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Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio The Reverend Horton Heat were recently back in Montreal and back in my jukebox! With 9 albums and 25 years of greasy, grimy, guitar lickin', bad-ass upright bass whippin', and dirty drum kickin' music under their belt, The Reverend Horton Heat kept the crowd rockin'.

The Reverend (aka Jim Heath) on guitar and vocals was a tall stack of a man in his fine 1950's vintage suit and shirt and looked straight out of a James Dean movie. Now in his early 50s, The Reverend's voice was still as clean as a whistle. He belted out tunes such as "400 Bucks" and "Nurture My Pig" from my favorite-to-date Sub Pop released 1993 RHH album, The Full-Custom Gospel Sounds of the Reverend Horton Heat, with such precise guitar accompaniment it made me shake.

To The Reverend's left, Jimbo Wallace on upright bass walked the dog on that dog house like no other. Not to mention his straight-driving stage face with one eyebrow raised to the heavens as he hammered licks with cool confidence. Never talking directly into his vintage microphone, Jimbo took control over the stage in other ways.  Right from the beginning, Jimbo was a crowd favorite as he banged that driving bass rhythm with one hand, but even more so when we heard, as an introduction to "Jimbo Song," of his ass-kicking alley fight that sent the Reverend to the hospital during a cocktail party some odd years ago. Jimbo just smiled and nodded.

On the back beat was the new (since 2006) long-haired, baseball cap wearin' band member Paul "Paulie" Simmons who kept that fast paced psychobilly beat going. He did not say a word, nor did he show any signs of stopping. He just kept that shinny silver kit rockin'.

Together this Texan trio performed a tight 1.5 hour set of dirty, beer drinkin', heart breakin', and sweet-sounding love-makin' American sub-culture rockabilly classics. Most astonishing was the brotherly affection and rapport these two front men, and original members The Reverend and Jimbo, had with one another. Jimbo would slowly drop to the ground whilst banging on the bass. The crowd followed his every move. The Reverend then stepped on the bass and continued to play his rock n' roll riffs without a scratch. The crowd was roaring! Another crowd favorite was when Jimbo played with one hand on the bass and another on The Reverends Gibson beauty as The Reverend played with one hand on the bass. This was performed without interruption to the classic track "Yeah, Right" from the 1994 album Liquor in the Front. I tell you, if you had your eyes closed you would have never known - except for the wailing audience screams, of course.

Towards the end of the show, The Reverend Horton Heat had gone through their set list. It was time for requests. The crowd was yelling their favorites from left and right. All you could see were smiles on the band's faces. This Montreal crowd sure knew their stuff. "Baddest of the Bad," "Cruisin' For a Bruisin'," "Wiggle Stick," "Bales of Cocaine," "It's Martini Time," and many more were added to the bill that night. The band ended off the night with their psychobilly cult classic "Psychobilly Freakout," which left the crowd doing a psychobilly shuffle on the dance floor. Needless to say, I left Le National popping my feet. It's been a while since I have heard some good ol' rockabilly boogie and I only hope for more. For now listen to my favorite The Reverend Horton Heat track "Big Little Baby" on YouTube here.

-Sugarface Nene hosts Beat The World on Saturdays from 12-2pm

Heading out to see Alfa Rococo on April 29th at La Tulipe was an experience that was - as my friend described it - “quintessentially French." Striped shirts and glasses that begged the question “do you have a prescription for that?” were out in full force. However, there were also pockets of people that are normally under-represented at concert: children and older folk. It was actually quite endearing to see the concert as a gathering of music lovers of all ages. However, the music itself left me with mixed feelings.

Before I get into the full swing of my critique, I want to preface the negative by saying that this was not a bad show. I had a good time, and were it not for the input of a friend this show might have walked away with an A- in my books. That would have been based on fact that I was reviewing the show and not the band. However, as my friend put it “the music is the show”. If I am to give my full opinion on the show, I need to include the critique of the band that I feel is holding this act back from being truly entertaining.

Let's start with the opening band, Cecile Hercule. She was the perfect act to precede Alfa Rococo; it really illuminated the differences between France French and French Canadian music. Her set consisted of really solid French folk tunes; she even played a melodica (let me save you the trip to Google; it's that funny keyboard with a blow tube thing that usually only turns up in the Frenchy-est of music)! The crowd seemed to really appreciate her, and she even managed to get people laughing with a few jokes she made that ribbed Quebec. It was cute, and was the perfect set-up for Alfa Rococo's energetic pop entrance.

