Lonesome Onry and Mean: The Gourds Land a Real Haymaker!

William Michael Smith October 21, 2008 3:10PM

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The Gourds live at Bumbershoot in Seattle, 2007 Photo by Allie Pasquier

Advance copies of the Gourds' new Yep Roc album, Haymaker!, are out, and fans certainly have something to look forward to. Release date is Jan. 6. Of course it features the usual zany lyrics -- check out “Shreveport” or the hilarious “Luddites” -- but I suspect this album is going to stand out for the sound. It’s clear and well-mixed, but it’s also rowdy and raw as hell and even features one of the few Gourdian attempts at honky tonk, Max Johnston’s beautifully sad “Valentine.”

Gourds fans should also take note that the group's co-frontman Kevin Russell will be at Under the Volcano next Wednesday, October 29. Russell has been previewing several Haymaker! tracks with side project, Shinyribs, which has become one of the anchors of Volcano’s free, 8 p.m. Wednesday-night music series.

Russell went to high school in Houston and, as you can see in the above video, he thinks Shinyribs knows astronauts. - William Michael Smith