (incl. opening act) / by Ian Glazer (incl. opening act)
Video: Marginalized / Do 4 U > Midnight Rider > Do 4 U / Hooky Junk / Spanky / Pine Island Bayou / Jenny Brown / Lower 48 / All the Labor / Blood of the Ram > Sympathy for the Devil > Blood of the Ram

The Gourds
Club 66
207 Edgewood Road
Edgewood, MD
10-05-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Ink and Grief
06. Melchert
07. Caledonia
08. Do 4 U > Midnight Rider (Greg Allman/Robert Payne) > Do 4 U
09. Hooky Junk
10. Drop the Charges
11. Spanky
12. Everybody's Missing the Sun (Nils Lofgren)
13. Best of Me
14. Two Sparrows
15. Pine Island Bayou
16. Jenny Brown
17. Drop What I'm Doing
18. Burn the Honeysuckle
19. Your Benefit
20. Lower 48 *
E:
21. All the Labor
22. Blood of the Ram > Sympathy for the Devil tease (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) > Blood of the Ram
23. Shake the Chandelier

Local boy makes good © Cassandra Ladino

*Richmond Ditch version

Special thanks to Peter Shimm, Cassandra Ladino, Ian Glazer, and Josh Nanberg for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

10-04-11 Philadelphia, PA

2011-10-04T23:42:00.009-04:00

© Bill Shields

Audio: by JG_Taper / by d3gourds (pending)
Video: Your Benefit (pending) / Pine Island Bayou

The Gourds
World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
10-04-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Web Before You Walk into It
06. Right in the Head
07. Mister Betty
08. Wanamakers *
09. Two Sparrows
10. Your Benefit
11. Maria
12. Meteorite (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa)
13. Burn the Honeysuckle **
14. El Paso
15. Drop the Charges
16. I Want it So Bad
17. Melchert
18. Cracklins > Dueling Banjos tease (Arthur Smith/Don Reno) > Cracklins ***
E:
19. All the Labor > Rainbow Connection tease (Paul Williams/Kenneth Ascher) > All the Labor
20. Pine Island Bayou
21. I Like Drinking ****
22. Lower 48 ***** > Rich Girl (Daryl Hall) > Lower 48

*Original set list had Ink and Grief
**Original set list had "Max [song]"
***Original set list had Lower 48 to end the set
****Ended with alternate lyric, "Have mercy on me, Daryl Hall"
*****Richmond Ditch version

Special thanks to Jim Gannon, Bill Shields, Ryan Megna, Ian Glazer, Josh Nanberg, and Peter Backes for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

No Depression Blog: There Ain't No Santy Claus At The Higher Ground

2011-10-04T19:20:00.004-04:00

Sermon: Rev. Ribs on the False promise and low wages of Hippie Corporate culture or There ain't no Santy Claus at The Higher Ground
By Kevin Russell
October 4, 2011

Burlington was on the calendar. But the venue, The Higher Ground prefers to suggest they are in Woonoski,VT. Either way I think most would consider this to be one of a handful of hippie HQ's around the country; Berkeley, Taos, Austin, Boulder, Asheville, Woodstock, etc. One thing that struck me about this Higher Ground, founded by Phish members, was the number of employees it had and the number of rules as well. I won't go into the specifics, but let's just say it's built on the model of "corporate hippie" ala Whole Foods, REI, Ben And Jerry's and Starbucks maybe.

That term is an oxymoron of course. It feels ugly because it represents pretty well the hypocrisy inherent in those companies. I would have to use Whole Foods as the Wal-Mart example of the Corporate Hippie revolution. That store was founded by real, down to earth, idealistic, pot smoking, barefoot, granola eatin'hippies. But, people change. Ideals are no match for good ol' human greed. The buzz from wheat grass and weed is nothing compared to the buzz of wealth and power. It wasn't long before lots of money flowed into their take over of the natural foods retail market. An aggressive strategy of dominance became the driving force behind their success. And frankly their customers didn't give a rats ass. They have gradually become less and less about their personal ideals and more and more about their personal wealth and power. So what if they vote democrat and recycle? They are no different than the friends of Dick Cheney who operate upon the same aggressive winner take all, survival of the fittest model.

I suspect The Higher Ground began as an honest attempt at creating a community and cultural center based on the personal experience of it's founders. But running a business for profit is quickly the reality that sets in after the money has been spent to open the doors. It gets very real when one's own name is on the mortgage, when one's reputation and responsibility are on the chopping block. Suddenly all those dreadlocked, patchouli scented, terminally opti-mystic trippers (band name) are nothing more than potential liabilities and disgruntled customers looking to syphon a little bit of yer dream for their insatiable appetite.

