The Gourds at the Tractor 4.5.2007
Thursday, April 5, 2007
The Gourds at the Tractor Tavern
Opening band: The Spigots
Well, yet another very fun evening at The Tractor! Since it was on a week day again, we decided to drive back home after the late show. Our boy stayed the night at the grandparents’ house, since he had to go to school the next morning. I was off for Good Friday and P took a half day. We were glad we had the morning off; we didn’t get home until about 2:00 am!
After dropping the boy off, we headed down to Ballard early and spent about ½ hour looking for a place to park. We finally squeezed in to a spot a few blocks away from the Tractor. We were hungry, so we decided to try a little tavern across the street called the Lock & Keel. They had a nice selection of sandwiches and regular tavern fare. We ordered drinks and shared a very good turkey sandwich with coleslaw. I had two tasty cosmos. P stuck with straight vodka so he wouldn’t have to pee all the time. Ha
We sauntered over to the Tractor, but it didn’t really open until about 8:00. I don’t think the Spigots came on till 9:00. So we stepped outside and browsed through an old record store where they had tons of vinyl, cassettes, and used cd’s for sale. It was a blast from the past. I used to love going to Tower Records on Mercer St. when I was a kid and just browse and wish I had money. My best friend and I would always stop in there before hockey games on Friday nights.
We walked back in, ordered more drinks and found a nice dark corner where there was a bench and a small rectangular table. We had a really good talk about our relationship. Eventually more people showed up. A nice couple from Alberta joined us on our bench. They said they had all the Gourds’ cd’s and came down just for the show!
The opening act, the Spigots included a lead singer on acoustic (female, with a very nasaly folk voice) and a great harmonica player, another guitar/mandolin player and drummer. They started out pretty lively, then had some weird jazzy stuff in the middle that we didn’t like. The Spigots ended with some livelier music and great harmonica sounds. We then had about a ½ hour wait till the Gourds came on.
We got another round and then got some fresh air. It was getting packed in there, with standing room only. I went to the restroom and P found a great place left of the stage. We were kind of blocking the step by the restrooms, so eventually we crowded in a little closer and ended up actually right next to the stage and had a place to set our drinks.
The Gourds were one hoppin’ foot stompin’ singin’ mandolin playin’ honky-tonkin’, Cajun, bluegrass playin’ accordion squeezin’ crazy-ass fun band from Austin, Texas! Kevin Russell is the lead singer and played mostly mandolin, but also played harmonica, electric and acoustic guitar. There are four other members on drums, keyboard/accordion, fiddle/slide/banjo, guitar/bass/vocals. Very talented group. Kevin looks like a Soggy Bottom Boy with a floppy hat and pointy beard, and big beer belly.
We stomped and clapped along all night! They must have played close to 3 hours. We had so much fun. We met some nice people around us. That’s the great thing about the Tractor. The crowd is mostly older and is somewhat in control. There were one or two pretty drunk guys near us, but they were funny. They got a group of the guys altogether and made them hold each other, including P(!) to feel the love of a slower song. Everyone was high-fiving and singing along.
We’d just downloaded a live cd of their music a couple of nights before, so we weren’t real familiar with the songs. It didn’t matter, though, because they were all so fun to stomp and clap to. I felt like I was down south, in a Texas bar, or maybe down in New Orleans.
After the show, all sweaty and tired, we pulled out of their latest cd entitled Heavy Ornamentals that P purchased earlier that night. I waited around to see if any of them would come out from backstage. Kevin, the lead singer, came out. He was talking for a while to some guy who seemed to be a big fan. He saw us unwrap our cd and pulled out his pen to sign the liner notes. He interrupted the man so he could meet us. I gave him a hug and thanked him for coming to Seattle. I told him we saw them on Austin City Limits, and really enjoyed the show. We’d come back to Bumbershoot to see them again! He thanked us after signing my cd. It was a great ending to a very fun night!
We got back to the car and noticed it was already after 1 am!
No comments yet.
