We’ll start things off with a little Christmas from the Southwest: The Reverend Horton Heat, out of Dallas, and Giant Sand, out of Tucson.
The Rev is both the man and the band: Jim Heath on guitar and vocals; Jimbo Wallace on upright bass; Scott Churilla on drums. They’re probably the leading psychobilly band, having been around for 20 years. Their new album is We Three Kings; no surprise what’s on it. Overall, the tracks are pretty straightforward rendition of holiday classics, but I picked out one with a little heat to it, the twang-tastic title track.
“We Three Kings of Orient Are” was written in 1857 by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. for a Christmas pageant at the General Theological Seminary in New York City. Excellent notes on the song can be found here.
Giant Sand have been around since 1980, serving mostly as a vehicle for Howe Gelb. (Read their Trouser Press listing here.) The group has been compared to Sun Ra and Crazy Horse, and that’s a pretty good combo. Members of the band have moonlighted in such projects as Friends of Dean Martinez and Calexico.
Black ice is a term used to describe ice that forms on the road, since it appears invisible on dark asphalt. When the air temperature is warmer than the pavement, the moisture rapidly freezes and creates a thin, transparent layer of ice. Here, the dangerous phenomenon provides a welcome excuse to spend the night. The whole thing plays like a demented Bertolt Brecht number.
The Reverend Horton Heat – We Three Kings — BUY
Giant Sand – Thank You Dreaded Black Ice, Thank You