So, yeah we understand they have a business to run. But so do we. It is one of the philosophies of our business model to extend a mutual respect, trust and general benefit of the doubt to our many partners. We expect the same. When we feel the other has not acted in good faith, then we get a little riled up. Too many rules, too much overhead and too high a percentage split of the door receipts makes us feel unwelcome.

The audience on the other hand was a magnificent group of folks who knew our music front and back. They appreciated the new and dug the old. They were generous as well, which is not a common attribute in the Northeast apparently. Traveling musicians appreciate greatly the sharing of comforts. We are like public radio, anything helps. Unfortunately they had to submit to bag searches at the door. I would guess this place doesn't sell a lot of alcohol so they don't allow drugs. I doubt it was to protect our intellectual property from being pirated.

A couple of the employees had actual personalities and were friendly. Most acted like they were just working a job and had the look of someone who is trying to remember the rules and make it to the clock out. I never actually met the upper echelon of the control mechanism. But there was an office where all the money disappeared and got divided, somewhat unfairly I would like to add. Though we agreed to this shitty deal, we felt we would do better. In the end it was not worth it financially. And that is what I mean by "corporate." It's a big operation that tries to extend niceties and comforts to everyone. But, it is so large that the simple welcoming by a human is lost in their quest for excellence in hospitality and production. Money is sucked up by the massive overhead. The governing of this system becomes more important than the actual human experience of the place and the moment. We may as well have been playing at a House Of Blues or Hard Rock Cafe or Stubbs.

This is what happens when the system is served instead of the soul. It happens in the private sector just as it happens in the public. There must be an emotional and moral tending to the system to keep it serving the spiritual needs of the humans involved. And that is done through relationships, love and respect. It is not easy. But it is highly effective as a motivator for employees and clients alike. This is especially true where money is not available to compensate everyone to their satisfaction because of an inefficient use of resources. If one can balance these things then I would call that success.

Spare me yer "real world" lectures and calls of naiveté. I am a growed up man with a pretty good sense about these matters. "That's just the way it is" is never something I can accept as an excuse or justification for ineptitude or selfishness. In matters of the natural world, yes, of course. But in matters of human interaction and commerce, no. We all have a sense of right and wrong. When someone feels wronged there is usually, not always, good reason for it. We all know when we are doing wrong to others. We should strive to not act like that. We should strive to be fair and just.

Where else is there to play in Burlington,VT? Is there any kind of mom and pop joint we could cozy up to? Keep those cards and letters humming.

Note: Audio, video, and set list from this show can be found here.

10-03-11 Bronx, NY [Private Event]

2011-10-04T13:15:00.007-04:00

Photos: by thenotoriousmark

The Gourds
Fordham University - Rose Hill Campus (Keating Hall)
Dr. Kazimiroff Boulevard
Bronx, NY
10-03-11

01. I Want it So Bad
02. Haunted
03. Drop What I'm Doing

Note: This performance was filmed/recorded for later release on WFUV Radio

Special thanks to thenotoriousmark for the field report. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Review 9-28-11 Albany, NY

2011-10-03T15:25:00.001-04:00

One of the first things you realize at a Gourds show is that these are not the aging rockers they appear to be. Though the sounds are traditional (mandolins, banjos, accordions, acoustic guitars, even the electric guitar sounds like it’s from the 60s), this is young people’s music. It’s irreverent, it’s spontaneous, it’s ragged and rough around the edges. And maybe most importantly, it’s good “butt shufflin’” music, as guitarist/singer/frontman Kevin Russell put it.

This helps explain how the Gourds did something that many acts at the Linda Norris Auditorium can’t do: they got the audience hootin’ and hollerin’ like a drunken Austin crowd. Don’t get me wrong, I love The Linda and the great performers they bring to town, but the crowd is usually sedate, and that lack of energy is often reflected in the performances. It’s hard for an act to get fired up for a crowd that won’t do much besides clap appreciatively after a song. The Gourds courted a different audience this time, though, one that was full of passionate music lovers who are willing, even eager to indulge a band on a night like this.

The show started with four songs off the new album, which hasn’t been out long enough for many people to buy, much less recognize the songs. The new songs are a little less rootsy and a little more indie-rock than previous material, but no less engaging. “Peppermint City” has a groove just as infectious as “Caledonia,” which was played later in the show during a stretch when it appeared that singer and bassist Jimmy Smith needed either more or less beer to get the songs right. The songs had gotten ragged, and at a Gourds show, that means really ragged. The most obvious sign that they were walking that edge and about to lose it altogether was on “Jenny Brown,” when the band drifted in and out of sync and never quite managed to get to the same parts of the song at the same time. This was a moment when the connection with the audience was most obvious, as when they joked about playing it again to get it right, the audience cheered more loudly than they had for the song the first time around. After a moment to review their parts, Russell launched into the opening guitar riff with more conviction, and this time the song was a little tighter, had a little more energy, and the crowd loved it a little more.

