By Lisa Morgan –
Since late 1985/early 1986, The Reverend Horton Heat, aka Jim Heath, has maintained the reputation as “the biggest, baddest, grittiest, greasiest, greatest rocker that ever piled his hair up and pounded the drinks down.” In answer to the question almost everybody asks, no, he is NOT an actual reverend nor is he licensed in any state to perform wedding ceremonies. The name was developed back when Jim Heath was just a sound guy with a cover band. In his laid back, easy going, Texas drawl, he tells the story: “Well, there used to be this guy who ran this place in Deep Ellum, Texas who used to call me Horton- my last name is Heath. Anyway, this guy hired me to play and right before the show he goes, ‘Your stage name should be Reverend Horton Heat! Your music is like gospel’ and I thought it was pretty ridiculous. So I’m up there playing and after the first few songs, people are saying, ‘Yeah, Reverend!’ What’s really funny is that this guy gave up the bar business, and actually became a preacher! Now he comes to our shows and says, ‘Jim, you really should drop this whole Reverend thing.'” That’s not likely to happen.
It’s been quite a 25 year journey for Heath, whose country-flavored punkabilly and onstage antics have brought him and his band a strikingly diverse fan base and a devoted cult following, not to mention the respect of fellow musicians worldwide. I asked him to what he attributes his longevity. He responded, “I don’t know. There are a lot of things. One is I want to eat. And the other is I want to have a house.” He chuckles, “I end up living on a tour bus most of the time anyway, so there ya go.” Just recently signed with Victory records this past fall, The Reverend and band are setting out on quite a rigorous touring schedule from now until mid-June. There will be a new record out soon, but he shares, “It’s so hard to figure out when exactly it’s going to be out. We’re working really hard on it but it’s difficult to do while touring at the same time. Slowly but surely we’re accumulating songs. We’re shooting for the end of July.”
I asked him if he ever pictured this life back in the early days of working sound where he earned his nickname: “I really have to say, half yes and half no. When I first started being in little bands in high school, I knew I could make money playing music. I knew I’d be doing the band thing, but I had no idea it would turn into this. I was just trying to make ends meet to do the best I could do to just live. It’s a lot like a dream come true that it’s worked out this way. My days as a sound guy and trying to fit in other paying jobs along with the music thing make me NOT take what I do for granted.”
He offered the following advice to other aspiring musicians: “Oddly enough, the main thing is to get a van that runs good, has good tires on it and can get you and your people to your gig. If you do that, you’re guaranteed rock stardom.” I chuckled at this, but he continued seriously, “Most people think you’ve gotta go out and get a record deal. It really has nothing to do with that. It has to do with going to play for the people. So many bands develop a strong local following; they don’t realize they could have a strong local following in every city in the world. But you’ve got to get there to do it. It is really hard. You can have a strong following in Dallas then drive down to Austin and nobody shows up to your show. But you still have to keep coming back until pretty soon you’re bigger in Austin than you are in Dallas. So many musicians, I hate to say it, want stuff handed to them. They think that having a great talent is worth something. To music people like me and you, having the talent is one of the coolest and most important things you can have. But in the world we live in today, the musical genius’ of our era are playing at the Hyatt Hotel for Sunday Brunch. The highest paid people in our industry aren’t musicians at all, they’re DJs. This whole thing about having the right songs and guitar licks matters, but really, unless you’re willing to get out there and gut it out on the road, it’s not really gonna matter. It’s all about the fan. Even if your band is mediocre at the start, being out on the road all that time, you get better… your songs get better.”
I asked him about his signature lick, The Hurricane. “I just came up with a way of filling out some of the space within the 3 piece band. Having to be the rhythm and lead guitar player all at once kind of helps you play as full as possible. I figured out a way to keep a drone note with my thumb and mute the strings I need to mute while I’m playing high notes on top of the drone notes so my right hand can really play aggressively. It’s kind of hard to describe. I don’t know if I’m the first to do it but I don’t hear many using it. It’s not a rockabilly thing; it’s more like an aggressive blues concept. It’s easier to show than it is to explain. You just have to come to the show and see it.”
“I think it’s cool we’ve lasted this long,” says The Rev. “People still come out to see us play after all these years and all the shows and tours. It’s amazing. I mean, I get to sing songs about cars I love, drinking and chasing girls; beats the hell out of the alternative.”
The Reverend Horton Heat is very excited to be having Deke Dickerson make a guest appearance with them on stage. Deke is considered as “one of the great performers of our time” by The Rev, and is known as “America’s Roots Music Renaissance Man” to others. Opening for them is Wade Crawford and the Country Trash with their own unique brand of outlaw country and rock and roll.
You can check out these artists and upcoming Date Shed events at the following links:
Reverend Horton Heat: http://www.reverendhortonheat.com/index.php
Deke Dickerson: http://www.dekedickerson.com/index.php
Wade Crawford and The Country Trash: http://www.facebook.com/TheCountryTrash
Date Shed: http://www.dateshedmusic.com/
