The Rev. Horton Heat is not actually ordained to preach anything and his hands have no power of healing.
But for fans of the guitar and rockabilly music, his hands are legendary.
On Thursday night Heat and his band stop in Raleigh to play at the Lincoln Theatre with fellow barnstormers Reckless Kelly.
MyNC.com exchanged e-mails with both The Rev. Horton Heat and Willy Braun of Reckless Kelly recently. Read below for the questions and answers from both and check out what Heat likes about North Carolina.
The Rev. Horton Heat:
Question: I grew up about 20 miles from where Link Wray was born. In my mind I see some of his style in your playing. Is that true and what impact do you feel he had on modern electric guitar?
“I think that Link Wray was great and way, way ahead of his time. He bridged the gap between rockabilly and surf, and he was the grandfather of heavy metal (although most metal guys sadly don’t know this). If some of his style has rubbed off on me, that’s just fine by me.”
Question: What led you to guitar and how did you formulate your own style? How much practice did it take to get to your ability and tone?
“My cousins were always playing guitar and I was fascinated. My father had a ukulele that he let me play. I was always drawn to mid-century music, especially the ‘50s and the blues. When I started to get into rockabilly, I really felt like I had found my niche. However, after trying to go with an ’authentic’ rockabilly sound, I decided to get a little more turned up and at the same time; get a little country in there. As far as practice, I found out early on that the more that I practiced, the better I got. I’ve also found out that there are a lot of things in life that don’t always work that way. I still go on practice binges that amaze my band and crew.”
Question: Since music is your job, what do you listen to when no one else is around? What kind of career would you have chosen if you didn’t get into music?
“I love the standards, I love classic country and I love just about all music from the mid-century 1900s. If music had not worked out for me, I hate to think about what would have happened to me. I love to read about finance and the world of business, but it’s just kind of a hobby.
“I love old cars and I would have liked learning about how to build/customize vintage cars. I really do have a hard time with the idea of not being a musician — it’s pretty much the dream career of dream careers.”
Question: With the popularity of video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, do you feel young people today like the idea of playing music better than actually learning an instrument? I read an interview the other day in which a teen brought up that point by saying he wishes he was born in another generation because then kids would want to form a band rather than try to play catch up to a song with Guitar Hero.
“I think that Guitar Hero, at first, caused kids to think that they could easily play guitar themselves. Now, however, I think that they’re figuring out that learning an instrument is way cooler than learning a video game. This is causing a little bit of a boom in musical instrument sales. Forming a band is one of the hardest of all endeavors.”
Question: You’ve got quite a bill for this tour with Nashville P**** and Reckless Kelly. How has the tour been?
“The tour has been good so far, but it’s only been a couple of shows. We’ve been touring with NP a lot lately, so the fun continues.”
Question: For this story, we are previewing the show coming up in Raleigh, N.C. Do you have any particular stories or memories related to North Carolina?
“Unknown Hinson, Southern Culture on the Skids, The Flat Duo-Jets, Yep-Roc, pine trees, pork ribs and a lot of nice people. Those are some of the things that I think about when I think of North Carolina. You’ve got some killer golf courses, but I don’t have time for that.”
Question: You are known both for your playing abilities and your performances. What is the key to a good rock show?
“The key to a great rock show is getting people to smile and have a good time. Also, if you can get them to feel like they’re seeing something that other people in the town are missing out on, then it’s a winner!”
Question: What is one thing that every Rev. Horton Heat fan should know?
“Rockabilly Rules!”
Reckless Kelly:
Question: What inspired you guys to play music? What and who were your influences?
“We grew up in Idaho actually, and it was our father, Muzzie Braun, [who] inspired us to play music. His father, Musty, was a musician and so are his brothers. When we were kids, there were all kinds of musical instruments laying around the house that we were allowed to play whenever we wanted. I learned to play drums at age six around the same time Cody learned to play the fiddle. Later in life, when I started jamming with other people, I picked up a guitar because there were never any drum sets at jam sessions.
“Our early influences were whatever dad had on tape. A lot of old time country standards like Hank Williams and Ray Price. But we really liked his rock and roll records like Chuck Berry and the Everly Brothers. We learned to sing harmony by listening to the Everly Brothers … well, I guess I should say Cody learned how to sing harmony. I never did get that good at it.”
Question: A lot of music since the late 1990s falls into the catch all category of “alt. country.” Just about every description I have read about the genre lists your band in that category. In your mind, is your music more rock and roll, country or something out of that category?
“Our music has evolved a lot over the years. I think it’s headed more in the rock and roll direction these days. But we still try to maintain the core of what RK started out doing, which is more or less country rock. But you can’t call it country rock now because people will think you are talking about Rascal Flatts; so we call it roots rock.”
