Although most sightings of the sidehill gouger, a folk animal not yet proven to exist, are in the hills of Maine, Texas has seen the real thing. The Sidehill Gougers, a local band, is proving its existence through its unique music and composition.
Composed of Aneil Naik, bass, Shane Walker, vocals and rythmic guitar, Stephanie Attia, violin/fiddle, Jessica Blanche, vocals, Andy McCutchen, lead guitar, Phillip Pollack, drums and Taylor Marvin, trumpet, the band produces an original style. Professor Scott Austin, a philosophy professor at Texas A&M, also joins the band some nights, providing vocals to add a hint of blues.
Growing from an individual guitarist into a band comprised of seven members, the Sidehill Gougers is one of the newest bands to hit the local scene.
What began over a year ago with Walker, a senior anthropology major, taking a permanent gig once a week at Big Pauly's, was then fused with his neighbor, McCutchen. The bar owner then introduced the two to Attia.
"It was two guitars and a violin; we realized we need a band," Walker said.
By March of last spring, all band members were present. They took the spot as the house band at Big Pauly's on Thursday nights.
"Every night we played at Pauly's the place was packed," Walker said.
Since then, the band has continued to make progress, recently playing at the Kerrville Folk Festival and opening for big names in the folk scene.
The legendary sidehill gouger is noted for its uniquenss, something the band takes pride in as well.
"My dad used to tell me stories about how [sidehill gougers] used to chase him when he was a kid," Walker said. "We decided that the folk animal was a good name for a folk band."
Describing the music as a mixture of country, blues and folk, the band members said their sound is "homemade and acoustic." When classifying the genre of its music, the band claims country; however, it steers clear of the "Texas country music" style which belongs to such singers as Pat Green and Roger Creager.
"We call it country but there's 15 different kinds of country," Walker said. "It is more mellow and organic. Our songwriting is more folky."
According to Naik, a senior construction science major, one of the challenges the band has faced is finding each other's groove.
With such a colorful composition of members, all come from different backgrounds in music. Naik used to play in a punk band and Attia was trained in classical music.
Attia agrees one of the unique aspects of the band is the "rich mix" of individuals that form the Sidehill Gougers.
The band, compiled of both A&M students and non-students, range in ages from 19-36 and come from an array of ethnicities, including Indian, Mexican and American.
"When you put it together, you won't think it would work," Naik said.
However, most, including the band, would beg to differ on this statement.
"We really like what we do and we think that we're good at it," Walker said.
In the three-hour time span that most of their shows run, the band fills about half of the on-stage time with some of the 15 original songs it has written.
"We're very laid back on stage," Walker said. "We don't have a set list before we get up there. I will pick a song and then we'll go around to the right and each pick a song to sing."
According to the band, its mission statement is to recreate on stage what it does in Walker's living room when it gets together to jam.
"Ninety percent of the stuff we play on-stage, we play on the back porch just to jam," Walker said. "That stuff is entertaining. That's what moves you."
While the band remains focused on its music, it also recognizes the importance of having a good time with something they love.
"The minute you get too serious about it, you stop having fun," Naik said.
However, it's not all fun and no work for the band. It just finished a demo, which it plans to go back and revise. The band also practices once a week on top of playing anywhere from one to three gigs per week.
"We're not professionals," Walker said. "For most of us, its our first band. We're learning as we go."
Despite the struggles that most first bands endure, Attia admits there's something that makes it worth it all.
"Sooner or later, we're going to outgrow this town," Walker said. "We know that we have some place to go."
