Jackyl Bringing Band’s Raunchy Lyrics to Valley

The platinum-status metal band Jackyl comes to the Reseda Country Club on Tuesday night. Like many rock bands, this Atlanta-based outfit spends most of its time on the road.

“We get on a movie kick on the bus,” said guitarist Jeff Worley in a slow Southern drawl. “We watched ‘Cool Hand Luke’ about a hundred times, and then ‘Patton’ a hundred times.”

According to Worley, the current film du jour on the Jackyl bus is “Gator,” a 1976 film starring Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed.

Such is the glamorous life of a rock ‘n’ roll band.

Jackyl’s debut album on Geffen Records sold more than 1 million copies in 1992, a couple of years after the band was formed. The group’s music has also been featured on the Beavis and Butt-head movie soundtrack album and the Woodstock ’94 concert album. Its second album, “Push Comes to Shove,” sold more than 500,000 copies;then the band switched labels, to Epic Records. Its first album for Epic, “Cut the Crap,” was released last September.

And the band’s been touring ever since, appearing with acts including Aerosmith, Kiss and Sammy Hagar.

“Our style of music is not big at the moment, but we’re going to stick to our guns,” said Worley. “We’re just who we are.”

Besides Worley, the band’s lineup includes lead singer Jesse James Dupree, guitarist Jimmy Stiff, bassist Tom Bettini and Jeff’s brother, drummer Chris Worley. One look at the band’s Web site will tell you that this band delights in its raunchy lyrics and attitude.

“We’re just raising too much hell,” said Worley. “But that’s what rock ‘n’ roll should be.”

* Jackyl plays Tuesday night at the Reseda Country Club, 18419 Sherman Way, Reseda. (818) 881-2988. The band can be reached at its Web site, Jackyl.w1.com. $15.

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Harp Man: Lead singer and harmonica player Lester Butler and his band 13 come to Smokin’ Johnnie’s on Saturday night. 13, which formed in 1996, also includes guitarist Alex Schultz, drummer James Intveld and bassist Mark Goldberg.

Butler first made his mark fronting the L.A.-based Red Devils in the early 1990s. Between making the album, “King King,” gigging locally and touring nonstop, the Red Devils have found time to record tracks backing up not one, but two legends of rock music: Mick Jagger and Johnny Cash.

Butler said working with Jagger was enlightening: “Jagger was a real humble kind of cat, he was real mellow,” Butler remembers. “He had class.”

Butler can say only nice things about Cash as well. “The bigger they are, the nicer they are,” he said.

Unfortunately, neither the Jagger nor the Cash sessions with the Red Devils were ever released. But Butler has not let that stop him.

13 made its self-titled debut on Hightone Records last March. And the band has been touring to promote the album. They just returned from Holland and Belgium.

“Basically, I was born with a harmonica in my mouth. I could always play the thing,” Butler said.

Butler grew up in Venice and Santa Monica. While a teenager, he was taken under the wing of the late Hollywood Fats, a.k.a. Michael Mann, who exposed the young man to his library of classic blues records.

Butler lists Little Walter and Howlin’ Wolf among his chief influences, but plays a variety of styles.

* 13 plays Saturday night at Smokin’ Johnnie’s, 11720 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 760-6631.

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The King: The one and only B.B. King will perform four shows over two nights--March 29 and 30--at the Universal City club that bears his name. The engagement will provide Los Angeles blues fans an opportunity to see and hear the King of the blues in an intimate club setting. Tickets to the 7 p.m. show, which will include dinner, range from $65-$100, while admission to the 10:30 p.m. performance, with appetizers only, is $50-$85. Standing-room tickets to all shows are $35. For tickets and show information, call (800) 443-0972.