ST. PETERSBURG – The Reverend Horton Heat will perform Friday, March 4 at Jannus Live, 200 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg.

Doors will open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance. Call 727-565-0550 or visit www.jannuslive.com.

By day, Jim Heath is a mild-mannered music historian well versed in the birth days of rock and roll. But when the sun goes down, he dons his signature Gretsch 6120, steps up to the mic, and transforms into Reverend Horton Heat, a bold demon spitting rock and roll.

Heath’s career highlights are iconic: recording with Lemmy Kilmister; to be revered by legendary artists such as Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins; touring with Soundgarden, ZZ Top, the Cramps, Social Distortion, White Zombie and the Sex Pistols; and providing touring opportunities for upstarts Kyuss, Hank III, Marilyn Manson and countless others across decades on the road.

In 2018, Heath and his longtime confidant and slap-bass general Jimbo Wallace released “Whole New Life”, their 12th album.

Heath calls it “the most positive material I have ever written”.

Call it a new twist on an old sound, “Whole New Life” was recorded between Fun Guy Studios and Modern Electric in the band’s hometown of Dallas.

“It has a strong focus on rock and roll but there is a human interest parallel,” Heath said in a press release. “Songs about growing up in poverty, vices, marriage, having children and walking the lovely streets of America.”

While recording the album, Heath recalled that in the 1950s reverberation chambers were really hip and that he had always liked their warmth.

“I’m all about Sam Phillips and the things he did with tape recorders and tape echo,” Heath explained. “I love that kind of production value, even though she’s older than me! It really sent me into this other headspace where I worked with a lot of vintage gear on this album – some of which I built myself for a really unique sound – tape, old tube microphones, preamps and others. Also, a year before I started piecing it all together, I worked especially hard on my singing voice. “Whole New Life” brought out something in me where I scream more and make more guttural sounds. There’s a touch of Louisiana, a bit gruff and a bit of Roy Orbison flair. We tested some new songs on our last tour and they work better with the audience than any new songs we’ve created since the band’s debut.

The Reverend Horton Heat still performs nearly 200 shows a year, including their Horton’s Hayride Festival brand in Southern California, which has expanded into a year-end jamboree as Horton’s Holiday Hayride. The band has also wowed sold-out crowds with their residencies in multiple cities across America, including performances at Coachella, Reading, Austin City Limits, Riot Fest, and countless other festivals.

With over a million albums sold and nearly 35 years in the game, Heath and company have delivered blood pressure-inducing songwriting to millions of fans worldwide. Call it rock and roll or psychobilly, the Reverend Horton Heat is often considered one of the earliest architects of the latter genre and holds a special place in the American musical terrain.