The Gourds

By most any standards, these are seriously twisted times. Poker has become a spectator sport, veggies and bread are dietary cuss words, the R&B charts are devoid of rhythm and blues, folks seek reality on television, and style trumps substance every time.

Ah, but twisted times call for twisted measures, and there are precious few bands careening about on this wobbly olÂ' rock who both grasp and deliver on that notion with the reckless, unbridled fervor of AustinÂ's The Gourds. Tapping into that elusive, organic musical turf where rock Â'nÂ' roll, country, soul, Zydeco, Tex-Mex, folk and blues not only share an address, but intermingle like drunken monkeys, The Gourds have earned a place among the most beloved and transcendent of American roots-rockers. The BandÂ's vintage era has long been the cornerstone of The GourdsÂ' sound, yet these rare birdsÂ' dizzying path frequently intersects those of such eclectic fellow travelers as Los Lobos, NRBQ, The Pogues and the varied, deep-rooted incarnations led by the late, great Doug Sahm. With the brand new Blood Of The Ram (their seventh full-length opus), The Gourds continue to shape and polish the distinctive, un-hinged experimentation begun nearly a decade ago.

Originally consisting of Beaumont, TexasÂ' Kevin Russell (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Dallas native Jimmy Smith (vocals, bass) and Shreveport, LouisianaÂ's Claude Bernard (accordion, guitar, vocals), the band added drummer Charlie Llewellyn in time for their 1997 debut, DemÂ's Good Beeble. Stadium Blitzer followed in 1998, but it was the subsequent Gogitchershinebox EP (re-issued with additional tracks as Shinebox in 2001) that brought the group unanticipated notoriety. A mind-boggling assortment of unlikely covers plus original and radically-modified traditional material, the EP defined and underscored the bandÂ's trademark big-tent inclusiveness by drawing David Bowie (Â"Ziggy StardustÂ") and Snoop Dogg (!) into the already catholic fold. The GourdsÂ' rubbery, Â'hick-hopÂ' deconstruction of the latterÂ's Â"Gin & JuiceÂ" became an undergournd sensation, and remains a signature staple in the groupsÂ' repertoire. Uncle TupeloÂ's Max Johnston (vocals, all-things-stringed) sat in on 1999Â's Ghosts Of Hallelujah, a venture so satisfying to all hands that he became the fifth permanent member of the band shortly thereafter.

From that point on, The Gourds have continued to expand and hone their unique vision even as theyÂ've gelled into a seamless, interactive performing unit. The extraordinary Bolsa de Agua (2000) and Cow Fish Fowl Or Pig (2002) were showered with unanimous critical acclaim, each named on numerous Â'best ofÂ' lists for their respective years of release. On Blood Of The Ram, primary songwriters Kevin Russell and Jimmy Smith each chip in with blue ribbon six-packs of sterling originals, while the equally potent Max Johnston contributes the rustic, evocative Â"On Time.Â" Both Russell and Smith boast widely-diverse songbooks, and the pairÂ's long-standing penchant for alternating entries to each discÂ's track list further swirls and muddies the waters; the result is a piquant sonic gumbo in which flavors collide and interact in continuously surprising ways. Kevin slips a giddy roll-call of the states into the opening Â"Lower 48,Â" a wheezing, gliding concoction that evokes a head-on collision of Beausoleil and Los Lobos. JimmyÂ's wicked Â"Triple T GasÂ" drills into late-Â'60s Dead psychedelia, then Russell counters by introducing The Band to Al Green on the greasy, fully tricked-out gas-guzzler, Â"Escalade.Â" Next up, Smith hauls NRBQ out past the woodpile in the lurching, barnyard blues of the bewildering Â"Illegal Oyster,Â" and so it goes, as groove upon groove is cross-pollinated and spot-welded with demented, gleeful ingenuity.

Woozy waltzes, boozy honky tonkers, hillbilly breakdowns and Cajun stomps all go under The Gourds sweet thunder, with vocal harmonies ranging from exquisitely precise to three-sheets-to-the-wind caterwauling. Each and every element is built to stand on its own; taken all together, itÂ's a jaw-dropping celebration that easily dwarfs the sum of its parts. Big-hearted, loopy and undeniably soul deep, Blood Of The Ram supplies just the ticket for spirits battered by a world seemingly intent on bustinÂ' yer chops.

So come on inÂ-itÂ's a tad wacky in here, but the foodÂ's hot and the companyÂ's impeccable.

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