This time next month, Brian Setzer’s much-anticipated solo album Gotta Have the Rumble will be on the shelves. Following his 2014 solo record Rockabilly Riot! All Original Setzer’s new long-player has been a long time coming, but the rockabilly electric guitar star has returned full throttle with a new track “Smash Up On Highway One” chasing up the album's first single, the similarly hot rod-inspired “Checkered Flag”.
Speaking of his latest single “Smash Up On Highway One,” Setzer commented: “I was playing "Misirlou" by Dick Dale with the Stray Cats, and I thought, ‘wow I’d love to write something as cool as that riff.’ So I came up with something out of left field. I don’t know what you would call it – Middle Eastern or Eastern-European. Some college professor probably has a name for that scale.
"I had that riff laying around. I guess you could say I’m always collecting cool guitar parts. Mike Himelstein sent me those lyrics and they just fit right in. I think it’s really cool – it’s a way to move the whole rockabilly genre forward.”
Gotta Have the Rumble is set for release on August 27 via Surfdog Records. Pre-order your copy from Brian Setzer’s website (opens in new tab).
Rod Brakes is a music writer with an expertise in all things guitar-related. Having spent many years at the coalface as a guitar dealer and tech, Rod's more recent work as a journalist covering artists, industry pros and gear includes writing hundreds of articles and features for the likes of Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar World, Guitar Player and MusicRadar, as well as contributions for specialist books, blogs and social media. He is also a lifelong musician.
