On Oct. 16, Gretsch signature artists Brian Setzer and the Brian Setzer Orchestra will release Rockin’ Rudolph, their first studio Christmas album in 10 years.
The 18-piece band will support the album with a major concert run—the “12th Annual Christmas Rocks! Tour”— delivering the rocking and colorful holiday extravaganza they are known for.
Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to purchase a limited edition, numbered deluxe package of the album via PledgeMusic.com.
“It’s been about 10 years since I made a Christmas record,” said 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 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 and Hollywood, the 12-track effort 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 paired with the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s rockin’ big-band horn arrangements.
Watch a short sizzle video for Rockin’ Rudolph below and visit BrianSetzer.com for additional album details.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra Rockin' Rudolph from Surfdog Records on Vimeo.