Jim “Reverend Horton” Heath: guitar, vocals
Jimbo Wallace: upright bass
Paul Simmons: drums
Recently, the Reverend Horton Heat, aka Jim Heath, had something along the lines of what he calls an epiphany.
He’s a little tired of being taken so seriously-well, maybe not seriously, exactly, but you get the idea-and lately he’s noticed that some of his funnier, country-tinged songs were his biggest crowd pleasers. Besides, being entertaining is what this is all about, right?
So, ladies and gents, light your Pax 2 in your sleeve and hold on to your cowboy hats, it’s time to take a trip back to a time before slick, over-produced country became the norm-a time when outlaws wrote songs about being without a pot to piss in-or at least about psycho exboyfriends and deadbeat girlfriends that spend your paycheck faster than you can say Lone Star.
Welcome to Laughin’ and Cryin’ with the Reverend Horton Heat a record full of country-heavy tunes about bad habits, well-meaning but clueless husbands, ever-expanding beer-guts and, well, Texas. It wouldn’t be a Reverend Horton Heat record without a song or-in this case, two-about the Lone Star State. And, while Laughin’ and Cryin’ marks a detour from the hard driving punkabilly of the Rev’s last record, 2004’s Revival, this time tending toward honk, there’s still some shit-kickers [“Death Metal Guys”] to let you know that Heath and crew still mean business.
“I really wanted to capture the feelings of recordings of the late ’50s, early ’60s,” Heath said of the songs on the new record.
Exhibit A: Beer Holder, a honky-tonker about a guy who finds the table by his chair a bit too far of a stretch-so he opts for a new “beer holder,” his growing gut. While this guy finds his solution genius, his woman thinks otherwise.
“[The record is] kind of from a regular guy point of view,” Heath said. “You know, I like to do stuff that’s kind of tongue-in-cheek that makes fun of the good old boy thing as much as trying to glorify the country boy thing.”
Heath originally conceived the new record as the product of an alter ego, Harley Hog, a sort of “laughing and crying” singer.
“I was trying to develop this vocal style where I was always either laughing or crying. It was really over- exaggerated,” Heath said.
The problem once they got in the studio, however, “we wouldn’t get that far because the guys were just laughing so hard. It was really kind of ridiculous.”
Without a doubt, the mighty Reverend has won a cult following around the world these past 20+ years with a nearly endless touring ethic and musical style that’s equally as rooted in tradition as it is in breaking it. He’s one of the lynchpins of the neoroots movement and responsible for moving the genre forward and garnering it a whole new generation of fans. Mix that with a mythic stage presence and you’ve got a live act that turns rock clubs into psychobilly tent revivals across the country 300 days a year.
Heath, who personally loves good old, mid-20th century country music, cautions that the record was not born out of a desire to introduce his audience to a new set of influences-it’s just meant to have a little fun. Besides, he warns, his next record may just be a set of “avant-garde versions of Swahili folk songs done on homemade instruments.”
“Never say never,” Heath said.
Follow them on Facebook & Twitter! facebook.com/reverendhortonheat – twitter.com/revhortonheat
Check out their official Website: http://www.reverendhortonheat.com
Date | City | Venue | Notes / Other Bands | Tickets |
06/23/11 | London, England | Electric Ballroom 184 Camden High Street London, England NW1 8QP |
N/A | Tickets |
06/24/11 | Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain | Recinto Mendizabala
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain |
AZKENA ROCK FESTIVAL | Tickets |
07/1/11 | Flagstaff, AZ | Orpheum Theatre 15 West Aspen Avenue Flagstaff, AZ 86001 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/2/11 | Irvine, CA | Oak Canyon Ranch 5305 E Santiago Canyon Irvine, CA 92676 |
HOOTENANNY | Tickets |
07/3/11 | Santa Cruz, CA | Catalyst 1011 Pacific Avenue Santa Cruz, CA 95060 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/5/11 | Santa Clara, CA | Avalon 777 Lawrence Expressway Santa Clara, CA 95051 |
Swingin’ Utters, Ghost Town Hangmen | Tickets |
07/6/11 | Petaluma, CA | Phoenix Theatre 201 Washington Street Petaluma, CA 94952 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/7/11 | San Francisco, CA | The Independent 628 Divisadero Street San Francisco, CA 94117 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/8/11 | San Francisco, CA | The Independent 628 Divisadero Street San Francisco, CA 94117 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/9/11 | San Francisco, CA | The Independent 628 Divisadero Street San Francisco, CA 94117 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/10/11 | Sparks, NV | The Alley 906 Victorian Avenue Sparks, NV 89431 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/12/11 | Chico, CA | El Rey Theater 230 West 2nd Street Chico, CA 95928 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/13/11 | Sacramento, CA | Ace Of Spades 1417 R St Sacramento, CA 95811 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/14/11 | Bakersfield, CA | B Ryder’s 7701 White Ln # A1 Bakersfield, CA 93309 |
Swingin’ Utters | |
07/16/11 | Tempe, AZ | Marquee Theatre 730 North Mill Avenue Tempe, AZ 85281 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
