Written by Jesse Davidson.
Photography by Jesse Davidson
After witnessing The Legendary Shack Shakers live at the Lancaster Moose Lodge, I was an instant fan and decided I wasn’t going to miss another one of their shows. When I found out about the upcoming tour they had with Reverend Horton Heat and Unknown Hinson, there was no way I was going to miss that. Then I had the bright idea of interviewing JD Wilkes before the show since I’d already be going. One thing led to another and not only did the wonderful folks at the Shack Shakers management, 12×12 MLS, set up a phone interview with him but also a press and photo pass to review the show.
I arrived a little after 5pm at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA and quickly obtained my press pass. Well actually, it wasn’t a pass but rather a purple wristband. But hey, I’m not picky. Not only did I have a great lineup of bands to watch but I also got to document it. My timing seemed to be serving me well as the Shack Shakers were just beginning their sound check. It was interesting to see them communicating and working with the tech crew in this venue. Like a fly on the wall taking a small snapshot of their average day at work. Soon after they finished, Lincoln Durham would be next to sound check and open the show. When you hear the name, you expect the focus to be on one man in the band but that’s just what he is, a one-man band with a lot of gumption behind him. His gear set up was just as interesting as the man himself. It starts with his drop tuned resonator guitar with punk stickers all over it. Iggy Pop was the most prominent I could see. From the guitar, his sound led out into a guitar amp also run in tandem with a bass amp providing him with a full sound before any of his percussive elements got a say in it. When they did, he had two kick drums placed in front (one with a tambourine on top) and two snares he would beat mercilessly during drum breaks in his songs. Before the actual show started, I had two people at the show hyping him up to me since I’d never heard of him. One of them being his tour manager and one being a really cool photographer covering him for a blog called High Voltage. Apparently, he’s been out on the road doing his one-man thing for years. It showed because although the crowd trickled in during his set, he still played full bore and very well at that. He also showcased a variety of instruments that night including a strum stick and a cigar box guitar. It feels almost insulting to say this because he’s been working for years on the road but he’s definitely someone to look up and watch out for.
Lincoln did about 30-40 minutes and then it was time for L.S.S to take the stage. As the crew got everything in place for them, I compared notes with the photographer on where good places to shoot would be. Not much time could be had for this because when they were up, they just walked out without fan fare. JD started wail on his harmonica and then the band took off. Not only did I take note of their show for this article but also as a fan. The first time I had seen them, a few months prior, was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. However, things like that can’t be compared too closely. It’s best to live in the moment and that’s exactly what the Shack Shakers do. When JD goes off and does what he wants, the band did a great job at following him. There’s something to be said for that. On the drums, Preston Corn of The Dirt Daubers would be replacing longtime drummer Brett Whitacre and bassist Fuller Condon would be replacing longtime bassist Mark Robertson. This is also no easy task for a band to pull off. Along Brett and Mark being amazing musicians, changing out a rhythm section is like changing out an engine on car. It drives the group and gets people moving. Preston and Fuller had a tight and punchy chemistry that made you get down in true L.S.S fashion while also having a slightly new sound to it. Rod Hamdallah was of course still on guitar and killing it as usual. When songs like “Mud” and “Shake Your Hips” came up in the set, he added so much personality to the music creating a great top layer of sound above a fantastic rhythm section. I’m not sure what car part analogy he would be but when you play like he does, you don’t need to be one. Nor does JD Wilkes.
I’m a big fan of people who follow a John Lee Hooker approach to music. This means when you perform your songs, you don’t play them the exact same way twice. I’m not sure if that’s where he got it from but JD definitely fits that philosophy. Watching him at the Canyon last night, I felt I got the spectrum of American entertainment presented in front of me. There was Iggy Pop hopping off the stage and eating someone’s dinner and drinking his or her beer in the front row (not to mention holding a mic between your crotch and having someone from the audience singing into it). There was an actor on the stage doing a theatrical version of “Blood on the Bluegrass” making the lyrics come to life with his movements. There was a little bit of D. Ray White dancing and sliding across the stage. Mid song, he did some sort of sudo-James Brown split move while wailing on his harp. Dare I say it, there was bit of a Three Stooges slapstick element in it with the faces he makes on stage. Although not every single person in the audience was thrilled with his wild antics. While sitting at a friend’s table to watch part the performance, JD took a sip of an open water bottle and then flung it all over the audience. Everyone laughed and cheered him on except for one woman directly in front of me. I could only see the back of her head as she waved index fingers around frantically but something told me she didn’t appreciate that part of the show. At the end of the set, JD went back to the same that table he absconded food from and took someone’s glasses to wear on stage. I guess that person wasn’t having any of it either since he immediately gave them back. Laughing and apologizing he said he was just trying to entertain. Then, he proceeded to do a somersault across the stage and belt out the most rock and roll scream during the final seconds of their closing song. The Reverend Horton Heat praised him later in the show for being one of the best front men in history and he was right. He channeled the energy of this sonic soulful force into the people and won them over. The Legendary Shack Shakers say we are hear to raise hell and have fun and the people follow suit. We need more of that.
