Stray Cats at Pier 17

I remember the first time I saw the first Stray Cats (UK) album at Bleecker Bob’s. (It was an import; they were still relatively unknown in the United States.) It was one of the only times I bought an album just because of its cover. (Remember albums? Remember cover art?)

In the middle of the new wave ’80s, with its synthesizer “hair bands,” these guys carved their own musical path, doing rockabilly, a style that harked back to the ’50s. With his pouty good looks and pompadour to die for, lead vocalist/guitarist Brian Setzer was a natural for the then-nascent MTV. No one was more surprised than I was when they became a hit in America. What was even more shocking was that these guys from Long Island (my hometown!) had gone to London to make a name for themselves. And yet it made perfect sense that these hyper-stylish guys would go to hyper-style conscious England, where it was easier to get a hit record than the US.

They came out of the gate with a number of strong songs: “Stray Cat Strut,” “Rock This Town,” “Runaway Boys” and “Rumble in Brighton” (from their first US album, Built for Speed), as well as “(She’s) Sexy + 17” (from their second US album, Rant n’ Rave with the Stray Cats). Then they basically disappeared. (Anyone remember the Brian Setzer Orchestra?)

But tonight at Pier 17 in New York City, they came roaring back to life, musicianship fully in tow (and they all still have their fabulous hair, damn it!). It’s amazing how much sound these guys get from just a guitar, bass and drums. (Drummer Slim Jim Phantom doesn’t even use a full drum kit, just a snare and cymbal!)

So Setzer and bassist Lee Rocker (who traded a “Long Island, NY” baseball jacket), along with Phantom (who wore a “Massapequa” T-shirt) brought it all back home.