New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy-Award winner BRIAN SETZER and THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA will release ROCKIN' RUDOLPH-their first studio Christmas album in 10 years-on Friday,October 16 via Surfdog Records (track listing below). The 18-piece band will support the album with a major concert tour,the "12th Annual Christmas Rocks! Tour," delivering the rocking and colorful holiday extravaganza they're known for.
Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to purchase a limited edition,numbered deluxe package of the album (full details below) via PledgeMusic.com. Below watch a short sizzle video for ROCKIN' RUDOLPH.
"It's been about 10 years since I made a Christmas record," says SETZER. "It [Christmas music] just seems to get more popular every year. They're classic songs and you wonder after a couple records how many of them are left. Once you dig in you find, wow! I've haven't done 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree,' you know. I've never done 'Here Comes
Santa Claus!' Ones that everyone knows and are still out there. These songs are great songs. It doesn't matter if they're holiday songs or when they were written, they're just great songs. So the trick," adds SETZER, "is to make them sound hip. Some of them are eternally hip, you know, so you don't have to do too much."
Produced by
Peter Collins (Rush, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, etc…) and recorded in both Nashville, TN and Hollywood, CA, the 12-track ROCKIN' RUDOPLH includes highlights such as "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "Yabba-Dabba Yuletide," and "Rockabilly Rudolph," among other notable Christmas classic tunes with SETZER's trademark guitar work and vocal stylings matched with THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA's rockin' big-band horn arrangements.
Standard ROCKIN' RUDOLPH track listing:
1. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
2. "Yabba-Dabba Yuletide"
3. "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
4. "Rockabilly Rudolph"
5. "Here Comes
Santa Claus"
6. "Have Yourself a Merry
Little Christmas"
7. "Swingin' Joy"
8. "Carol of the Bells"
9. "Little Jack Frost"
10. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
11. "O
Little Town of Bethlehem"
12. "Yabba-Dabba Yuletide" (extended)
The ROCKIN' RUDOLPH DELUXE BOX SET includes:
1.
Brand New Rockin' Rudolph album on CD
2. Commemorative Sheet
Music / Guitar Chart to "Nutcracker Suite" (just as Brian reads on stage!)
3.
Custom Brian Setzer Die-cut Christmas Tree Ornament (3″ tall, alloy metal)
4. Brian Setzer's Own Murray's Pomade (Hair Product)
5. Commemorative BSO "Martini Logo" Stainless Steel Guitar Pick
6. BSO Christmas Album Cover Drink Coasters
7. Six Polaroid-style BSO Concert Photos
8. "Live in Nashville" 10×10 print
9. Reusable 8GB USB Credit Card w/ Extras, including:
Hi-definition .wav files of full 12-track ROCKIN’ RUDOLPH album
2 New Bonus Instrumental Tracks Not Included on Album: "
Deck The Halls" & "
Little Drummer Boy"
Album Cover Rough Sketches by Artist Derek Yaniger
Brief Behind-the-scenes video footage of BSO’s Rockin’ Rudolph recording session (House of Blues studio in Nashville, TN.)
"
Jingle Bells" - Live Performance by BSO (previously released)
"Nutcracker Suite" - Live Performance by BSO (previously released)
Behind-the-scenes look at Brian writing entire big band arrangement from scratch (previously released)
About Brian Setzer:
Iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and 3-time Grammy-award-winner, is a "Musician's Musician" credited with continually taking chances with innovative and daring musical styles, while single-handedly resurrecting two forgotten genres of music (rockabilly in the '80's and swing in the '90's).
Along the way, he has scored chart-topping hits, sold 13 million records and received the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award throughout his decorated career as founder/leader of the Stray Cats, his 18-piece
Brian Setzer Orchestra, and as a solo artist. He is consistently cited as one of the world's greatest living guitarists, and has a best-selling, extensive line of elite Gretsch signature model guitars bearing his name. Brian appeared in the 1987 film, La Bamba, portraying rockabilly pioneer Eddie Cochran.
In 2002, Brian earned the privilege of being one of the few musicians to be animated in an episode of "The Simpsons," alongside Mick Jagger,
Keith Richards and Tom Petty. That same year, Setzer was personally requested to induct Chet Atkins into the 17th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2014, SETZER received the distinct honor of being asked by the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. to donate a replica of his original 1959 Gretsch 6120 "Stray Cat" guitar, joining an elite collection of musical instruments at the museum including
Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet and John Coltrane's saxophone.