This ability to connect with the audience gave them the opportunity to dig deeper into the set and play most of the brand new album “Old Mad Joy” (recorded just down the road at Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock and released two weeks ago on the Vanguard label), without losing those that were only familiar with the older material. The ballads resonated deeply with the audience, laying a foundation for the upbeat songs to seem even more vibrant.

While many bands lose their edge and energy as they age and have kids, the Gourds have simply gotten deeper, the metaphors more poetic, more spiritual and more multidimensional. “Eyes Of A Child” is maybe the best example. Russell’s short introduction would make you expect something trite and simplistic, but what we got is a song of remorse and redemption, a spiritual with the grit and authenticity of someone who seems to have spent more of his life sinning than preaching the gospel. Even still, he orchestrated the audience into a sing-along in the last verse that was more deeply uplifting than most Sunday mornings with the preacher.

The lone encore, “Burn The Honeysuckle” — the closest thing I’ve ever heard to hillbilly funk — was the strongest barnburner of the set, and kept most of the audience on their feet through the whole song. The one disappointment in the night was that this was their only encore, while reviews of other shows in the last couple of weeks show that they’ve played as many as five songs in a medley to close out the night.

Patrick Sweeney kicked off the evening’s festivities accompanied only by a baby blue jazzbox and his left foot stomping on a wooden plank. Sweeney’s music is a little bit honky-tonk, a little bit blues, a little bit soul… probably what you’d expect from an Ohio native who made his way to Nashville by way of Arkansas. He moves in and out of all these different sounds within each song, which he delivers with a dynamic feel that’s both surprising and engaging. He’s a master of singing the verse softly enough to draw the audience in, and then digging into the chorus with enough power to knock them right on their asses.

Sweeny’s music fits into a roots music niche that he doesn’t share with many people, helping him sound fresh in a category that is beginning to get a little crowded. He’s probably one or two good career moves away from headlining and fronting his own band, so look for him again soon.

© 2011 Nippertown.com

10-02-11 Asbury Park, NJ

2011-10-03T10:24:00.004-04:00

Audio: by d3gourds
Video: Spanky / Layin Around the House / Layin Around the House (alt. view) / Tomb of Nefertari > Lament / All the Labor
Photos: by Cassandra Ladino / by Ian Glazer / by Josh Nanberg (pending)

The Gourds
The Saint
601 Main Street
Asbury Park, NJ
10-02-11

01. Haunted
02. Melchert
03. Luddite Juice
04. Ink and Grief
05. Pill Bug Blues
06. Spanky
07. All in the Pack
08. Cranky Mulatto
09. Hooky Junk
10. Drop What I'm Doing
11. Drop the Charges
12. Everybody's Missing the Sun (Nils Lofgren)
13. Burn the Honeysuckle
14. Your Benefit
15. You Must Not Know
16. Peppermint City
17. Two Sparrows
18. Layin Around the House
19. Tomb of Nefertari >
20. Lament
21. My Name is Jorge
22. Lower 48 *
E:
23. All the Labor
24. Blood of the Ram > Subway Train (David Johansen/Johnny Thunders)

© Cassandra Ladino

*1st studio arrangement since 7-04-10

Special thanks to Cassandra Ladino, Ian Glazer, and Josh Nanberg for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

10-01-11 New York, NY

2011-10-02T01:27:00.022-04:00

Audio: by NYCtaper.com

Photos: by Cassandra Ladino (incl. opening act)
Video: Melchert / Ink and Grief / Meteorite (pending) / Burn the Honeysuckle / I Want it So Bad / I Want it So Bad (alt. view) / I Want it So Bad (2nd alt. view) / Drop What I'm Doing

The Gourds
Sullivan Hall
214 Sullivan Street
New York, NY
10-01-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Web Before You Walk into It
06. Hellhounds
07. Melchert
08. Ink and Grief
09. Two Sparrows
10. Your Benefit
11. Pickles
12. Meteorite (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa) *
13. Louisiana 1927 tease (Randy Newman)
14. Blankets **
15. Burn the Honeysuckle > The Entertainer tease (Scott Joplin) > Burn the Honeysuckle
16. Drop the Charges ***
17. All the Labor
18. I Want it So Bad
19. Lower 48 ****
20. Drop What I'm Doing

© Cassandra Ladino

*1st time played; third song The Gourds have covered by The Tinys
**Ended with a single line from Happy Birthday to You (Preston Ware Orem/Mrs. R.R. Forman)
***Original set list had Eyes of a Child b/t Burn the Honeysuckle and Drop the Charges
****Richmond Ditch version

