UPDATED x 2: Concert review: The Gourds at Mayfest (May 1)

by Randy Tarver

On a beautiful evening under wind swept Fort Worth's annual Mayfest event, Austin natives The Gourds took the stage before a small crowd and delivered a set that displayed the band's musical talents and quirky humor.

The catchy "Do 4 U" from 2004's Blood Of The Ram opened the show slipping into a chorus cover of The Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider" before sliding back into "U". And that set the pace for the night. Smooth transitions, twangy solos, intricate picking, quick, soulful vocals, a barrel full of harmonies and five guys in the spotlight who smiled between songs.

Vocalist/guitarist/mandolin maestro Kevin Russell and bassist/vocalist Jimmy Smith handled the majority of the nights singing duties while steel guitarist and fiddle player Max Johnston eased through a few songs as well. Skinsman Keith Langford and keyboardist/squeeze box tech Claude Bernard complement this unique machine as they rolled through stompers like "Collections" and "Pine Island Bayou" and purred through an animated rendition of the ballad "Maria".

Some of my favorite Gourds tunes were absent tonight (their version of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust", "Clear Night" and "Dying Of The Pines" among others) but with time restraints limiting the band to only a hour's worth of music and the group having recently released their ninth album, Noble Creatures (Yep Roc Records, 2007), we just got a taste.

One track that couldn't escape the list tonight was their Texas-fried take on rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg's "Gin And Juice" from 1998's Gogitchyershinebox, performed hesitantly after audience members requested and the band carefully thought about it; after all, Mayfest is kind of a family function and the song is performed with Snoop's original lyrics in place. No one seemed to take offense - in fact, the jam sparked the relaxed scene - and the boys ripped through it.

The Gourds play Central Market in Fort Worth on June 19 and the Granada Theatre in Dallas on June 20. Mayfest runs from May 1-4 with performances all day. Visit www.thegourds.com and www.mayfest.org for the whole nine.

UPDATE: Bernie Scheffler from West and Clear also attended the concert and kindly recorded The Gourds' performance of "Gin and Juice." You can listen to it or even download it here.

UPDATE #2: Randy took some video of the concert, which you can now see below:

This article was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News community.

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