Sorry for the of topic post, but I just wanted to tell... I scored tickets for the Stay Cats yesterday! Sold out in 30 minutes through out the whole country! The Stray Cats are doing, I think nine concerts, in Europe, this summer, with the original band members!! And one of the gigs is right here at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, Holland!! Hell yeah I'm happy!!!
sweet...they are back together!wierd.i thought they all hated each other...guess they need the dough.damn...they need to play in the States.
Brian Setzer is a pretty cool guy...I ran into him at a guitar show MANY moons ago, and the first thing that struck me was how small the guy is! I'm no giant, but I kinda felt like one standing beside him! (And I always thought he was using oversized Gretsch guitars in his videos!) We briefly talked about cars...mainly his old flathead powered Model A coupe made famous on album covers and in videos. He actually drove the Hell out of that car and didn't baby it! I think he sold it some time ago...don't know if he's still playing with hot rods or customs these days...but I'd imagine he's got SOMETHING going! I really liked his first solo album "The Knife Feels Like Justice" from 1986...it was a cool departure from what he'd done in the Stray Cats. I wasn't too crazy about his whole "Brian Setzer Orchestra" deal, though...kinda glad to see him back with the Cats again! (The other two Cats popped out a cool, but obscure album back in the late 80s too...they formed a band called Phantom, Rocker and Slick and recorded at least ONE album...the single "Men Without Shame" got some limited airplay for a while...and had a wicked cool intro with lots of distortion and harmonics! I bought a solo, mostly instrumental album form Earl Slick years later to enjoy more of his brash and raw six string style!)
I pretty much have all the SK stuff and even held out through the BSO stuff. I just have respect for the guys doing something that was not well recieved by the US audiences...until recently. Too bad about the break up and all the hard feelings.
Setzer rules! The guys at work think I'm nutz when I roll up with 'Switchblade 327' blastin or maybe some ol skool Katz. We want (need) full details after the concert!
I was always a fan of The 'Cats. I had the chance to meet Brian at a trade show in Anihiem(sp) in '95. We also got to see him perform with the big band (courtesy of Gretsch guitars). It was like their 5th gig. A couple of years later he performed in Pontiac at an outdoor venue. I took my wife and a fellow musician and his wife. On the way home we decided to put together a swing band. That was almost 5 years ago. We're still at it but have added some R&B. I still like his big band stuff but thrilled to hear that the 'Cats are back.
Also wish they would come east & play. Saw them looong time ago in Phila & then a few years back with BSO. Saw Setzer in the casino & walked up to him & said how much I liked the show & he just said thanks & started walking away. As soon as I mentioned his coupe, he turned around & talked to me for about 15 mins about his cars & my 31 Sedan project ( at the time) & told me to get off my ass & get the sedan done! Cool Guy.
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