Once the main act was on the stage, people were really moving. The group got going with "Météore," which is undoubtedly one of their more popular songs. The band's energy was impressive. Nobody took a breather, and they were dancing and getting people on their feet for the entirety of their show. They looked good, they sounded good, and they interacted well with their audience. What I like about this group is that the pop stylings feel very North American, but there are also influences of French Canadian and traditional French music that give it a sound that is very unique to Montreal (aside from the French Canadian lyrics, of course). I was really feeling it as they moved forward into songs like "Lever l'Ancre," and "Chasser Le Malheur;" I think I've had "Chasser Le Malheur" stuck in my head ever since.

Sadly though, I have some hangups I must talk about. As I mentioned before, if I was reviewing this show simply on the merit of the showmanship, this concert would have been a success in my eyes. What sours it however, is that when you see Alfa Rococo, especially if you're like me and you only know the songs you've heard in stores and on the radio, you'll be disappointed to see that what you've heard is about as deep as the well goes. There's really very little to distinguish one song from another, and after about a half hour goes by you'll sadly find that, while you really want to love this adorable duo, you've just grown insidiously bored. I hate to say it, but it feels like you're watching Metric without the edge. I like this band, and I think that if you're a diehard fan this show will not disappoint, considering that Alfa Rococo has the energy and the showmanship to keep you in your seat. However, if they want to win over what I can only presume is a considerable group sitting on the fence, this band needs to take some risks and push for depth in what is already some catchy and solid music.

-Joshua K hosts The Chesterfield Hour on Fridays from 11am-12pm

In international news, U.S. President Barack Obama said Osama bin Laden probably had some sort of a support network inside Pakistan. Obama appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday night. He said further investigation will be needed to determine the extent of the support. 

President Obama urged Pakistan to work with the United States to get to the bottom of the issue. Obama is unsure whether the support was within or outside the Pakistani government. But other members of his administration have taken some of the heat off Pakistan. US national security adviser Tom Donilon said there is no evidence that Pakistan knew bin Laden was hiding there. 

Midway through their opening song, vocalist Menny More of the reggae collective Easy Star All-Stars, interrupted the music: “Don’t be shy. Bring yourselves closer, so we can party rightly.” There was no hesitation at all; the no man’s land between the stage and crowd was instantly filled with revellers itching to groove to the sweet bass work of Ras I Ray.

The Easy Star All-Stars, bringing along Cas Haley, rolled into Montreal’s Cabaret Mile End for their first ever show in the city. The collective, best known for their awesome Pink Floyd, The Beatles and Radiohead album covers, were wrapping up a tour to promote their original album First Light.

The mood was happy and friendly from the outset. Would you expect any other vibes from a kick-ass reggae group? Weed wafting in the air, bodies moving to the beat all around, and the relentless bass undercurrent all provided the expected atmosphere. Menny More was his usual, entertaining self, working the crowd and providing countless tidbits of reggae wisdom in between tracks. The horn section, courtesy of Jenny Hill and Buford O’Sullivan, the excellent vocals by Kirsty Rock, and guitarist/singer Shelton Garner Jr. rounded out the very talented musicians making up this genre-bending group.

Many of those in attendance were there to hear the covers that put Easy Star All-Stars on the map. Selected tracks from Dub Side of the Moon, Radiodread, and Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band drew the loudest reactions from the crowd. The cover of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life" was masterfully dub-ified, eliciting the most audible crowd sing-a-long. "Karma Police," "When I’m Sixty-Four," and "Breathe (In The Air)" were other tracks that brought the audience to a frenzy of dub-satisfaction. The original works, mainly drawn from the recently released First Light, were also well received. The tracks incorporated the kaleidoscope of sounds and voices that make this band so special. The complementary vocals of More and Rock, the sublime horn section, the mind-bending keyboard effects of Elenna Canlas, and the guitar and drum work are all excellently mixed together.

All those who were lucky enough to see the Easy Star All-Stars live in action in Montreal went home with smiles on their faces and perhaps a little more. Many stuck around after the final song had ended and the lights brightened to chat and snap photos with the reggae stars that were kind enough to emerge from backstage and appreciate their fans.

-Joel S co-hosts The Sports Injection on Wednesdays from 2-4pm