Psychobilly Freakout!

Tuesday night is not generally regarded as the most "rocking" night of the week. This Tuesday, though, Bloomington was given shore leave from the boredom boat as Texas' Reverend Horton Heat hit town. \nA three-member ensemble that sounds like a five or six-piece band because of sheer talent and energy, the Rev and company got the Bluebird jumping with their rock and roll assault. Stylistically, the band is most commonly referred to as psychobilly, a souped-up hybrid of rockabilly and punk. Other elements, such as a weird lounge-from-hell sound, along with technically proficient rockabilly guitar work and a constantly pulsating bass line, make this band a force to be reckoned with. They were especially on target this evening, playing a lengthy and satisfying set of Rev classics mixed with newer songs. Among the best was "Eat Steak," an anthem that many a stubborn meat eater (myself included) knows by heart. "Psychobilly Freakout" was delivered with particular ferocity, as was "Big Red Rocket of Love." \nOne of the best things about the Reverend Horton Heat is the consistency of output from the band. The songs from the new album, Spend A Night In The Box, sound just as great live as the older material, and somehow the Reverend avoids stagnation and minimizes repetition. In addition to the great songs, the band also has quite a stage presence. The highlight of the evening was when the Reverend hopped up onto the side of Jimbo's upright bass, effortlessly picking out a guitar solo while the bassist continued pounding at his now-horizontal instrument. This show also presented an element of rock and roll that tends to be avoided these days: the solo. Generally I groan if this happens at a show, but not so with the Rev. A lengthy drum solo can be fascinating if the drummer is actually good at his instrument, and in this case the crowd was cheering for more. The bass and guitar solos were also impressive. Sure, maybe this was all a little boastful, but who cares? \nAs for opening bands, the Rev is touring with Death on Wednesday and the Gotohells. Death on Wednesday thought they were in Indianapolis, something the crowd didn't soon forgive them for. Anticipating the Rev, most people didn't really get into their brand of speedy rock and roll with a punk edge, and that's too bad. They were perhaps not the most original of bands, but were quite catchy and had very melodic (sung, not screamed) vocals. The Gotohells were the perfect lead-in to the Reverend Horton Heat, what with their greasy, punchy odes to drunkenness and debauchery. "Drink, Drank, Drunk" and other such tunes certainly helped stimulate alcohol sales at the Bluebird for the evening. All in all, the audience was treated to a few hours of rock and roll, and my faith in the musical tastes of the general population was renewed by the relatively large turnout. Not bad for a Tuesday.