Friday night, I had the pleasure of seeing The Reverend Horton Heat and The Vallures at Double Door here in Chicago. It's been a few years since I've seen a show at Double Door. I think it's a great place to see a rock show. It's definitely got a bit of the down and dirty vibe. The drinks are a little on the pricey side, though. Anyway, enough about the club. I had seen RHH at Riot Fest two years ago, and really enjoyed them. When I heard they'd be playing at the Double Door, I really wanted to see them. I saw online the opening act was The Vallures, described as a 60s girl group. I was definitely interested in checking them out. They did NOT disappoint. First of all, their appearance was great, very visually appealing. The band consisted of five girls and two guys. All the girls wore the same cute, retro red dress. Of course, they had the mandatory bouffants. The two guys wore outfits that nicely complemented the ladies. It seemed like they played a lot of covers, with a few originals. They seemed to have been greatly inspired by Motown. Can I saw they were super original, obviously not. However, they were super fun. Everyone was dancing. I'd dare ya not to. The lead singer Jes could give Diana Ross or Ronnie Spector a run for their money. It's the closest I'll ever get to seeing the Shangri-Las or Ronnettes. After their set, we went to the downstairs lounge for a drink. Some of The Vallures were there, so we talked to them for just a minute. They were super nice and sweet. I really hope they make it back to Chicago soon. I was so impressed, I bought their single they were selling. I plan on stalking their facebook page to keep an eye out for their next Chicago appearance.
The Reverend Horton Heat is a psychobilly band based out of Dallas. I would describe their sound as rockabilly meets punk meets surf. As I said earlier, I had seen them at Riot Fest and wanted to see them again. Unfortunately, for RHH, they had The Vallures open for them this time. The Vallures would be hard to top. The three gentlemen in RHH are all great musicians in their own right. Jim Heath, the singer and guitarist, is a great and energetic frontman. He plays a mean guitar, with a surf edge at times, as well. One thing I love is their bassist Jimbo Wallace. By bassist, I mean an upright bass, and not bass guitar. He's a lot of fun to watch, and has the whole rockabilly persona down! What gives RHH that unique sound of theirs, though, is the drummer Scott Churilla. He is a punk drummer! He gives RHH that punk edge that separates them from other rockabilly bands. He even embraced that in his appearance. While Jim and Jimbo had the rockabilly outfits and pompadour hair, Scott just wore a black tshirt and left his hair shaggy. They put on a great high energy show. The crowd appeared to be having a lot fun, dancing around. Both bands were excellent and put on great shows. If you get a chance to see either, I recommend ya go!
No comments:
Post a Comment