PSYCHOBILLY SATURDAY WITH THE REV
October 1, 2025 Review by Bruce R. Kilgour
For over 35 years, Jim Heath and his band have been entertaining us with his high-octane brand of psychobilly and modern rockabilly. The first three albums from Heath’s trio, The Reverend Horton Heat (named after his alter ego) were released on the legendary independent record label Sub Pop between 1990 and 1994. ‘
Those releases, “Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em,” “The Full-Custom Gospel Sounds of the Reverend Horton Heat,” and “Liquor in the Front,” still comprise at least half of the setlist to this day.
The band is currently on their West Coast fall tour, where they performed a frenetic show at the packed Garden Amp last week.
It is worth noting that Heath has toured – and performed in Southern California – every single year since 1990, and his loyal fan base turns out for every show.
This beautiful Garden Grove evening began with a lively rocking set by the Orange County band, Three Chord Kings.
Their 30-minute outlaw country / punk rock inspired set was very well received by what was already a large crowd at 6:15. My chat with lead singer Joe McMillen and guitarist Todd Harper following their performance revealed that Three Chord Kings hope to tour extensively in 2026.
Santa Ana-based band, The McCharmlys were up next, and it was evident that the young quartet had dozens of friends and family members in attendance. Their blend of Mexican roots rock, surf, and ‘60s-style rock ‘n’ roll was very impressive.
Vocalist / leader Angie Monroy is joined in her band by guitarist Eddie Gutierrez, bassist Yari Bolanos, and drummer Cole Maxwell.
Gutierrez, dressed in traditional mariachi attire, is a very accomplished player, seamlessly changing his guitar style from song to song.
A few highlights of their 12-song set were a Spanish version of The Ronettes’ classic, “Be My Baby” (“Tu serás mi Baby” on the setlist), and the beautiful, smoldering ballad, “Break My Heart.”
The Reverend Horton Heat hit the stage and accompanying Heath was his stand-up bassist Jimbo Wallace, and drummer Jonathan Jeter, who joined in 2020.
Wallace is a legend in his own right, having been Heath’s right hand man for 36 years. Opening with back-to-back instrumentals on this tour, both “D for Dangerous,” and “Big Sky” were met with thunderous approval from the crowd.
Six songs in, Heath introduced the first of two cover songs from his 2023 album “Roots of the Rev. (Volume One).” “Big River” is a Johnny Cash song from 1958, and it’s performed true to the original recording. By now, the fans were yelling out for the trio’s five “big hits” and one of those, “Galaxy 500,” was next.
Following another live staple from 1993 – “The Devil’s Chasing Me” – were band introductions. After a lavish welcome for Jeter, Heath announced that “it took so long that there’s no time to introduce anyone else.” This began what Heath later describes as the “schtick portion of the show,” and Wallace pretended to be upset at the slight and leaves the stage.
After a minute or so of the crowd yelling “come back, Jimbo!” he reappeared, and Heath apologized and explained that in 36 years, he and Wallace have “only had three fistfights,” all in different eras – the “Jack Daniels era,” the “unfortunate Jägermeister era,” and the “confusing Jameson era.”
He stated that they are currently in the “Pedialyte era,” which brought considerable laughter. Then he and Wallace shared a big hug.
Heath interrupted the applause and told the audience, “Don’t clap, it’s all staged!” The skit is followed by “The Jimbo Song,” in which the audience participated by chanting the spelled-out chorus of “J-I-M-B-O.”
Another cover song – “Lights Out” – from the new LP was next, and then two early classics, followed by a new song that is featured in the Paramount+ series “Landman,” “I Found Blue.” Next was “400 Bucks,” perhaps their most popular song. Crowd favorites “Psychobilly Freakout” and “Big Red Rocket of Love” closed out the main set. The latter song featured Heath standing on Wallace’s bass while he played it on its side laying down.
After a quick break, Reverend Horton Heat returned with a slowed-down rendition of the classic “Bales of Cocaine.”
Their final song was a cover of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades,” which the band released as a stand-alone single in 2024.
The 90-minute set ended with Heath thanking Orange County for having the band’s “absolute best fans in the world!”
Reverend Horton Heat still delivers – after 37 years – one of the best live shows out there. If they’re coming through your city, don’t miss them – smiles and a wonderful time are guaranteed!
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Todd Markel Rock Images
>
TO FOLLOW
SID 251001 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
