Gourds Unleash Old Mad Joy On Unsuspecting Public

Joe Ryan

​As an album title, Old Mad Joy sounds like redundancy when placed in the context of Austin roots rock gonzos the Gourds. As anyone who has ever been in earshot of the band or its records, if the Gourds could bottle the music and sell it at the drug store, the corporations who manufacture the endless supply of happy pills would all go out of business. It would probably put a serious dent in Viagra sales too.

With the album, produced by Bob Dylan/Levon Helm sideman Larry Campbell at Helm's legendary studio in Woodstock, New York, set to drop September 13 on the Vanguard label, the band is gearing up for heavy touring during the second half of the year after having what bassist Jimmy Smith describes as a relatively easy spring schedule that allowed for quite a bit of family time. 

The Gourds, "Melchert"

The Gourds play a free show tonight at Miller Outdoor Theatre with Austin blues rocker Doyle Bramhall. Smith, who recently became a father again - three boys - emailed us his answers to our toughest questions. 

​Rocks Off: Our first impression was how good/warm this album sounds. What are your thoughts on this one vs. others sonics-wise?

Jimmy Smith: The Helm facility is a 3-story barn with high ceilings and the spread-out wood surfaces which mellow the harsh frequencies. Also, the mics and a lot of the outboard gear are high-end vintage products which also help with the harsh digital tones. Along with two seasoned pros. Perfect storm.

RO: You guys all seem to have found some different voices this time. Is this producer-driven or is it something that just evolved naturally during the work?

JS: Larry really wanted a vocal-driven record. We all had a "go" at the backing vocals; the lead vocals were a mixed bag of over-dubs for accuracy and scratch vocals (original take vocals) for a live feel.

RO: Did you guys already have the song list finalized before you went up or was that still being worked out during the sessions?

JS: I had demo'd my material on my reel- to-reel tape deck and shot that out to Larry and the band. Then we worked the rest up in our funky rehearsal spot for three months. Once we got to the studio, Larry just unlocked the gates and let some of the uninvited hooks, riffs, and arrangements in.