Question: A lot of folks from Joe Ely to the Z.Z. Top sing the band’s praises. You also have a very loyal fan base. What do you think is the aspect of the band that touches fans? To me there is a sound chemistry there and even the fundamental ability to play and craft the song into something special.
“I’m not sure what it is about RK that makes people tick. But if I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with the fact that we have always tried to stay true to our roots and continue to make good music that will stand the test of time.
“We have never given in to pressure to sound ‘more like Nashville’ or let people influence the creative direction of the band. Fans know that we are singing and playing music that we really believe in, and I think that means a lot to them knowing that they are supporting a true form of music that hopefully will still be played in 20 or 30 years.”
Question: How has the tour been with the Rev. and Nashville P****? It is quite a bill that I think certainly gives people a lot for the money.
“We’re just starting out on the run, and it’s been an interesting mix of fans and bands. It’s pretty easy to tell who is there to see us and who is there to see RHH and NP.
“It’s been fun so far and we are looking forward to playing some of the new venues on this run that we’ve never played. I think there is just enough common ground to where we might get some new fans out of it and maybe some of our fans will walk out with a Nashville P**** T-shirt and a Reverend Horton Heat CD.”
Question: If you had a magic wand, how would you fix the music industry? And on the same topic, how do you think the music industry should grow out of the current mess?
“It’s a little late to wish people still made real records on two-inch tape and didn’t have to rely on studio tricks to sound good, and that those records would sell millions of copies. It’s also a little late to wish the fastest way to making a name for yourself in the music business wasn’t getting on a game show like American Idol.
“So I guess if I could change one thing it would be that recording, touring and creative aspects would be left up to the band in question and not to some a A&R guy or 13-year-olds texting in votes because they think ‘The guy with the hair’ is ‘hot.’
“If I could change everything, I would start by taking out the Internet, MySpace, Facebook, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Guitar Hero, Country Star, Pro Tools and Clear Channel. It was so much more fun to get a new record when you actually had to unwrap it first.
“Call me old fashioned, but I miss the good old days when a real band could sell millions of albums without worrying about being ‘voted off the show’ first. It was also cool when the band actually PLAYED on the record.”
Question: So you have a chance to travel back in time to see a once-in-a-lifetime concert. Who would you choose among the following: Hank Williams Sr., Elvis, the Beatles or Robert Johnson? And yes, you have to choose just one….
“Most people would expect me to say the Beatles, because I’m a huge Beatles fan, but I would probably go with Elvis or Hank as the fans at Beatles shows were so loud you couldn’t even hear the band. It would have been cool to see people react to something as new as Elvis. However, ‘f I could go back and hang out with them and smoke whatever it was that inspired ‘Glass Onion,’ I’d choose the Fab Four.”
Question: The new (well from June) album sounds fantastic in both the writing and sound quality. Where do you go from here?
“Well, thanks. I think we always try to raise the bar a little every time we make a record. So that is what we will try to do next time. I think we had some good songs to work with on Bulletproof and that is where it all starts. If I can think of 12 new good ideas to write about, I won’t worry about the rest of it so much.
“Being in the studio is so much fun. And with Dave and Cody getting pretty good at producing, I never really worry if the sounds and parts will be there; so long as I have a good batch of songs to work with. The rest of the guys are such good musicians that it makes it easy on me.
“I just want to make the best album we can every time. If we top the last one, killer, if not, at least we tried.”
Question: As an Austin band, how do you describe the magic that is Austin, and for that matter, Texas music? Why is it such a fertile and creative ground for music?
“Austin is a great town. I think Texas in general has a solid music scene because of its place in history. Parents bring their kids to shows at a young age; college students carry on the tradition and eventually bring their own kids to the shows.
“Within the scene there is a camaraderie that doesn’t exist in other music circles. All or at least most of the bands are friends and we are constantly running in to each other on the road; writing together and hanging out as friends, not as competitors. I can’t think of another scene where so many bands support each other and try to get the word out.
“You never hear Def Leppard talking about how great the new Skid Row album is, but I can’t remember the last time I saw a Ragweed show when they didn’t give a shout out to some other band and tell people to buy the record. It’s a really cool and rare thing.”
Question: Finally, give me a song that is on your iPod that may shock the Hell out of your fans.
“I don’t know how shocked they would be, but I am a huge fan of Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual record. It’s got some great songs on it, and it’s just a fun record to listen to. My favorite track is “Time After Time.” I used to kind of be embarrassed about that until Willie Nelson recorded it and then I thought, ‘Hell if it’s good enough for Willie…’”
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