The Gourds
Gogitchyershinebox
Watermelon
When you start an EP with a bluegrass version of Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust,” you’re gonna raise eyebrows. But when you follow it with a version of Snoop Doggy Dogg’s “Gin and Juice,” you can toss normal out the window. The Gourds, an Austin four-piece, have made a name for themselves with their bluegrass/rock and roll rave-ups. Four of the songs here are live versions (from Amsterdam, of all places… ) of cuts from the Stadium Blitzer album, and these guys cook live. They seem as comfortable with the rock and roll of “Magnolia” as they do with the sin and redemption bluegrass of “Lament.” Love ‘em or hate ‘em (and plenty of people hate them for “Gin and Juice” alone), the Gourds are not a band to be taken lightly. And hell’s bells, we’ve been waiting too long for someone to sing “bitches and ho’s” while wailing around on a mandolin, ain’t we? Watermelon Records, P.O. Box 49056, Austin, TX 78765