07/17/11 | Tucson, AZ | Rialto Theatre 318 East Congress Street Tucson, AZ 85701 |
Swingin’ Utters | Tickets |
08/4/11 | Fayetteville, AR | Georges Majestic Lounge 519 W. Dickson Fayetteville, AR 72701 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
08/5/11 | Dallas, TX | House Of Blues 2200 North Lamar St Dallas, TX 75202 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
08/6/11 | Houston, TX | House Of Blues 1204 Caroline Street Houston, TX 77002 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
08/7/11 | Corpus Christi, TX | Executive Surf Club 309 North Water Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401 |
Nashville Pussy | |
08/12/11 | Salina, KS | The Muse Ballroom 1700 W Beverly Dr Salina, KS 67401 |
N/A | |
08/13/11 | Omaha, NE | Lewis & Clark Landing 515 N Riverfront Dr Omaha, NE 68102 |
MAHA MUSIC FESTIVAL | Tickets |
08/27/11 | Portland, OR | Wonder Ballroom 128 N.e. Russell Portland, OR 97209 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
08/28/11 | Richland, WA | Ray’s Golden Lion 1353 George Washington Way Richland, WA 99354 |
Nashville Pussy | |
08/30/11 | Victoria, BC | Club9one9 919 Douglas Street Victoria, BC V8W 2C2 |
Nashville Pussy | |
08/31/11 | Vancouver, BC | Commodore Ballroom 868 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6B 2C9 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
09/1/11 | Nelson, BC | The Royal 330 Baker Street Nelson, BC V1L 4H7 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
09/2/11 | Grande Prairie, AB | Rock City 11920 100 Street Grande Prairie, AB T8V 4H5 |
Nashville Pussy | |
09/4/11 | Whistler, BC | Garfinkel’s 4308 Main Street Whistler, BC V0N 1B4 |
Nashville Pussy | |
09/5/11 | Seattle, WA | Seattle Center 305 Harrison Street Seattle, WA 98109 |
BUMBERSHOOT | Tickets |
09/7/11 | Eugene, OR | Wow Hall 291 West 8th Ave Eugene, OR 97401 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
09/8/11 | Bend, OR | Domino Room 51 Northwest Greenwood Avenue Bend, OR 97701 |
Nashville Pussy | |
09/9/11 | Boise, ID | Knitting Factory 416 South 9th Street Boise, ID 83702 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
09/10/11 | Spokane, WA | Knitting Factory 919 West Sprague Avenue Spokane, WA 99201 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
09/12/11 | Missoula, MT | Wilma Theater 131 South Higgins Missoula, MT 59802 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
09/13/11 | Victor, ID | Knotty Pine 58 South Main Street Victor, ID 83455 |
Nashville Pussy | |
09/14/11 | Ketchum, ID | Whiskey Jacques 251 Main Street Ketchum, ID 83340 |
Nashville Pussy | |
09/16/11 | Las Vegas, NV | Hard Rock Cafe 3771 S. Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89109 |
Nashville Pussy | Tickets |
09/17/11 | San Diego, CA | 4th & B 345 B Street San Diego, CA 92101 |
Nashville Pussy | |
10/14/11 | New Orleans, LA | The Hangar 1511 South Rendon Street New Orleans, LA 70125 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | Tickets |
10/15/11 | Birmingham, AL | Zydeco 2001 15th Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35205 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | |
10/16/11 | Mobile, AL | Soul Kitchen Music Hall 219 Dauphin Street Mobile, AL 36602 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | |
10/17/11 | Jacksonville Beach, FL | Freebird Live 200 1st Street North Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | Tickets |
10/20/11 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Culture Room 3045 North Federal Highway Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | |
10/21/11 | St. Petersburg, FL | State Theatre Concerts 687 Central Avenue St. Petersburg, FL 33701 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | |
10/22/11 | Orlando, FL | Firestone Live 578 North Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32801 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | Tickets |
10/23/11 | Charleston, SC | Music Farm 32 Ann St Charleston, SC 29403 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | |
10/26/11 | Greenville, SC | Handlebar 304 East Stone Avenue Greenville, SC 29609 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | Tickets |
10/27/11 | Atlanta, GA | Masquerade 695 North Ave Northeast Atlanta, GA 30308 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | Tickets |
10/28/11 | Charlotte, NC | Visulite Theatre 1615 Elizabeth Avenue Charlotte, NC 28204 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | |
10/29/11 | Carrboro, NC | Cat’s Cradle 300 East Main Street Carrboro, NC 27510 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | Tickets |
10/30/11 | Fayetteville, NC | The Rock Shop Musical Hall 128 South King St. Fayetteville, NC 28301 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain | |
11/5/11 | Memphis, TN | Young Avenue Deli 2119 Young Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 |
Supersuckers, Dan Sartain |
For more info please visit ReviewedChoice.com.
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 at 12:17 am. It is filed under everything else, music, what's happening and tagged with beer, classic, country, cowboy, culture, Deadbeat, honky tonk, hot rod, kulture, lone star, music, musical icon, psycho, psychobilly, punkabilly, rat rod, Reverend Horton Heat, rock-n-roll, rockabilly, rockabilly music, surf, texas, upright bass, vintage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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