The Reverend Horton Heat plays the Masquerade Dec. 1

Jim Heath and Co. are back on the road, playing songs from throughout a career steeped in country rumination and psychobilly freakouts

ReverendHortonHeat BryanRegan 01.5a2037c88af1e
Photo credit: Bryan Regan
The Rev. Horton Heat plays the Masquerade Dec.

For more than 30 years, Jim Heath has charted a new course for hillbilly rockers as the Reverend Horton Heat. Named for country music legend Johnny Horton, his stage persona celebrates roots and pop music’s pasts, with tongue-in-cheek rockabilly songs. After seeing the Cramps live in the late ’70s, his eyes were opened to the boundless possibilities of roots-infused punk rock. He first left tread marks on pop culture with the 1992 anthem “Psychobilly Freakout” from the album Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em. Other examples of the Reverend’s souped-up sense of humor include the story of the most exciting innovation to hit the farm, “Bales of Cocaine” from 1993’s The Full Custom Gospel Sounds, and the darkly ridiculous live favorite, “Where In the Hell Did You Go With My Toothbrush?”

With Junior Brown, the Blasters, and Big Sandy. $27.50. 7 p.m. Fri., Dec. 1. Masquerade. 75 MLK Jr. Drive S.W. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com.