#525 : Reverend Horton Heat w/ James Tutson - Live at Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon 10-22-21

 

Reverend Horton Heat w/ James Tutson & The Rollback

Live at Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon 10-22-21

Iowa City, Iowa

 

 

By Phillip Smith; Oct. 24, 2021

 

It was great to get out Friday evening for a much-needed dose of live music at Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon in Iowa City, Iowa.  First up was James Tutson along with two members of his Rollback band (drummer Dr. Tyler Carrington and keyboardist/bassist Erik Lehmann) showcasing their unique blend of soul and R&B.  Tutson’s powerfully soulful vocals sounded fabulous paired with his guitar.  It’s not too often one hears the opening act encouraged by the audience for an encore, but it certainly happened this evening.  For the main event, Jim Heath aka Reverend Horton Heat, along with bassist Jimbo Wallace and drummer Jonathan Jeter (the Revelators) blessed the crowd with a mix of RHH favorites, deep cuts, and covers which included Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades”, and Elvis’ “Viva Las Vegas”.   Although this was my fourth time to see the good Rev, it’s hard to believe it has been about twenty-two years since I last saw him.  He definitely still delivers one hell of a performance.     

 ---

*  All photos by Phillip Smith

James Tutson & the Rollback

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton Heat - REV

Victory Records, 2014

By Phillip Smith; March 2, 2014

Being a long-time fan of Reverend Horton Heat, I am thrilled to death to have a whole new batch of fast paced, fuel guzzling rock and roll songs to embrace, in the form of their new album, REV.  I am also glad to see front man Jim Heath and upright bassist Jimbo Wallace joined once again by Scott Churilla on drums, reuniting this holy trinity of modern rockabilly. 

Kicking the album, REV off is a fiery instrumental called, “Victory Lap”.  Reminiscent of the kick-ass surf guitar tracks Dick Dale is known for, it segues seamlessly into the following song, “Smell of Gasoline”.  “Smell of Gasoline” is a contagious song about a teenage girl with a fondness for the scent of petroleum, and is drawn to one guy in particular over all her other suitors because of her guilty pleasure.  While on the subject of women in song, I really like “Hardscrabble Woman” which tells the story of a pistol packing Calamity Jane type tough gal who packs her own loads, runs around with a tough crew, and is a sure-shot with a hammer.  Hardscrabble Woman could very well be the same gal who loves the smell of gasoline after packing on a few years.  The backing harmonies on this throwback to fifties western music, paint the song representatively in Grand Ole Opry fashion.  Heath breaks out the raunch ‘n’ roll with “Let Me Teach You How to Eat”.  This fun rockabilly romp is spattered with innuendos and double entendres, with a fistful of punk thrown in.

Reverend Horton Heat is a genius, when it comes to setting a daunting tone.  “Spooky Boots”, about an aging lovelorn biker who been pining for the return of a woman who left him nearly forty-five years ago, is so interesting in how it mixes Swing with Western.   In the fashion of the Munsters theme song, the good Rev brings us “Zombie Dumb”.  The song features twangy surf riffs and captivating ‘the natives are getting restless’ style drum beats from Churilla, all on top of lyrics solely composed of the words in the title spoken in a deep haunting voice.  

REV is a true delight and a thrilling listen from beginning to end.  Thanks to Don Jamieson for bringing this album to my attention via his February 8^th pick of the week on VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show.