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Music
M E T R O S P I R I T O C T
Celebrate Sin With Reverend Horton Heat
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By Lisa Jordan
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ockabilly bad boy Jim Heath – that’s Reverend Horton Heat to most of us – is a man with a mission, and he’s coming to Augusta to convert non-believers to true rock ‘n’ roll. “A lot of people don’t realize most of the modern music today is around one funk beat,” Heath says. “A lot of people don’t stop and think about that.” But true rock ‘n’ roll, he says, “It’s the rock ‘n’ roll beat. It’s Jerry Lee Lewis pounding straight eights on a piano.” In that vein, Heath and Reverend Horton Heat bandmates Jimbo Wallace and Scott Churilla are bringing rockabilly to Augusta with a performance at The Capri Cinema Oct. 13. Of his craft, Heath says, “It’s the original rock ‘n’ roll. The ‘50s rockabilly was just as shocking and scary to middle America as Marilyn Manson is today. The music was wild and just had this passion to it that was an over-the-top thing.” And speaking of over the top, Reverend Horton Heat’s latest release, “Lucky 7,” is a study in excess. It all begins with the raucous “Loco Gringos Like a Party,” then plows through high-energy songs like “Reverend Horton Heat’s Big Blue Car” and “Galaxy 500” before switching gears with the more subdued “The Tiny Voice of Reason.” But the band revs up again and ends on a high note with “Sermon on the Jimbo” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Jimbo,” two tracks you can’t help but smile at. And then it’s time to do it all over again. That’s not unlike the band’s intense touring schedule, which often takes them to 200-plus cities a year, whether there’s a new album to promote or not. “Yeah, that’s what we do,” says Heath. “We tour all the time. It’s fun. We just did three nights in Orlando. Instead of playing one big show, we’ve been playing three smaller shows, with three different set lists.” And of their fans, many of which take advantage of the multiple shows to bask in the glory of the Reverend’s repertoire, Heath says, “They are committed. It’s pretty cool. We have a strong cult following and all of our fans seem to come from all different types of places.” But, he says, there’s one thing they have in common. “All of them have a pretty good sense of humor.” For Heath, playing is a necessity. “We love to play music,” he says, likening the pull of music to the pull of heroin. “I can’t imagine
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The Charlie Daniels Band Plays the Western Carolina State Fair If the Devil went straight down to Georgia last time, it looks like he’ll be making a pit stop this year – in Aiken. He’s probably even going to have a little bit of fun at the Western Carolina State Fair while he’s there. And, of course, he’ll have to check out the Charlie Daniels Band in concert. The Charlie Daniels Band, perhaps best-known for that 1979 hit, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” will play at the Western Carolina State Fair Oct. 17. The 8 p.m. concert will be held opening night, and the $17 ticket price includes fair admission. Over the years, Charlie Daniels and his band have released a slew of albums, their style encompassing everything from a mix of rock, country and bluegrass to blues and gospel. What Daniels claims on his Web site (decorated in red, white and blue) is true: He’s a purveyor of purely American music. Tickets are available through TIX Online. Purchase them online at www.tixonline.com or by phone at (803) 278-4TIX. not having a gig booked. “We’ve got to play music; that’s what being a musician’s all about. A lot of people look at it backwards. Their big dream is to get a big recording contract. … You have to be a musician. You can’t let becoming a recording artist cloud the more valid art form of being a musician.” Heath admits he’s too stubborn for that. “We did have kind of a funny incident,” he says, referring to the release of their album “Space Heater.” “There were two or three songs on that album that they (Interscope Records) didn’t want on that album at all. They were rockabilly/swing-type stuff. One of them was a fast country-type instrumental,” says Heath, citing the style that’s made them famous. “They sent out advance copies of that CD with those
three songs. The only three songs (journalists) wanted to talk about were those three songs.” All in all, Heath says, Reverend Horton Heat has had quite a bit of artistic freedom, more than most other bands with record deals. “Let me do what I want,” he says. “It’s my song.” But rather than flocking to a Reverend Horton Heat concert to hear their favorite tracks off the band’s albums, fans go for the live Reverend experience. “We’re a lot better live than the albums are,” says Heath. “If everybody comes out, we’re going to do our damnedest to make sure we’re entertaining.” The Capri Cinema hosts the Reverend Horton Heat on Sunday, Oct. 13. Doors open at 7 p.m. and The Decrepits start things off. Tickets are $12 at the door. For information, call The Capri at 414-3654.