BRIAN SETZER
During the 40 years since he first formed the Stray Cats with bassist Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom, Brian Setzer has become a guitar icon. Setzer not only kept roots guitar alive in an era of shred and synth pop, he reinvented big-band swing and helped reboot Gretsch. Earlier this year, Brian and the Cats returned with 40, a Nashville-recorded anniversary marking studio album with all the piss and vinegar of their Dave Edmunds-produced self-titled 1981 debut. The Runaway Boys might be all grown up these days, but they still have that unmistakable Cat class and Cat style…
You couldn’t have picked a better moment to record a new Stray Cats album…
“Well, we couldn’t let 40 years go by. You don’t want to call an album ‘41’! We had to commemorate it somehow.”
It’s been 26 years since you guys were last in a recording studio together…
“Everyone’s playing right up to the max. I wasn’t worried about that. The whole thing is writing the songs. That’s always the gold to me. Where are we gonna get the songs? How am I gonna write them?”
Is it strange switching from bandleader to band
