Review: Reverend Horton Heat and friends

 

The Reverend (left) and Jimbo perform Saturday night at Crossroads KC. Photos by Susan Pfannmuller/Special to The Star

Saturday night’s four-band bill at Crossroads KC was a study in hybrids, in how various styles of rock differ and resemble one another, from rockabilly and bluegrass to country music and its many permutations.

The openers were the hometown rockabilly stalwarts the Rumblejetts.Next, Arkansas-based Mountain Sprout took the stage. A four-piece self-proclaimed “redneck hippie” string band, Mountain Spout gives its mashup of hillbilly-blues and bluegrass compositions a potent shot of punk attitude. It shares a kinship with bands such as Split Lip Rayfield and others who turn the tradition sideways and inside out but with enough respect for form that the band gets invited to open for purists such as the Del McCoury Band.

Speed and precision aren’t the group’s only virtues, however. The lyrics typically express a fondness for whiskey, hard living and an intolerance for authority.

Lucero was the next band on the bill and for many of the 800 or so in attendance it was the reason to attend the show. Lucero is a rock band with an array of colors and flavors on its palette: country, alternative-country, Southern rock and soul.

Saturday Lucero embellished its sound with a trumpet and sax and lead singer Ben Nichols told the crowd how great it was to be a rock band with a horn section. Too bad the sound was mixed so heavy on guitars and vocals that it was often hard to hear them or the rest of the band.

Its latest record is called “Women & Work,” and Lucero delivered several tracks from that album during its 90-minute set. But the crowd was geared up for older material, and it responded enthusiastically to tracks such as “Nights Like These,” “Hey, Darlin’ Do You Gamble?” and “My Best Girl,” which they played upon request.

Nichols writes rockers and ballads about drinking and heartache and sometimes both, as in two crowd favorites: “Sixes and Sevens” and “Drink Till We’re Gone.”

The Reverend Horton Heat, a trio from Dallas led by Jim Heath, closed the night with an 85-minute set that completed the circle, bringing it back to rockabilly, or its version of it: psycho-billy.

It was all an infernal, high-speed hybrid of rockabilly, surf, Texas swing and country, and it aroused plenty of energy and dancing up front.

The sound mix could have been better — Heath’s vocals were fuzzy all night — but the energy was palpable. The set list included covers of “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Johnny B. Goode,” and crowd favorites such as “400 Bucks,” “The Jimbo Song” (a tribute to standup-bassist Jimbo Wallace), “Where in the World Did You Go With My Toothbrush” and “Death Metal Guys.” In that one, Heath contrasts the differences between rockabilly and death metal bands, although you could sketch a few connections and similarities, too.

| Timothy Finn, The Star

Comments

[DT]

Must have been a bummer smelling those stinking porta potties and sweating your private parts off in 105 degree temps.

Why does anyone continue to support this dump? It is not for the prices.

It is one thing if the demand for a show is 6000 people and it has to be held out doors..... but for a show like this the Midland, or Uptown, are much better, air conditioned, fine venues.

Of course the bands are cooly taken care of backstage and have cool air blown on them on stage, but what about the paying customers who suffer in the heat?

Why would a band do this this to its fans??

We know all know that the Crossroads KC doesnt care about customers, but I would think the bands would.

It is time for Crossrods KC to stop hosting shows which should be/could be hosted at a nice air conditioned venue with modern appointments.

[Mike A]

I was actually quite comfortable. Those boys from Mountain Spout are hardcore!!

[Sin City Disciple]

Wanted to go, but family stuff came up. RHH always puts on a solid set. But was really curious about Lucero. Their last time in KC (I think) was opening for Old 97's and I thought it was a less than stellar performance. Hope Saturday was a better show!

[Bubba]

I've seen REVEREND HORTON HEAT something like five tines now, between 1995 to maybe 2009. DEFINITELY not a must-see for me. Given this MISERABLE humidity, you could NOT pay me to see anyone (with SO few exceptions) at Crossroads. Even IF I wind up with a free ticket to ANY given show there, it will HAVE to be - say upper '80's or under for me to attend that venue. I will say this much - their staff is pretty fan-friendly.

[pellboy]

DT will love this, but I'm with Bubba and will admit that the heat kept me away from the Rev/Lucero show the other night. Friend called the night before to try and fire me up for it but w/o an already purchased ticket in-hand, just couldn't muster up the energy. Of course, would have been the same story even if it were Livestrong or Starlight that partcular night.

[ckrally]

I was actually quite comfortable.

[LiveMusicFan]

This heat is just too much to take. This Friday is the free Sam Bush show in Frontier Park in Olathe, but I think that the heat will prevent me from going.

[pellboy]

Yeah, debating that Sam Bush show myself, but the free and ability to drink my own cold beer aspect might sway me. Also might just get there early and set up under the shade trees to the side of the stage where it still sounds great.

[DT]

:)

PS
""free and ability to drink my own cold beer aspect""

uuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmm freeeeee cold beer.

Compared to venue prices, store bought beer is basically free.... and free busg is (usually) ALWAYS good.

[air max skyline pas cher]

Għandi blog ur bookmarked & wkoll maqsuma dan il-blog lill-ħbieb tiegħi .. i think my friend jista wisq bhalu tama u jkollhom jum mill-isbaħ &! blogging kuntenti! DT se imħabba din, imma jien ma Bubba u se jammettu li s-sħana tinżamm me bogħod mill-Rev / Lucero juru oħra bil-lejl.