What better way to spend the horror holiday than with psychobilly dark star Jim "Reverend Horton" Heat? The unholy vicar from Texas has been blasting audiences with manic riffs and terrifically sick humor since the 1980s, making him a neo-greaser hero of the highest order. Hot 'Lanta's Nashville Pussy delivers punk-informed Southern rock — replete with songs about getting drunk, scrumping and beating ass. In other words, it's the kind of music that makes ya wanna raise your can of Bud and holler "Fuck yeah!" Rounding out this rad lineup is alt-country rock outfit Reckless Kelly, another band that knows how to maximize the haunted roadhouse vibe (and booze consumption). And don't forget your ghoulish John McCain mask: There'll be a costume contest to coincide with the holiday.
Reverend Horton Heat w/Nashville Pussy/Reckless Kelly, 8 p.m. Fri., Oct. 31, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $20.
This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2008.