Live @ The Bluebird: The Reverend Horton Heat, September 7, 2006
Yesterday evening, the Bluebird played host to shitkickers and hellraisers from all walks of life, as the Reverend Horton Heat held his own special brand of revival in downtown Bloomington. Aside from the usual bowling-shirts-and-leopard-print set, crowd was amazingly varied. I was especially struck by how many older, seemingly normal baby boomers showed up ready to rock...abilly.
The night started off right, with Danish psychobilly act The HorrorPops opening things up just after 9pm. I didn't expect to like these guys as much as I did, but any band that features fly girls in skeleton dresses can't be too bad. Also, let it be known that there's nothing sexier than a woman who can work an upright bass.
The HorrorPops - Hit 'N Run. When I wasn't busy accidentally ogling the go-go dancers, I was struck by how much vocalist/bassist Patricia Day's delivery reminded me of an early No Doubt-era Gwen Stefani.
The HorrorPops - Walk Like A Zombie. While the HorrorPops sometimes come across as all "Pop" and no "Horror", there are flashes of the macabre in songs like this one (though the doowop portion at the end kinda defuses any menace that might've been building).
Then, church was in session. After nearly 20 years of constant touring, Jim Heath hasn't lost his edge; pound for pound, he's one of the most exciting guitarists, rockabilly or otherwise, that I've ever seen in person. Citing complaints from his message board, Heath turned the setlist over to the audience halfway through the night, resulting in airtime for fan favorites like "Nurture My Pig", "Bad Reputation", and "Big Little Baby". The cover songs also came out in force, with versions of Johnny Cash's "Get Rhythm" and Frankie Lane's "Jezebel" melting the faces of many unsuspecting audience members. I ducked out after "Jezebel", but the Reverend was still going strong. For all I know, he's still playing.
The Reverend Horton Heat - Galaxy 500. I'm not too familiar with Heath's later work, but if all the songs have this sort of energy, I need to remedy that.
The Reverend Horton Heat - Bales of Cocaine. This was my song of choice during the "you yell it, we play it" portion of the show, and for once, they actually heard me. Either that, or the other 20 people yelling for the same thing managed to tip him off, but whatever. I still think it's a big deal.
The night started off right, with Danish psychobilly act The HorrorPops opening things up just after 9pm. I didn't expect to like these guys as much as I did, but any band that features fly girls in skeleton dresses can't be too bad. Also, let it be known that there's nothing sexier than a woman who can work an upright bass.
The HorrorPops - Hit 'N Run. When I wasn't busy accidentally ogling the go-go dancers, I was struck by how much vocalist/bassist Patricia Day's delivery reminded me of an early No Doubt-era Gwen Stefani.
The HorrorPops - Walk Like A Zombie. While the HorrorPops sometimes come across as all "Pop" and no "Horror", there are flashes of the macabre in songs like this one (though the doowop portion at the end kinda defuses any menace that might've been building).
Then, church was in session. After nearly 20 years of constant touring, Jim Heath hasn't lost his edge; pound for pound, he's one of the most exciting guitarists, rockabilly or otherwise, that I've ever seen in person. Citing complaints from his message board, Heath turned the setlist over to the audience halfway through the night, resulting in airtime for fan favorites like "Nurture My Pig", "Bad Reputation", and "Big Little Baby". The cover songs also came out in force, with versions of Johnny Cash's "Get Rhythm" and Frankie Lane's "Jezebel" melting the faces of many unsuspecting audience members. I ducked out after "Jezebel", but the Reverend was still going strong. For all I know, he's still playing.
The Reverend Horton Heat - Galaxy 500. I'm not too familiar with Heath's later work, but if all the songs have this sort of energy, I need to remedy that.
The Reverend Horton Heat - Bales of Cocaine. This was my song of choice during the "you yell it, we play it" portion of the show, and for once, they actually heard me. Either that, or the other 20 people yelling for the same thing managed to tip him off, but whatever. I still think it's a big deal.
