On paper a collaboration between David Allan Coe and Pantera might sound like a recipe for total comic disaster, but Rebel Meets Rebel (Big Vin) is a fightin’, fuckin’, and rockin’ good time. Vinnie Paul, Rex Brown, and the late Dimebag Darrell, collectively billed here as the Cowboys From Hell, were Coe-heads from way back when–Pantera were known to blast “Jack Daniel’s, if You Please” before shows–and worked with the country cult legend off and on during the four years preceding their 2003 breakup. After Dimebag was murdered onstage during a Damageplan concert in December 2004, Paul decided to release the sessions as the inaugural album on his new label; it came out last month. Coe’s obviously having a blast on whiskey-drenched, country-metal tunes like “Cowboys Do More Dope” and “Get Outta My Life,” which features an ass-kicking Dimebag solo and guest vocals from Hank Williams III. He’s currently touring with his own five-piece group, enjoying renewed recognition with last year’s deluxe reissue of his 1968 debut, Penitentiary Blues, which includes a reproduction of the ex-con’s 20-page DIY prison-survival pamphlet, How to Pull Time and Parole. Sun 6/18, 9 PM, Joe’s, 940 W. Weed, 312-337-3486 or 312-559-1212, $20.
