On the road with The Reverend Horton Heat
his band’s press kit as “the biggest, baddest, grittiest, greasiest, greatest rocker that has piled his hair up and pounded the drinks down.” Heath and his band composed of Jimbo Wallace on upright bass and Scott Churilla on drums has been churning out their own brand of rockabilly for almost 20 years. I had the chance to catch Heath for a phone interview to talk about his relentless touring schedule, 150 plus days a year, music, and his new latest release “Revival.” The Reverend Horton Heat played last Wednesday in Salt Lake City.
Utah Statesman: I’ve noticed RHH is on the road a lot. What keeps you touring with the sustained energy Reverend Horton Heat (RHH) is known for?
Jim Heath: I love to play music. That’s about it. It’s a dream job and it’s a lot of fun. But you really have to work at it. In the past we partied way too much and over time it started affecting the music. We still party but now we focus more on the music and the performance of that music. Now I take it easy during the day and play like an animal at night.
US: What do the members of RHH do when you’re not touring?
Heath: I’m doing the filing, bookkeeping and taxes. My free time is mostly the taking care of the business behind the band. If they did a reality television show about my life most of it would show me sitting behind a computer or filing.
US: Your band hits Salt Lake City pretty regularly. Obviously the Utah liquor laws haven’t dissuaded you from playing here – so what keeps you coming back?
Heath: Salt Lake City is a major city. It may not be super populated, but it is a major city. Salt Lake City serves as a connecting point for bands going from the West Coast to Midwest. Over the years we’ve had some real great shows there.
US: How did the stage trick of you getting on top of Jimbo Wallace’s upright bass start?
Heath: It started way back before Jimbo Wallace with a guy I used to play with called “Swinging” Jack Barton. But that’s only part of the stage show. Jimbo throws the upright bass up in the air and he used to drag it into the crowd. The upright bass seems logical to stand on. I think it was my idea when I started it 19 years ago.
US: What are you guys listening to now?
Heath: I’ve been listening Snake Finger’s History of the Blues. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Jimmy Bryant who was this western/swing super god who played super fast. I’ve also been listening to a lot 0of Hammond organ music-stuff like Jimmy Smith and Booker T. & the MGs.
US: What is your favorite track to play live off your latest release “Revival”?
Heath: We’ve been playing six songs off the new album. “It Ain’t Got Rhythm” and “Goin’ Back Home” are the ones that stand out and have a good beat to get the crowd into it.
US: Your new album deals with some pretty heavy issues, including a friend’s heroin abuse-has your approach to songwriting changed over the years?
Heath: I try to focus on subject matter. It pretty much comes out of the blue, much the same as it has in the past. When I write a song I try to have good subject matter and good guitar hook. A lot of it is sitting down and working hard to make an idea work. The first part is the initial inspiration and the then next part is the woodshedding. I often will write eight or nine verses to a song and cut down from there. I think in my music I focus on musical arrangement more in than other songwriters. A lot of songwriters can take an acoustic guitar and hammer out a rhythm and lyrics. I try to be a little bit fancier with the guitar whether it be a riff or a colorful chording.
US: Has your audience changed over the years? Are they getting older or staying the same age?
Heath: It’s been a turnover thing our whole career. I think that’s natural. Our crowd is usually around 18 to 25 years old. People in their 30s get married with careers and kids. It then becomes much harder to follow what’s new in music. We don’t seem to get a lot of the high school crowd. It seems most people discover us in college. We’ve always been big in college towns. -damitz@cc.usu.edu