(Ashwaubenon, WI) – It’s been over 25 years since guitarist Jim Heath dubbed himself The Reverend Horton Heat and released his debut album “Smoke ‘Em if You Got ‘Em on Seattle’s Sub Pop Records. In the quarter century since, “The Rev”, bassist “Jimbo” Wallace and long time drummer Scott Churilla have continued to bring their unique take on rockabilly, western swing, punk rock, surf and country to both the concert stage and record and in the process become elder statesmen of the “Psychobilly” genere.
On Sunday March 8th the Texas trio brought their frenetic twang to the Green Bay Distillery, a modern Sports Bar and Grill with a large banquet hall and concert venue in, you guessed it, Green Bay, WI.
R.H.H. were preceded on stage by Springfield MO’s Ha Ha Tonka, who’s blend of indie rock, bluegrass, southern harmonies and folk were surprisingly well received by the retro rockabilly crowd.
This was The Rev’s 3rd WI stop in less than a year, supporting the 2014 Victory Records release “Rev”. Just like the album itself the night began with the double shot of the galloping instrumental “Victory Lap” followed by the equally driving “Smell Of Gasoline”. As with the previous stop I’d seen on this tour the setlist pulled heavily from the current release including “Let Me Teach You How To Eat”, Zombie Dumb”, “Hardscrabbled Women” and the ode to the enduring power of Rock N Roll “Never Gonna Stop It”. The remainder of the roughly 2 hour show spanned to bands career including Wallace’s spotlight “Jimbo Song”, “Big Red Rocket of Love”, “Marijuana” their break through single “Psychobilly Freakout” and fan favorite “Galaxie 500”, amongst others. In addition to their own deep catalog they worked in a cover of the Merle Haggard classic “Honky Tonk Night Time Man” before ending the night with a reprise of “Galaxie 500.
Their “stage production” consist of nothing more than a lighted REV sign at stage right and the instrumentation is as stripped down as the stage itself, just guitar, bass and drums. While they mostly let the music do the talking, who can resist a little showmanship? Which comes in form of Jimbo dragging his upright bass to center stage, laying it horizontal on it’s side as Heath jumps on top to crank out at the solo during the up tempo boogie of “The Devil’s Chasing Me”.
In my experience, a Reverend Horton Heat show is all about fun, from the most hardcore rockabilly king or queen to the casual music fan, if you like high energy live music you won’t leave disappointed. There’s something that everyone can enjoy without ever pandering to the lowest common denominator.
The Rev will be criss-crossing the US well into the fall of 2015. So if the musical tradition and fun of the early rock n roll of the 50’s is at all appealing to you, make a point the see them when they come to your town.
http://www.reverendhortonheat.com
https://www.victoryrecords.com
