Jim Heath of Reverend Horton Heat recently gave Punk Globe a quick online update on a new record he's working on, which isn't out yet, but should be in the not too distant future. He talked about Glen Campbell, residencies in Chicago and Austin, stolen equipment, strange noises, and playing in Texas. All wrapped up in thirteen little questions to tide fans over until the new record is out with a tour sure to follow. Big thanks to Tom Wojcik at Victory Records for arranging the interview.
PUNK GLOBE: Glen Campbell just passed away. Did he have any kind of influence on you?
JH: Pretty big. His songs are epic. I watched his TV show every week. Great picker. Part of the wrecking crew. I love the baritone guitar solos that just play the melody. Epic. I met his daughter once. She's a great player as well.
PUNK GLOBE: At the moment, you are working on a new record. You have Matt Jordan joining you on tour. Is he also playing piano on the album?
JH: Yes he's going to be on at least one song on the record...maybe more.
PUNK GLOBE: Will there be any departures with this new record? Any surprises in store?
JH: I make a bunch of odd noises with my voice.
PUNK GLOBE: You have your own label, Fun Guy Records. Is anything new going on with that? Any new releases in the near future?
JH: Not right now. I'm out of money for that right now. Hoping for a Lucky Tubb/Jimbo Wallace release soon.
PUNK GLOBE: Scott Churilla is no longer playing drums for you, who is replacing him?
JH: RJ Contreras. He's great. Great background of a lot of styles as well as being a trained drummer. He's a really nice fellow too. He plays with a lot of soul.
PUNK GLOBE: There's a big tour coming up full of residencies. Where is this taking the band this time out?
JH: Chicago residency and an Austin residency. Lots of guests. Currently it's Unknown Hinson.
PUNK GLOBE: You're going out with Fishbone to start with. Will you be touring with any other bands later in the year?
JH: Lots and lots of bands Junior Brown, Big Sandy, Robert Gordon, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Strung Out, Los Kung Fu Monkeys....etc.
PUNK GLOBE: You're from Texas. Besides the usual bigger cities, what are some of your favorite smaller places to play here in the Lone Star state? Have you ever played Gruene Hall or other similar venues?
JH: We've played Gruene Hall a couple of times. We've played all sorts of smaller cities in Texas, but only rarely now. I've been doing solo shows in Tomball, Greenville and such. We play Temple every now and then now. Seems like we go everywhere every now and then.
PUNK GLOBE: Earlier this year, you had some equipment stolen in San Antonio. They caught the theives who stole from you. Any update on what happened to them? Are they in jail?
JH: I'm not sure. I pray for them. I got my stuff back. It's a pretty good story. Our guitar tech was calling places explaining that our guitars got stolen and we needed to rent one for the show and the first place he called, called him back and said, "There's some guys in our store right now trying to sell me those guitars." The cops went straight there and we got them back. Sad.
PUNK GLOBE: Do you have any advice to other bands on how to protect your gear while on tour? This seems to be a big problem.
JH: LoJack your instruments. Drive at night and don't leave your trailer unattended. Sad it's come to this.
PUNK GLOBE: Are you surprised by the longevity of your success? When you started, this kind of music and scene wasn't as nearly as popular as it is today. Did you ever imagine that you would take it so far?
JH: Yes, I'm surprised. But I'm proud that I had the chance to help propel rockabilly and roots music into a new age.
PUNK GLOBE: When you're on tour, specifically here in America, what do you see disappearing in our landscape? How has it changed over the years and do you find the corporate replacements frustrating?
JH: Tolerance for freedom of speech and freedom in general is disappointing. Sad.
PUNK GLOBE: Any last words you want to add or any other announcements about future projects you'd like to share with our readers?
JH: Thanks to my fans for all the support. I think our best years are ahead of us.
