Autumn Souvenir

With the possible demise of The Gourds, this got me thinking: Who are the greatest American bands of all-time? With little thought, here's a short list (sort of in order): Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Creedence Clearwater Revival REM The Byrds The Beach Boys The Velvet Underground The Replacements The Ramones Big Star The Doors Nirvana Wilco Uncle Tupelo Guns n' Roses Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers The Grateful Dead Public Enemy Buffalo Springfield Cheap Trick

It's funny how I mark my age not by my children (which granted, I don't have) or family members  aging, but by the longevity or demise of some of my favorite bands. To  hear that The Gourds have been together for 19 years is mind boggling.  I remember RIGHT when they started, listening to "Dems Good Beeble"  over and over and over. I saw an interview with Joe Pernice recently  where he said that music literally kept him alive in his teens and  20s. I know it sounds over-the-top but I feel, well, the same way. I  have no idea what I would've latched onto if not for discovering  Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Jayhawks, Gourds, Blue Mountain, The Pernice Brothers, etc. Whenever one of these bands  calls it quits, a little part of me seems to close up. I have so, so many great memories of The Gourds. From listening to their records, seeing them live and even hanging out with them, they've been a part of my life consistently for 20 years. Gourds co-frontman Kevin