Heart Breakin' Psychobilly Bandits

"If you can't get it up for a Reverend Horton Heat show, then you're a fuckin' corpse."
- pearls of wisdom (and truth) from Ministry's Al Jourgensen

The Reverend Horton Heat experience has never been about fancy knob-twiddling or production calisthenics; it's never been about special effects or fancy-schmancy performances - it's been about raw energy and sound ... LIVE. We're talking fast, reverbed-out guitar, stand-up bass slapped silly and drums pounded to within an inch of their existence - all of which somehow manage to meld together into the Rev's custom blend of psychobilly madness. Live is this Texas trio's oeuvre and the band has criss-crossed the country a thousand times (and then some) - oftentimes aboard a bus proudly emblazoned with a massive image Lone Star State impaled by a demon guitar - to bring it on home to the good folks who believe.

Lead by former pool shark and Eastern Texas Juvenile Correction Facility alumni vocalist/guitarist "The Rev" - hair shined up with a full 8 oz. of grease and pants cuffed just enough to show off his sparkling while socks -- the trio also features the talents of stand-up bassist Jimbo and drummer Scott Churilla. Together the three craft a sound that's not unlike rockabilly, country, swamp stomp and noise being run through a woodchipper and then spit back out in a full-body slam.

The trio's newest offering (and second album for Interscope), It's Martini Time, features a full array of new Rev musings about booze, women and good clean hard living. Naturally, it's a collection of tunes that run on some pretty high octane: from the blazing, manic "Generation Why," to the good time, juke joint jump of "Martini Time," to the cyclone guitar howl of "Time To Pray," to the psychobilly growl of "Big Red Rocket" (with the catchy, sure to please the ladies chorus: "Let's go! My big red rocket of love.") Yet despite their often unbridled energy, The Rev and crew aren't afraid to also try a little slowed down experimentation: like the cool jazz beat of the cynical, spoken word diatribe "That's Showbiz" or the classic, unhurried country swing of "Cowboy Love" (which was inspired by an accidental trip Jimbo and the band's road manager made to a gay cowboy bar. "I hope I don't get myself in trouble with it," muses The Rev. "It's just a song about love.")

Unsurprisingly, the prospect of trying to contain and capture The Rev's combustible sound on tape has led the band to couple with an eclectic array of board-helming bedfellows, Al Jourgensen produced their '94 Interscope debut Liquor in the Front and nearly quit before they'd even started. (Apparently some record label type, with an MTV crew in tow, had the audacity to profane the sanctity of the recording studio with his presence and shake Jourgensen's hand. The Ministry leader was literally packing his bags - after thoroughly detoxifying his tainted hand part in the bathroom sink - and was just about outta there until he managed to scare the whole corporate lot of them off by dropping trow and displaying a cleverly placed pencil). Then there was Butthole Surfer Gibby Haynes who superintended the Rev's Sub Pop release The Full Custom Gospel Sounds of The Reverend Horton Heat and taught the boys to enjoy their Bloody Marys Texas style - that would be with barbecue sauce, as opposed to the traditional Mary mix. It's Martini Time, is no exception to the discriminating producer roster, with the boys calling on Thom Panunzio (who has covered the spectrum: from U2, John Lennon, Rocket from the Crypt) this time out.

"We thought we'd try somebody who wasn't a rock star for once," jokes The Rev. "Thom's just a regular guy with a wife and a kid. This session was kind of calm compared to what we're used to, but that's good because it gave us the freedom to do our thing. (It's Martini Time) is different than anything we've ever done before, and I think it might have a little bit more of a sense of humor than our last record did."

Though the album treads some new ground - "we used horns, piano, accordion steel guitar and even sound loops" - it is, of course, still in keeping with The Rev's purist, no-nonsense philosophy on music.

"I go into music stores and see people saying and doing the squirreliest, stupidest stuff. It doesn't matter what guitar you play, its how you play it. It's what comes out of your heart," The Rev. once avowed to a music mag scribe. "Being able to haul ass all over the fretboard doesn't mean anything if the music's no good."

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