Bourland's Bio

OK, let's get to the part of Bourland's life that has to with music. At age 16, after playing guitar for just 6 months, Bourland won the high school talent show at Lawton High in Lawton, Oklahoma. It was really just good luck to play with some other very talented folks, but it was at that moment that he became hooked. Playing music in front of a live audience had to be the best damn feeling in the whole world! What a rush! Bourland has been in four bands since he moved to Austin. In 1992 Bourland formed the band Grunge Bucket which featured Mark Maynard on drums, Bourland on lead guitar, Chris Morris on vocals and guitar and Randy Random on bass. On a sad note, Randy Random died a few years back of a drug overdose. The band was doomed anyway due to the sudden popularity of Grunge music. Who'd a thunk it? They name the band Grunge Bucket before there's even a peep about Grunge and then BAM! Grunge is everywhere from Cosmopolitan to trailer parks. As you'll see from the subsequent Texas Philistines days, Bourland had, in fact, created his own Grunge clothing line: none of the shirts had buttons and all the jeans were air conditioned. Sheesh! For his part, Chris Morris wanted to call the band Sludge Bucket.

Bourland joins The Texas Philistines

In 1993, Bourland left Grunge Bucket and  tried a brief solo venture with Mark Maynard called Groove Hole. Then one fateful day Bourland was looking in the Austin Chronicle's musician's referral when he happened upon an ad looking for a cowpunk guitar player. He thought to himself, "Hey, that's me!" Bourland auditioned and it was his infamous blano-nano-la-now riff that got him the job with The Texas Philistines. The Texas Philistines were one of Paul Crosby's many brain children. Paul is one of those big brained folks. He's a creative machine.

Bourland makes movies, starts a new band and falls apart

A few years later, 1998, Bourland wanted to make streaming Internet movies so he contacted the best writer he knew, Paul Crosby. Bourland/Crosby made six short streaming episodes called Romancing Medusa and a full length feature film called Barefoot on Broken Dreams which may still be released after a complete re-edit. They formed another band in that same year, also called Romancing Medusa as the soundtrack arm of the enterprise. The two launched romancingmedusa.com and attracted Ronna Braselton to the band. Romancing Medusa was a great band and a lot of fun. Romancing Medusa

Bourland settles down and finds out less is more

Two turntables and washtub bass, now that's hillbilly hick hop!

In 2001, a friend at Guero's Taco Bar introduced Bourland to Dj Buffalo Phil after Bourland explained that he wanted to do country with hip hop beats and a DJ scratching. DJ Buffalo Phil totally got it. As Phil put's it, "the turntable is an instrument." Bourland had wanted to play hillbilly hick hop for years and together with DJ Bufflao Phil, he finally made it happen. The two started recording together on a project called Cathedrals of Sand.

In the summer of 2004 Bourland launched Jollyville City Limits with D.P. Dunn. A special thanks to David Patrick Dunn for all he's done, pardon the pun. That same year Mr. Dunn (A.K.A. Buster Gutbucket) asked to join in with Bourland and Dj Buffalo Phil on the washtub bass. Buster Gutbucket is simply the most fabulous, most groovy washtub bass player around! And there ya have it, two turntables and a washtub bass! You don't get any more hillbilly hick hop than that! Bourland was also voted onto the board of directors for the Austin Songwriter's Group in late 2004. So Bourland, DJ Buffalo Phil and Buster Gutbucket played around Austin for while, then Bourland's day job designing microchips went nuts. 2005 was a crappy year all around. It was that year Bourland lost his long time best buddy, Einstein Z. Dog. Bourland's day job ate his life, working 100hrs/wk; 44 hours in two days quite regularly. Yup, 7 days/wk for 6 months. Bourland had no life. But as these things work, he finally got fed up with the bull shit and after completing his project, he left Motorola/Freescale after 13 years and took a job at AMD. Ol' Bourland should thank that manager at Freescale! If he hadn't been well, been himself, Bourland would never have left and found a great life with balance at AMD. 2006 was the year that Bourland got his life back. Music was about to go to a whole new level. Bourland's new boss at AMD, comes to a show and says, "ya know Bourland, that's cool music but what you need is a fiddle player."  Bourland says to himself, "now where the hell am I gonna find a fiddle player?"

Bourland meets Sick hallow's eve at The Hole in the Wall

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was hallow's eve 2006. Bourland was playing at The Hole in the Wall with DJ Buffalo Phil and Buster Gutbucket when they met Sick! Sick's Pack was headlining that night and when the fiddle player extraordinaire walked in the club, saw two turntables and a washtub bass and heard that crazy Bourland sound, he spun around with his trade mark mohawk, red suit and black tie and yelled at the stage, "You boys are everything I love about hillbilly music!" With that, he took out his fiddle and jumped on stage. Yes,  friends and neighbors, Sick had joined the band! Seeing the musical genius that is Sick in all it's wonder, Bourland did what any smart performer would do, he started recording the guy. As talented as Sick is live, he is pure genius in the studio. Bourland was 75% finished recording his debut CD, Honkytonk Delilah, in his home studio. He immediately got Sick in the studio and there's just no describing the what Sick added to the CD.  Sick is the Jimi Hendrix of fiddle. The kind of musical talent that can change a recording forever. Throughout 2007, Bourland recorded Sick. Between Bourland's day job and Sick's amazing gig schedule, the two found time to get the recording done. Bourland had started recording a CD with Dj Buffalo Phil starting new year's eve 2001. It was mostly finished and with Sick's help, Honkytonk Delilah was finally completed and released in Januarary 2008. During 2007, Bourland also met another fine musician by the name of Mojo.

Mojo adds the harmodelica and the band plays on

Dj Buffalo Phil plays in another band called The Thulsa Doom and a friend of his, Mojo, was helping them record a demo. Phil tells Bourland, "man you gotta meet this crazy harmonica player that's recording us. He's an engineer too!" Turns out Mojo played with with Sick in Half Dozen Or The Other and when he hears hillbilly hick hop, he was on it. "Bourland", he says, "can I throw some harmonica in there?" Why sure, I say! He and Sick are doing some kind of whacky intermodulation one night and the harmodelica was born, the psychodelic harmonica. With Mojo on board, the band starts playing regularly at Ego's Lounge with the occasional show at The Hole in the Wall.

Bit benders, beat boxes & theremins; the mad scientist returns