© Cassandra Ladino

Special thanks to nyctaper.com, Cassandra Ladino, bhnmedia, Ian Glazer, Josh Nanberg, Peter Backes, Jon Grundt, carramrod72, limoneaaa, and Bill Shields for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

No Depression Blog: Albany

2011-10-01T15:31:00.003-04:00

Albany
By Kevin Russell
October 1, 2001

Albany was waiting for us to saunter in on a jet liner from Austin via Hotlanta. That Marriott hotel was a welcome sight to the weary upon arrival that Tuesday night. As the van with Sweansteen and Markwad (Patrick Sweany and Mark Creaney respectively) had not made it to the Capitol city yet, we had some extra solo hotel rooms.

There is a constant rotation of hotel room mates going throughout a given tour. When we have an odd number of people, a solo room is in the mix. So we take turns getting the solo. I have always thought that in order to get the solo room one should have had to have played a solo at the show. That has more to do with my enjoyment of bass and drum solos though.

The discussion of how to proceed was had in the lobby beside a round table with a magnificent floral arrangement of rhododendron and birds of paradise. The issue was and often is how to decide who gets the first solo room/s? Does the order reset after one tour has ended and another begins or is it carried forth from where we left off? My suggestion was to just start over alphabetically by family name. That always works against me having a name that starts with R. But it is an arbitrary default that seems to sway parties to adherence in short order. I might start trying the oldest first system since I am the oldest, haha. I think Keith wanted to draw straws. but, we didn't have any straws handy. And I don't know, the discussion was starting to escalate emotionally. Those straws could have been used as weapons in our highly skilled hands. Nobody wanted blood spilled in that lobby so we found a peaceful solution. Another catastrophe avoided. Jimmy and I went up to our room and settled down for the evening. We watched The Office and then hit the hay.

I wondered how I was going to continue to blog this way on my ever shrinking iPhone. The thought troubled me. Squinting and typing with my thumbs is increasingly tedious. In the beginning it seemed liberating to not have to lug around a clunky, heavy lap top every where. But, that lap top, in all of it's buggy, antiquated sluggishness now seemed like a nice, roomy old 20th century Detroit luxury car; a V8, great suspension, wide turning radius and fine Corinthian leather.

Next day I went through the progressions, pros and cons of what I thought I'd never consider. That's right, an iPad. (It really bothers me actually that the apple spell checking product automatically spells their little "i" product names wrong but will not allow me to type the word shit without having to ask permission to change it from "shot."

"Certainly Mr. Russell you do not intend to actually use such a word in yer communication with another human on the apple networks? Here let us select a word more suitable and palatable for you. There now, isn't that what you really meant to say?" chimes the disembodied, grammatically appropriate Steve Jobs Godhead.

There we found ourselves, Keith and I, at the Crosswinds mall, or some such pairing of quaint-village-inducing words; cross gates, west winds, walnut trail, riverbend. If I ever I build a mall I am gonna name it, "Vanity Horde Mall."

The mall was impressive. It had everything one would ever need to live if the grid collapsed. I imagine that in the aftermath of some catastrophic disruption of goods and services small militias might seek to control a mall or mega stores for the huge amount of supplies, food, tools etc. Battles between these militias even could occur.

This day though I found an Apple Store. After asking my wife if I was bat shot (shit) crazy, in which she responded, yes but you should still buy an iPad. I swaggered into the inviting, open style store of perfect balance between function and form. A friendly, longish haired young man approached me and asked in a very casual but professional tone if I was finding everything all right or if I had questions. I asked him if he knew why the caged bird sings? "For an iPad" would've been a good response. But, he just laughed nervously and looked a little closer at me, contemplating if he was going to have to ask me to leave. But, we soon got to the transaction.

Dmitry, if I am spelling it right, it turns out is a musician as well. He has a band, Dirty Paris (link) in Albany. Upon further discussion we discovered we had a mutual friend in Drew Landry from Lafayette LA. Dmitry had actually backed Drew up at his show here. The Gourds have known Drew for years. He even helped me line up a house boat in the swamp once. Drew has done a lot of great music and a lot of great, noble, inspired work on behalf of his home state in relief of the BP oil spill. (link) I invited Dmitry to the show. But he had never heard of The Linda where we were playing. I thought for some reason it was in Schenectady. Not sure why I thought that. Maybe because I never really know where I am.

The Linda is a former bank building in what I think is downtown Albany. It is a venue run by WAMC radio. They promote shows there and sell beer to the public. It has an institutional feel to it, like a church or a school or maybe kind of a Euro feel to it, a community center vibe. (album title?) The green room is in the old bank vault. It still has the vault door on it. Impressive hinges on that mofo.

