All revved up and red hot, The Stray Cats are back.
Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (bass, vocals) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums, vocals)–original founding members of the iconic and acclaimed American rock and roll trio–are celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2019 with a new album and tour.
The Stray Cats have titled the album 40. Marking their first new album in 26 years, it will be released May 24 via Surfdog Record and distributed by Mascot Label Group in Europe and the UK (CD, vinyl, digital). The song titles alone–including “Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me),” “Rock It Off,” “Mean Pickin’ Mama,” and “Devil Train”—instantly let listeners know they’re in for a non-stop rocking time.
The first instant grat track, “Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me),” is available now with a pre-order of the album. The song is also streaming on Spotify. A Limited Box with CD including 2 bonus tracks and Stray Cats-themed coasters (2x), postcard and 2 stickers! will arrive on May 24, as well as limited LP on 180 grams silver vinyl : http://smarturl.it/StrayCats
The Stray Cats recorded 40 at Blackbird Studios in Nashville in late 2018 following their first North American shows in 10 years, with four concerts including sold-out headlining shows in Las Vegas and the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA before wildly enthusiastic audiences. Still buzzing from the thrill of playing together again and crowd response, they went into the studio with producer Peter Collins (Rush, Bon Jovi, The Brian Setzer Orchestra) and engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Arctic Monkeys). There are a dozen original songs that comprise the album.
Here’s what the guys have to say:
Brian Setzer: “You have to understand how unique The Stray Cats are. It’s me playing an old hollow body guitar, Slim Jim playing two or three drums, and Lee Rocker slapping a stand-up acoustic bass. I get to write new songs and then play them with my buddies. Somehow we created a new and exciting sound with this simple idea. And you know what? A lot of people agree!”
Lee Rocker: “This new album really feels like the first record we did, it’s really natural and comfortable. For the recording, we went live–like doing a gig, we recorded in a real, organic way. We were all in one room standing next to each other recording live, with the amps turned up to 10, it captured the undefinable things that happen when a band is great, it captured the magic that takes place and an undefined spark.”
Slim Jim Phantom: “We’re very, very focused when we get into the studio, it didn’t feel like a long time had passed since we had done this, it felt very natural and familiar. We were all in a row with everyone watching each other, so it felt like a gig in the set-up. We really embraced that a little bit for the album, it’s like an old way of making records. The modern is meeting the vintage, which has always been our inspiration.”
’40’ tracklisting: Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me) / Rock It Off / I’ve Got Love If You Want It / Cry Danger / I Attract Trouble / Three Time’s A Charm / That’s Messed Up / When Nothing’s Going Right / Desperado / Mean Pickin’ Mama / I’ll Be Looking Out For You / Devil Train +Bonus tracks – Box Set only: Cry Baby (LIVE in Orange County, CA 2018) / Double Talkin’ Baby (LIVE in Orange County, CA 2018).
Tour:
DAY DATE VENUE CITY/STATE
Friday 21 June Azkena Rock Festival Vitoria, Spain
Sunday 23 June Birmingham 02 Academy Birmingham, United Kingdom
Tuesday 25 June Manchester 02 Apollo Manchester, United Kingdom
Wednesday 26 June London Eventim Apollo London, United Kingdom
Thursday 27 June London Eventim Apollo London, United Kingdom
Saturday 29 June Retro C Trop Tilloloy, France
Monday 1 July AFAS Live Amsterdam, Netherlands
Wednesday 3 July Columbiahalle Berlin, Germany
Thursday 4 July Palladium Cologne, Germany
Saturday 6 July American Tours Festival Tours, France
Sunday 7 July Les Eurockeennes Belfort, France
Tuesday 9 July Killesberg Stuttgart, Germany
Thursday 11 July Zenith Munich, Germany
Saturday 13 July Musilac Festival Aix-Les-Bains, France
Thursday 18 July Pori Jazz Festival Pori, Finland
Saturday 20 July Summer Jamboree Falun, Sweden
About The Stray Cats: The Stray Cats, the band that put Rockabilly music back on the record charts in the early ’80s, scored several big hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to a striking visual 1950’s style brought “up to date” with exaggerated pompadours and colorful tattoos and as well as genuine musical chops that evoked the best players of rockabilly’s original heyday. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, NY, in 1979, the trio shared a love for Rockabilly music. After banging around New York for a few months, in the summer of 1980, and seeing a pompadoured kid on the cover of UK magazine NME, they hopped a plane to London where a rockabilly revival movement was just beginning to emerge. Their massive hits and videos include “Runaway Boys,” “Rock This Town,” “Stray Cat Strut” “(She’s) Sexy + 17,” and “I Won’t Stand in Your Way.”