-
Archives
- May 2019 (1)
- December 2017 (2)
- October 2017 (1)
- April 2017 (1)
- March 2017 (2)
- February 2017 (1)
- December 2016 (1)
- August 2016 (3)
- July 2016 (1)
- June 2016 (2)
- May 2016 (7)
- April 2016 (5)
-
Categories
- 1994
- 1995
- 1997
- 1998
- 1999
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2016
- 2017
- 2019
- Aaron Lee Tasjan
- Alan Rickman
- Alejandro Escovedo
- Alt-Country
- Americana
- Amsterdam Travel
- Ann Wilson
- aplscruf
- Ayron Jones
- Ayron Jones and The Way
- Barboza
- Bellingham
- Benjamin Doerr
- Big Daddy's Place
- Big Sandy
- black crabs
- Bob Dylan
- Brent Amaker and the Rodeo
- Brian Wright
- Brigitte DeMeyer
- Bumbershoot
- Canadiana
- Chateau Ste Michelle
- Church of Betty
- Cindy Wasserman
- Clive Barnes
- Colt Kraft Band
- Columbia City Theater
- Concert Season 2005
- Concert Season 2006
- Concert Season 2007
- Concert Season 2008
- Concert Season 2009
- Concert Season 2010
- Concert Season 2011
- Concert Season 2012
- Concert Season 2013
- Concert Season 2014
- Concert Season 2015
- Conor Byrne
- Country Dave Harmonson
- Cristina Bautista
- Damian Brennan
- Darrell's Tavern
- David Bowie
- David Corley
- Davidson Hart Kingsbery
- Deception Past
- Doug Fir Lounge
- Dudley Taft
- Dusty 45's
- East Nashville
- Eddie's Attic
- Emmylou Harris
- Eszter Balint
- Ethan Anderson
- Fine Prince
- Flight to Mars
- Folk
- Folk / Pop
- Fox and The Law
- Fremont Music Scene
- George Harrison
- Gimme Shelter
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Harry Belafonte
- Heart
- High Dive
- Holiday Gifts
- Honky Tonk Sweethearts
- Hook and Anchor
- Hugh Christopher Brown
- Ian McFeron
- Italy
- Italy Travel
- Jack Kerouac
- Jackrabbit
- Jacob Knight Art
- Jakob Dylan
- Japandroids
- Jedd Hughes
- Jeff Finlin
- Jenny Whiteley
- Jeremy Nail
- Jesse Dayton
- Jimmy Buffett
- John Doe
- John Mellencamp
- Kasey Anderson
- Kilkenny Roots Festival
- Langhorne Slim
- Legendary Oaks
- Lori Gras
- Los Straitjackets
- Luther Wright
- Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands
- Marshall Chapman
- Marymoor Park
- Massy Ferguson
- McDougall
- McMenamins
- Mike Watt
- Movies
- Murphy's Lagh
- Music
- Music in Atlanta
- Nancy Wilson
- Nectar Lounge
- Neumos
- New Mexico
- No Depression
- Noam Weinstein
- North Twin
- Oak Harbor Music Festival
- Old 97's
- Ole Tinder
- Oliver Gray
- Paul McCartney
- Peter Bruntnell
- Pop / Rock
- Railroad Earth
- Randomville
- Randy Hansen Band
- Redhook Brewery
- Richmond Fontaine
- Rock
- Rod Stewart
- Rodney Crowell
- Rolling Stones
- Roots Rock
- Rorey Carroll
- Ryan Adams
- Ryan Purcell and The Last Round
- SC4M
- Seattle
- Seattle Rock
- Selah
- Shinyribs
- Slim's San Francisco
- Small Sur
- southern culture on the skids
- St. Paul de Vence
- Star Anna
- Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs
- Steve Martin
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Tagaris Winery
- TakeRoot Festival Netherlands
- The Avett Brothers
- The B-52's
- The Believers
- The Black Crabs
- The Brambles
- The Cardinals
- The Chris Eger Band
- The David Wax Museum
- The Fonda Theatre
- The Gorge Amphitheatre
- The Gourds
- The Green Frog
- The Hi-Risers
- The Juliettes
- The Outlaws
- The Paperboys
- The Paramount Theatre
- The People Now
- The Puyallup Fair
- The Railway
- The Rainieros
- The Royal Room
- The Satellite 4
- The Shanty Tavern
- The Showbox
- The Sideshow Tragedy
- The Sunmakers
- The Sunset Tavern
- The Swearengens
- The Tractor Tavern
- The Triple Door
- The Wallflowers
- The Wild Feathers
- Third Place Books
- Todd Snider
- Tom Petty
- Toubab Krewe
- Travel
- UK Travel
- Uncategorized
- Van Morrison
- Vicci Martinez
- Weird Al Yankovic
- Western Centuries
- White River Amphitheatre
- Will Kimbrough
- Willie Nelson
- Willie Sugarcapps
- Willy Vlautin
- Winchester Music
- X
- Yellowstone Country Guardians
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
Leave a Reply