It was a full house at The Linda that night. We tried a long opening song sequence that worked great. The Gourds have never been real big on going quickly from song to song. But, it is a fun thing to do every now and again (bad album title). I loved it going from "You Must Not Know" to "Peppermint City" then "Marginalized" into "Haunted."

Listening rooms used to gives us the heebie-jeebies. And they can still present problems for us sometimes. When we are not in a talkative mood, awkward silence can fill the room between songs. If somebody has to tune or get a swig o' libation, we usually can count on a crowd to talk to themselves whilst awaiting the next number. Listening rooms are set up to give the audience an immersive experience where they sit passively and let themselves be taken on a musical ride. That silence can get under the skin. It has emotional mass that can derail one's train of thought. I have seen actual physical damage occur from what I believe was such silence. Recently I felt that we didn't handle the Lobero theater very well in this way. Too much dead air. These Gourds, usually so full of wit and whimsy, can wilt in the spotlight on occasion. It is human of course and charming. But, there are ways to manage it. Segue way and colorful anecdotes are the best.

The show was a joy. And we left with a good feeling. The load out was noteworthy for the fruit stripe gum plant just outside. I couldn't stop looking at it's fruit striped leaves and thinking of that psychedelic zebra who used to peddle it. A light rain was falling as we stood against a brick wall and witnessed about the many band photo's taken against brick walls. What is it we love so much about this particular facade? It must have something to do with the three little pigs.

Note: Audio, video, and set list from this show can be found here.

9-30-11 Somerville, MA

2011-09-30T23:16:00.010-04:00

Audio: by Andy D / by d3gourds (pending)
Photos: by Cassandra Ladino
Video: Money Honey / Piss & Moan Blues (pending)

The Gourds
Johnny D's Uptown Restaurant & Music Club
17 Holland Street
Davis Square
Somerville, MA
9-30-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Money Honey
06. Melchert
07. Tearbox
08. I Want it So Bad
09. Two Sparrows
10. Don't Run Wild tease (Dan Zanes)
11. More Than a Feeling tease (Tom Scholz) > Illegal Oyster
12. Pickles
13. Ink and Grief
14. Burn the Honeysuckle
15. Your Benefit
16. Piss & Moan Blues
17. Waxy's Dargle (trad.)
E:
18. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) > Roadrunner (Jonathan Richman) > Dirty Water (Ed Cobb)

© Bridget Jourgensen

Special thanks to Cassandra Ladino, Andy D, and Bridget Jourgensen for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Washington Post: No Matter How Much You Polish A Rhinestone, It Will Never Become A Diamond

2011-09-30T12:54:00.008-04:00

THE GOURDS
Album review: "Old Mad Joy"
By Goeffrey Himes
Sept 30, 2011

The Gourds have never sounded better than they do on "Old Mad Joy," the new album they recorded with Larry Campbell as producer. Campbell, who was Bob Dylan's music director, achieves the perfect sonic balance between the Texas quintet's Americana craftsmanship and garage-rock spontaneity and even adds some tasty steel guitar.

But no matter how much you polish a rhinestone, it will never become a diamond. The Gourds' two lead singers, Kevin Russell and Jimmy Smith, have limited voices and yet belt out these songs as if they were Van Morrison and Thom Yorke, leading to unsubtle blaring that the instrumental tracks, no matter how sparkling, can't camouflage.

Russell and Smith's lyrics are quite colorful but lead more often to arbitrary non sequiturs than to coherent stories. Juxtaposing odd references (Bugler tobacco, non-adhesive tape and Suzi Quatro) in successive lines, as Smith does on "Drop the Charges," doesn't necessarily produce meaning. And reshuffling gospel cliches, as Russell does on "Eyes of a Child," doesn't necessarily produce enlightenment.

Gotham: A Joyride Of Great Music

2011-09-30T03:13:00.004-04:00

Gotham Interview with Kevin Russell
By Chuck
Sept 30, 2011

I’ve always been a big fan of The Gourds. The first song I ever heard was the opening track of Cow Fish Fowl or Pig, and I was immediately hooked.

Oh, how to describe the sound of The Gourds…A sort of folky, twangy, alternative country-esque, rockin’ and rollin’ trailer park orchestra. Yeah, I think that sums it up. If you’re not familiar with them, get ready for an experience unlike anything you’ve laid your ears on.

The Gourds are fun. Their music keeps your attention, and without even knowing it, you’ll be clapping your hands and stomping your feet to the rhythm of their unique sound.

