Tunesday: The Gourds

Today I bring the first installment of an idea I had, Tunesday. Get it, Tuesday + tunes = Tunesday? OK, not the most ingenious idea I’ve ever had, but since getting my iPhone, I’ve been listening to a lot more music since it’s always with me. And subsequently, I thought it’d be nice to feature some of my favorite bands, as a nice little break for anyone who wanders through, or follows me on Twitter.

First up in the installment is The Gourds. One of my all time favorite bands, especially live, I thought it would be appropriate to feature them as they’ve got a new album out, Haymaker!.

The Gourds hail from Austin, TX, and for the casual listener, might characterize them as country, however their sound is definitely more than that, despite the types of instruments they play. (Ironically enough, I’ve chosen an in store performance of a new track, Country Love to feature from YouTube).

I would simply characterize their sound as “feel good”, albeit with a definite Alt-Country/Americana bend.

I was first turned onto the Gourds about 10 years ago by my friend Sandy. Soon there after, I found a copy of their second album, Stadium Blitzer in a thrift store of all places, but it wasn’t until she started working at Munich Records and gave me a copy of Bolsa de Agua that I really saw the light. I must have played that album straight through 5 times that first night. Hallelujah Shine is still one of my all time favorite songs.

Since then, through the beauty of Emusic and Munich Records, I’ve been able to collect all of their albums, and each has been a treat to listen to. That said, their aforementioned release, Haymaker! is their best since Bolsa de Agua in my opinion.

If you’d like a invite to emusic for a trial membership and 50 free downloads (you’ll have to give a CC#, but they don’t charge until after the first month), leave a comment with the email address you’d like it sent to, and I”ll send one your way. Shameless confession - you can do a trial membership without the invite from me, but if you were to sign up with emusic after the trial via invite, I’d get a 50 song credit.