This led some to consider it an albatross, but the band continued to play the crowd pleaser, often adding a medley of impromptu cover songs to its midsection.

[14][15][16] While The Gourds' studio efforts were generally well received, their high-energy live performances and constant touring earned them the reputation of a band that had to be seen to be appreciated.

[27][28][29] In August 2011, director Doug Hawes-Davis began shooting a documentary on the band that combined candid interviews with live performances, past and present.

Musician and filmmaker Brendan Canty worked as a camera operator and ran location sound on the project, which drew partial funding from Kickstarter in 2012[30] and premiered in Austin at the South by Southwest film festival on March 13, 2013.

[33][34] Despite having only nine days notice, Gourds fans from 26 different states were in attendance, and many more watched from home via live streaming video.

[39] The Gourds have been featured on Austin City Limits (2006) and appeared briefly playing their song "Declineometer" in the season one "Homecoming" episode of Friday Night Lights (2006).

[32] Their song "Dying of the Pines" was included in the HBO Documentary Unknown Soldier: Searching for a Father (2005)[citation needed] and their cover of "Gin and Juice" was used in the season three episode of My Name Is Earl (2007) entitled "The Frank Factor".