This is definitely the case with their latest album – their 11th studio album – Old Mad Joy. From front to back, beginning to end, this album is a joyride of great music.

—–

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to chat with Kevin Russell of The Gourds about his new album and the band’s latest tour (coming through New York City on Saturday October 1st at Sullivan Hall in the West Village). They’ll be rolling through Asbury Park the following night.

You opened the tour in August in Austin, Texas. You end the tour in December in Austin, Texas. Sprinkled throughout are stops in California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas and Colorado (just to name a few of the Lower 48s). What’s it like going from a place like Lincoln, Nebraska to the West Village in New York City?

It’s like boiling rocks that look like eggs; things are similar but possess different attributes and qualities. People look the same, but act different. We are a nation at once physically homogenous, but culturally less informed by a universal moral compass. It’s like shaving with a butter knife. Our toolkit sometimes is missing what we need for a given situation. Confusion is often our companion, fragmentation our philosophical foil. ‘The map is not the territory,’ said Korzybski. In searching for that quote, Gurdjieff also said, ‘It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.’ In addition to changing my font, that quote also signals me to embrace the cosmic shuffle inherent in this lifestyle. The variety, depth and speed of changes can be dramatic.

Your 11th studio album, Old Mad Joy, was recorded at Levon Helm’s Barn in Woodstock. What was it like recording in his studios?

That was the most enjoyable, inspiring, challenging, gripping recording experience thus far. I would liken it to being aboard Noah’s Ark in those fateful days after the flood; before the crow came back with mud on its feet. Or maybe it was like the early stages of the Mayan pyramids. From the basic burial mounds to the ornate, inscription laden temples of deities, with each song, each layer we created something sacred to all of us. This kind of collaborative creative cabal is valued on a human scale. Regardless what any review suggests or any scantron sales report indicates, this is a grand success that can never be repeated or imitated. The men involved, the air, the color of the sky, the moments captured like ghosts, the dirt on the floor, the fireplace, the food…all of it converged into this recording: unique and everlasting.

This is your first record that you brought in an outside producer. Did having Larry Campbell as your producer change your normal routine in the record-making/song-writing process?

He certainly changed the way we think about making recordings and yes, writing and arranging songs. His influence on the songs were after they had been written. But, watching his way of deconstructing them and sticking them back together will have a lasting influence on us. I write differently now. I am more thoughtful in some way. I want to take ideas further. He is like our James T. Kirk, to boldly go where no Gourds have gone before. Haha. I was just wondering what it would have been like if Joseph Campbell or Earl Campbell had produced this record.

Is Old Mad Joy your best album?

I have to say, yes, it is our best. But it has some stiff competition. Dem’s Good Beeble and Blood Of The Ram specifically.

There’s something about the opening tracks to The Gourds’ albums. From “I Want It So Bad” to “Country Love” to “Decline-O-Meter” to “Lower 48″ to my personal favorite “My Name is Jorge,” your albums always kick off with a foot tapping, hand clapping, rockin’ tune. The bar is set high from the get go, and somehow you maintain it – or even exceed it! – throughout the entire album. Is it just me, or do you intentionally pick these types of songs to open your albums?

We put a lot of thought into the sequence of our records. I am not sure if this is antiquated or not? We were raised on albums. So, that is hard wired into the way we think and act in regards to our records. If you sit down and listen to them in one sitting, you might glean something more from the relation of musical and lyrical juxtaposition. Or you might find just how A.D.D .we really are. If it starts to make sense you may be a Gourds savant, which can qualify you for a generous discount on a t-shirt.

The music industry is changing every single day, specifically the distribution of music. It seems the mp3 file has affected the way people listen to their music: from Napster to iTunes to iPods to Spotify…Has the advent of things like “the cloud” affected the way you make music?

Not yet. I think about it and experience it a lot, though. I have lots of ideas that will eventually serve the needs or wants of this a la carte, candy machine market. One thought is that eventually musicians will make song cycles that last 15 minutes, give or take, or even longer. It’ll have to be really damn good to keep the attention of the listener. Imagine a mini opera by Li’l Wayne. Though he could never do in 15 minutes what Roy Orbison did in three…who among us can?

I may be way behind on this one, but I’ve got to ask: What’s the future of Kev Russell’s Junker?

Well, I morphed that into Shinyribs. I released a great little record last year called Well After Awhile on Nine Mile Records out of the ATX. In fact I am label mates with Patrick Sweaney. It’s a great band that leans more toward my side of the musical spectrum of Ye Olde Gourds. Check it out. That band rarely plays outside of Texas.

Are there any new bands out there you’re excited about? What are you listening to?