After that thunderous performance, only one thing could top that. That would be a joint set from The Reverend Horton Heat and Unknown Hinson. Like the previous acts, The Rev’s set also had its surprises. For starters, like the other acts, they came out with no particular fanfare. They just walked out on stage and kicked off an instrumental jam (possibly “Marijuana” but I wasn’t 100% positive on it). Adding on to that first surprise, they started with “Psychobilly Freakout” and “Bales of Cocaine”. That was a bold move considering they are arguably the two biggest songs for the group. Early on in the set, something else happened I didn’t expect. As Jim Heath (AKA The Reverend Horton Heat) was praising his opening acts, there was this low feedback coming from the stage monitors persistent enough to stop his anecdote about Lincoln Durham reminding him of Bull Durham tobacco. The feedback went on and off for about a minute and half as The Rev criticized what was happening over the microphone. This struck a personal chord for me because as a sound guy/stage hand, it’s a huge pet peeve when performers openly criticize you on stage. At the same time, it was a lot of feedback and I wondered why it went on for as long as it did. Ultimately, I don’t know what happened and wasn’t really any of my business to know what happened except for the fact that it created a weird momentary lull in the show. Luckily, the show continued on without a hitch and Jim Heath picked it back up with his usual classy charm. Keeping with the surprise theme, Eddie Nichols of the Royal Crown Revue came out and played guitar on a Bill Haley tune (the name of which escapes me now). Along with a new song called “Zombie Dumb” complete with The Rev doing a sort of Frankenstein walk across the stage,“Jimbo Song” was next. Of course since it’s a Reverend Horton Heat classic, the crowd belted every letter of his name and was swept up in a huge burst of energy. Carrying off of that energy, Jimbo and Heath switched instruments and began to play the Chuck Berry classic “Little Queenie”. Shimmies and shakes were being had all over the packed bar area. Through this last set, The Rev really demonstrated his musical prowess and ability to seem timeless. His voice has seemingly stayed exactly the same since the first album without diminishing in quality. That calls for a certain amount of respect from both musicians and non-musicians alike. It also helps that he another fantastic rhythm section backing him provided by “Nature Boy” Jimbo Wallace on the upright bass and Scott Churilla on drums. The dynamic rhythm section had a great highlighted moment in the set during “Smell of Gasoline”. Scott showed an incredible amount of stamina as he kept a consistent double kick going throughout the song and his solo. Then the spotlight was on Jimbo for his solo. His solo wasn’t long but he looked so damn cool while he did it. Jimbo Wallace looks like an iron-jawed badass who does what he pleases but also uses his powers for good.
About halfway through their set, Unknown Hinson was introduced and The Rev and company backed him up. The King of the Country and Western Troubadour’s walked out to his famous drum intro followed by his chart toppin’ hit “Silver Platter” The last time I saw Unknown was at the Arcadia Blues Club in 2012 on his own show. California has been known to be a less frequent tour stop for Hinson let alone touring with Horton Heat to back him up, which was a real treat. Unknown spanned the plethora of #1 chart toppin’ hits under his belt including “Fish Camp Woman”, “Venus Bound, “I Ain’t Afraid of your Husband” and “Your Man is Gay”. He carried with him the usual swagger you’d expect from Unknown minus the sideburns and bowtie. The tone and style of picking is something you could hear all night long. As cool and special as this co-headlining tour was, I ended up wanting more Hinson in the show. Even though, I walked away feeling satisfied that I had seen him again. The night ended with a big finale jam. Horton Heat, Unknown Hinson, and Rod and JD from the Shack Shakers came out and performed “Love Whip”, a Rev classic followed by “King of the County Western Troubadours” minus JD and Rod. This show was a really fantastic night out and I hope the Shack Shakers team up with more great acts for future tours.
Related articles:
The JD Wilkes Interview Part 1 & Part 2
What You Missed (photos): Legendary Shack Shakers