Reverend Horton Heat to rock Newport
‘Booze, women and good clean hard living,’ is the mantra of the Reverend Horton Heat according to a recent statement.If that is so, velveteen suits, big guitars, and the hyped-up, hollowed-out sound of rockabilly taken to the extreme is the sight and sound of his deliverance.Though long on style, the Reverend and company do not sacrifice substance. When it comes to the music they are real fundamentalists, meat and potatoes sort of guys. ‘It doesn’t matter what guitar you play, it’s how you play it. It’s what comes out of your heart,’ said the Reverend in a recent interview. ‘Being able to haul ass all over the fret board doesn’t mean anything if the music is no good,’ Their most recent release ‘Martini Time’ while dependent on their familiar brand, high octane mix of rockabilly and punk comes out on tracks like the opener ‘Big Red Rocket,’ ‘Generation Why,’ and ‘Time to Pray’ and explores elements of coolness with the awesome horn-driven swinging instrumental ‘Slingshot’, as well as the bitter, dramatic ‘Just Me.’ ‘Cowboy Love’, inspired by an accidental visit to a gay cowboy bar, is a disarming first person narrative of an interracial homosexual affair over the slide of the steel guitar : ‘I know that us, as a couple, cause talk but I wouldn’t mind. Those cowboys will be pea green with envy when they see his cute behind.’The Reverend worries it might be taken the wrong way. ‘I hope I don’t get myself in trouble with it. It’s just a song about love,’ he said.During a recent live performance at the Newport Music Hall the Reverend introduced the band, cigarette in mouth, as they traded solos. When it became his turn he grabbed a toy gun, and holding it to his guitar pick-ups, showered the raving audience with its ray gun effect. The Reverend also often ‘surfs’ bassist Jimbo’s flame painted upright bass while playing his own guitar behind his neck.The Reverend Horton Heat is scheduled to appear at the Newport this Sunday. Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 the day of the show.