Jimbo Mathus, Confederate Buddah; Ramsay Midwood, Larry Buys A Lighter; Patrick Sweaney, That Ol’ Southern Drag; Eagle Eye Williamson, Shakey Graves, The Babies…Robert Ellis has the saddest song of the the year: “Bamboo” makes me cry every time, go listen to it.

Before I let you go, what can your New York fans expect from the show this weekend at Sullivan Hall?

A Johansen Thunders kind of amalgamation the likes of which the city has never seen. Yeah right. It’ll be a lot of the new stuff, stories and shenanigans.

—–

It was a pleasure chatting with Kev Russell. He’s a deep guy with a lot to say. I can’t wait to see what The Gourds bring to the show at Sullivan Hall.

It’s going to be a hoot. And a lot of fun.

9-29-11 Burlington, VT

2011-09-30T02:11:00.014-04:00

© Cassandra Ladino

Audio: by d3gourds
Photos: by Cassandra Ladino
Video: Web Before You Walk into It / Jenny Brown / Two Sparrows / All the Labor (pending)

The Gourds
Higher Ground
1214 Williston Road
South Burlington, VT
9-29-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Web Before You Walk into It
06. Jenny Brown
07. Caledonia
08. I Want it So Bad
09. Two Sparrows
10. Big Santiago Bust
11. Pickles
12. The Tinys Variety Hour (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa)
13. Best of Me
14. Burn the Honeysuckle
15. Sweet Li'l
16. Drop the Charges
17. Drop What I'm Doing
18. Lower 48 *
19. All the Labor
E:
20. Pill Bug Blues
21. Mister Betty
22. At the Crossroads (Doug Sahm)
23. All in the Pack > I Can't Stand It (Lou Reed) > All in the Pack

*Richmond Ditch version

Soundcheck: Grapes on the Vine (Tony Rice), Angel Flying too Close to the Ground (Willie Nelson), Rocks Off (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards), Polk Salad Annie (Tony Joe White), Sympathy for the Devil (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards), Sweet Li'l

Special thanks to Andrew Maroko, Peter Backes, and Cassandra Ladino for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Review 9-28-11 Albany, NY

2011-09-29T12:20:00.001-04:00

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 GOURDS
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.

9-28-11 Albany, NY

2011-09-29T01:49:00.011-04:00

© Bill Patterson

Audio: by d3gourds
Video: Jenny Brown (pending) / Jenny brown (pending) / Big Santiago Bust (pending)

The Gourds
The Linda
339 Central Avenue
Albany, NY
9-28-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Haunted
05. Web Before You Walk into It
06. Jenny Brown *
07. Jenny Brown *
08. Caledonia
09. Ink and Grief
10. Two Sparrows
11. Big Santiago Bust
12. Pickles
13. Everybody's Missing the Sun (Nils Lofgren)
14. Best of Me
15. Eyes of a Child
16. (the new way of) Grievin' & Smokin'
17. All the Labor
18. Drop the Charges
19. Lower 48 **
20. Drop What I'm Doing
E:
21. Burn the Honeysuckle > Black Water tease (Patrick Simmons) > Burn the Honeysuckle

© Bill Patterson

*Complete version
**Richmond Ditch version

Special thanks to Peter Backes, Bill Patterson, Kristin Barone, Paul Rieder, and Rebecca Pilny for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Twangville: Things Aren't Always What They Seem

2011-09-28T09:32:00.003-04:00

Editor's note: The following review was taken from a playlist of 10 recent recordings. Click here to read the rest of that article.

The Gourds / Old Mad Joy
By Mayer Danzig
Sept 28, 2011

The Gourds latest is a bit deceiving. The band has built a reputation as a bluegrass and backporch country band, but things aren’t always what they seem.

The album open as one would expect. “I Want You So Bad” is built around an accordion and a bouncing beat. “We all know that life ain’t fair,” the band sings, “but we forget it when desire becomes despair,” with the latter line sung in rich multi-part harmony.

But then things start to change. The guitars emerge and the traditional sound fades into the background. “Haunted,” the fifth track on the album, opens up into what could easily become an extended jam. Electric guitars, particularly a steel guitar, glisten as they wander around a classic southern rock riff. A steel guitar and a Southern drawl stand mostly alone as the connections to the band’s roots base.

“Ink and Grief” is a gem, a ballad both tender and bittersweet. Steel guitar and fiddle intertwine beautifully as Kevin Russell plaintively counsels, “when love is gone, carry on.”

“Your Benefit,” the closing track, reaches a pinnacle of the jam-band sound. The song has an angular chorus that is complimented by some great harmonies. The song has, dare I say it, a Grateful Dead feel. Given Jerry Garcia’s penchant for bluegrass, I suspect that the Gourds – and certainly this release – would have had his seal of approval.

