Formed in mid-1990s Austin, Texas, by singer/guitarist Kevin Russell, a veteran of outfits including the Picket Line Coyotes, the Gourds’ distinctive alternative country sound marries influences as diverse as Lynyrd Skynyrd, David Bowie and Charlie Daniels. They recorded their debut album for European label Munich Records, DEM'S GOOD BEEBLE, switching to Austin’s Watermelon Records for the second album STADIUM BLITZER. Following 1999’s GHOSTS OF HALLELUJAH, they relocated to Sugar Hill Records for the next year's outstanding BOLSA DE AGUA. The outfit took its oddest turn in 2003 when they provided the soundtrack for Mike Woolf’s quirky documentary GROWIN' A BEARD. However, for their Yep Roc debut, 2007's NOBLE CREATURES, they went back to their basic hybrid indie sound on a charmingly melodic affair.