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It’s time for a “Psychobilly Freakout”: For two days, none other than the Reverend Horton Heat will be gracing the House of Blues with his lifelong rockabilly bandmates, Jimbo Wallace and Paul Simmons.
The Reverent Horton Heat first formed in 1985 in Dallas, with the Reverend on guitar and lead vocals, Wallace on the upright bass (where would rockabilly be without the upright bass?) and Paul Simmons on the drums. And there really is no other fanbase as dedicated as the rockabilly fans: The Reverend Horton Heat still remains as one of the most popular psychobilly acts in the nation, rousing pompadour-ed, cherry-lipped, creeper-wearing crowds for decades.
Psychobilly is a hybrid rock genre with bits and pieces borrowed from punk, rockabilly, country and surf. Subject matter is often taboo, but usually told in a playful nature, laden with violence and references to horror films. The Reverend Horton Heat has described themselves as “country-fed punkabilly”—and it’s a pretty dead-on description.
With nearly a dozen studio albums under their belt, the Reverend Horton Heat has been featured in many television commercials and video games—yes, including Guitar Hero II.
Sweep up that pomp as high as you can and enjoy a fun night with the Reverend as they usher in 2010.
Reverend Horton Heat: Wed.-Thurs., Dec. 30-31, 8 p.m., $30-$70. House of Blues, 1530 S. Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, 714.778.2583. All ages.
Yeaaaah, okay so, we’re not so sure people outside of high school and college kids and potheads are into the Kottonmouth Kings and their prescription of hybrid rock and hip hop—you know, “party” music.
Laugh as one might, but the Kottonmouth Kings have actually upheld a pretty stable career, lasting much longer than acts with supposedly way more street cred, founding in Orange County in 1994 and still able to sell out venues like the Grove of Anaheim (seriously, count on it).
With members names ranging from Brad “Daddy X” to Dustin “D-Loc” Miller and album titles like Hidden Stash and Rollin’ Stoned, the Kottonmouth King have deciphered the secret to success: Pot. And any time you mix pot with hip-hop? Even higher on the popularity scale.
Kottonmouth Kings: Sat., Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m., $25. Grove of Anaheim, 2200 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 714.712.2750. All ages.
So there may not be much going on this month—most bands seem to take most of November through January off for the holidays, opting to stay home instead of hitting the road. But luckily for us, Orange County has a band or two willing to treat their hometown to a holiday show.
Hailing from Newport Beach, Saosin (pronounced say-oh-sin) is a five-piece that formed in 2003. While their sound ranges from all sorts of non-descriptive descriptions that kids like to throw around these days—post-hardcore, emo, screamo, alternative rock—we recommend just sticking to “rock.” Hard rock, if you please.
Saosin, who played Sunday at the House of Blues, is just another one of this new wave of bands who can thank online forums and social network websites like MySpace.com (as short-lived as it was) for their career. The band, whose name means “small heart” or “careful” in Mandarin Chinese, has seen a number of line-up changes in the past, but first saw success with their introductory EP, Translating the Name, with a majority of the popularity due to a strong online presence and e-hype.
Now, as for whether that’s going to help or hurt in the long run, we’ve yet to see.
Ice Cube has several identities to juggle these days: You’ve got Ice Cube, the guy who was in N.W.A., or the guy who rapped about having a good day just because he didn’t use his AK. And then you’ve got Ice Cube, the guy who smoked tons of weed and spent an entire Friday dodging Deebo.
But now? Now we mostly know Ice Cube for his roles in family friendly blockbuster films like “Are We There Yet?” and the equally popular sequel “Are We Done Yet?” (Answer: We hope so.) Suddenly Ice Cube went from scandalous gangster rapper to household name.
Though Ice Cube’s public perception sure has considerably evolved from the early days of his career, it’s also true that he has managed to maintain a well-respected multi-faceted career. At 18, Ice Cube got his start alongside Eazy-E in N.W.A., writing half of the lyrics to Straight Outta Compton. After some financial squabbles arose in the group, Ice Cube left to start his own successful solo career, releasing AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted in 1990. Eight solo records and two collaborations later, Ice Cube, now 40, might have lost some of his edge—but he’s also still got both a rap career and film career, which more than we can say for some of his contemporaries.
Ice Cube: Sun., Dec. 13, 8 p.m., $36. Grove of Anaheim, 2200 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 714.712.2750. All ages.
“I’ve got an Ape Drape/Yes I do/They’re givin’ them to anyone/That mens you/You can drive to Riverside and get one, too/Then you’ll have an Ape Drape like I do.”
The Vandals have a sense of humor. And it runs rampant through just about everything they do. The band first formed in 1980 in Huntington Beach, and are an integral part of the Orange County punk rock community, alongside TSOL, Social Distortion and Bad Religion.
With the same lineup since 1990, the Vandals features both well-known drummer Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Devo), who got his start playing in a kids band at Disneyland Tomorrowland Terrace, and bass player Joe Escalante (former Indie 103 host, entertainment lawyer, co-owner of Kung Fu Records, republican).
But while many of the punk peers focused on politics and social issues in their music, the Vandals liked to keep things light: “Ape Drape” is a favorite, and so is “People That Are Going to Hell.”
Saturday’s show is part of the Vandals’ annual slew of Christmas shows—this one a hometown show sure to sell out, and sure to be a hell of a lot of fun.
The Vandals: Sat., December 19, 8 p.m., $16.50-$18. House of Blues, 1530 S. Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, 714.778.2583. All ages.