Copyright © 2005-11, Hobos & Huevos, LLC. All rights reserved.

9-24-11 Dallas, TX

2011-09-25T10:59:00.026-04:00

Audio: by Patric Shurden
Photos: by pointblankgirl
Video: Hellhounds / Hellhounds (alt. view) / Wagon of Destruction / Burn the Honeysuckle / All the Labor / Gin and Juice > Shotgun > Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys) > Slow Ride > All You Need Is Love > The Wild Rover > Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) > Gin and Juice

The Gourds
The Kessler Theater
1230 West Davis Street
Dallas, TX
9-24-11

01. You Must Not Know
02. Peppermint City
03. Marginalized
04. Drop the Charges
05. Ink and Grief
06. Shake the Chandelier
07. Melchert
08. Hellhounds
09. Haunted
10. Wagon of Destruction (Claude Bernard/Matt Cook/Travis Garaffa)
11. Two Sparrows
12. Eyes of a Child
13. Bridgett
14. Drop What I'm Doing
15. I Want it So Bad
16. Lower 48 *
17. On Time
18. Your Benefit
19. Burn the Honeysuckle
E:
20. All the Labor
21. Gin and Juice (Calvin Broadus, et al.) ** > Shotgun (Autry DeWalt) > Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys) (Waylon Jennings) > Slow Ride (David Peverett) > All You Need Is Love (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) > The Wild Rover (trad.) > Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) (Norman Whitfield/Barrett Strong) > Gin and Juice

© Sara Bowersock

*Richmond Ditch version
**Patrick Sweany and Miles Zuniga both joined the band on guitar for the remainder of the show, with the former adding vocals on Shotgun and Just My Imagination

Note: Related article/review can be found here.

Special thanks to Patric Shurden, Chris Dulaney, Sara Bowersock, realpeoplerealshit, and TheKessler2010 for the field reports. If anyone has audio/video/photos from this show, please email TheGourdsNews.

Review 9-23-11 Austin, TX

2011-09-25T00:57:00.005-04:00

Threadgill's Last Night
By Tomski

There was plenty of Old and Mad at Threadgill's last night, but Joy won by a country mile.

As stellar as the new album is, with its extra cleanliness and attention to detail, I was wondering how the new songs would sound live.

Any worries about the new crop of tunes not fitting in onstage were dispelled immediately, and we didn't have to wait more than 30 seconds to learn that. The Gourds got all up in it, kicking off with a six-pack of new songs from Old Mad Joy. The opener, the extra fun You Must Not Know, is the quirkiest and perhaps least Gourds-sounding song on the record. On stage, it immediately showed it belonged with its brethren.

I don't think anyone who saw their first Gourds show last night would be able to tell which songs were new and which were nearly 20 years old.

One of the best things about the new crop of songs is the abundance of backup singing and shared vocals. It's long been said that the Gourds are greater than the sum of their parts, but I don't think anything proves that to be true more than when they complementing each other vocally. Seeing and hearing all five Gourds singing that gospel-like break in Eyes of Child, or the Motown-esque a cappella part of Peppermint City shows just had tight this band can be. They've always been close-knit musically, but there is something about them displaying a unified front, with all members singing, that just gives them a happy, 'nobody can top us' vibe.

And there seems to be more dedication to showing off the backup singing on the older songs as well. As he does on the album, Claude especially shines.

Having a new crop of songs, and maybe even playing in front of a bunch of fans and friends hungry for new tunes, seemed to really energize the band. Keith and Jimmy seemed to be extra locked in providing the rhythm, Max seemed to be playing extra soulfully and Kev's versatility really stood out as he bounced back and forth on guitar between his beautiful ballads and providing the spark on Jimmy's great batch of new rockers.

At least up front, the bigger-than-usual crowd was WAY into it, even the new songs. Marginalized, Haunted and Eyes of a Child were as great live as they are on record. The new tunes seemed effortless. None seemed like they had only been played only a handful of times, though Jimmy did quip "It'll grow on you" after Melchert.

Apart from the Old Mad Joy songs, the rest of the set list was stellar, as they seemed to reach deep into their catalog. The newer arrangement of Cold Bed (more rock than country) was another that benefited from the renewed emphasis on backup singing. And an encore of Plaid Coat, Ringing Dark & True and Jorge is just about as good as it gets.

Maybe it was being huddled together in the Barn at Woodstock, maybe it's just the joy of having a bunch of great new tunes to show, or maybe it was just me, but the Gourds seemed as energized and focused and playful as I've seem them in a long time.

And the really good news is that a film crew of three or four or five were on stage and in the front row documenting the entire show. They picked a great show to put down for posterity.

© Travis Morse