Bringing Americana To Life ‘The Gougers’ — ‘A Long Day For The Weathervane’

AUSTIN A new musical release by The Gougers “A Long Day For The Weathervane” will likely take the alternative country genre by storm, for its rich lyrics and mesmerizing melodies score a bulls-eye when it comes to roots music, which is how alt-country has often been described. This album, however, has elements that trip into other genres, making it so special that it could redefine, or at least shift, the typical country-western platform that too often tends to be one-dimensional.

The Gougers is a four-piece band, born in Texas, that boasts of a new sound with a lot of soul and eloquence that resonates flavors of rock, folk, roots, and country from the guts and from the heart.

This multi-dimensional album has an appeal that could even breach the borders of pop and blues.

The CD, which is scheduled for release on Oct. 16, features the dynamic, wrenching, spellbinding vocals of singer-songwriters Shane Walker (who hails from Crawford, Texas) and Jamie Wilson (from Sealy, Texas). Walker also performs on the guitar and harmonica, while Wilson also plays acoustic guitar. The foursome is completed with Cody Foote on electric and upright bass and John Ross Silva on drums and percussion.

Some of the songs feature Walker, while others feature Wilson, as the lead singer. The CD lives up to its promotional material when it states: “The outstanding vocals of Walker and Wilson wrap around a ringing guitar, sometimes a laidback one, a drum riff, echoes or reverb and always a great lyric.”

“The Gougers’ sound takes in most genres, constantly moving in and out of country, rock, folk, roots, or mixing them up, as Walker and Wilson experiment and evolve as songwriters whose words stay with listeners and make them think. Dreamy ballad, up-tempo urban anthem: They’re playing with rhythm and instrumental effects, too, along the lines of influences and music mavericks Ryan Adams, Emmylou Harris and Bright Eyes and premier musical partners David Rawlings and Gillian Welch.”

“Weathervane” was produced by Texas singer-songwriter-guitarist Keith Gattis and mastered by the band’s percussionist, Silva. The album, that is drenched in depth and emotion while its individual tracks tell a story, consists of these numbers: