The STRAY CATS reveal official video for ‘Rock It Off’

26th April 2019 0 By Jon Deaux

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 40^th anniversary in 2019 with a new album and tour (*see tour dates below).Ahead of this they have revealed the brand new video for ‘Rock It Off’.

Talking about the song Slim Jim Phantom says; “‘Rock It Off’ may be my favourite track on ’40’ – when the guitar riff comes in, i stand up a little straighter and imagine a peacock strutting. It’s got a shuffle groove that’s tailor made for me to do the bop-bop-a-bop – the video captures the fun and good vibes we all shared while making the whole album.”

The STRAY CATS have titled the album 40. Marking their first new album in 26 years, it will be released May 24 via Surfdog Records and distributed by Mascot Label Group (CD, LP, Digital) 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.

Watch the band and album producer Peter Collins in the studio discussing the making of the album here.

A Limited Box with CD including 2 bonus tracks and the 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)

European/UK Tour 2019
Fri 21 Jun – Azkena Rock Festival, Spain
Sun 23 Jun – 02 Academy, Birmingham
Tues 25 Jun – 02 Apollo, Manchester
Wed 26 June – Hammersmith Apollo, London
Thurs 27 June – Hammersmith Apollo, London
Sat 29 June – Retro C Trop, France
Mon 01 July – AFAS Live, Netherlands
Wed 03 July – Columbiahalle, Germany
Thurs 04 July – Palladium, Germany
Sat 06 July – American Tours Festival, France
Sun 07 July – Les Eurockeennes, France
Tues 09 July – Killesberg, Germany
Thurs 11 July – Zenith, Germany
Fri 12 July – X-Tra, Switzerland
Sat 13 July – Musilac Festival, France
Thurs 18 July – Pori Jazz Festival, Finland
Sat 20 July – Summer Jamboree, Sweden
Also check out the video for ‘Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me)’