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STRAY CATS
ROCKPALAST

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  • Stray Cats live at Rockpalast. Photograph by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • Neo-rockabilly band Stray Cats, onstage in Germany. Photographed by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • Slim Jim Phantom, drummer for neo-rockabilly band Stray Cats. photographed by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • Two images of Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer, photographed by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • Neo-rockabilly bassist Lee Rocker, photographed by Manfred Becker onstage in Germany. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • Brian Setzer, lead singer for 80's rockabilly band Stray Cats, photographed by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • 1980's neo-rockabilly drummer Slim Jim Phantom photographed onstage in Germany by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • Rockabilly bassist Lee Rocker, from the Stray Cats, photographed by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • Slim Jim Phantom and Brian Setzer, from 80's rockabilly band Stray Cats, photographed onstage by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • Slim Jim Phantom, drummer for rockabilly band Stray Cats, photographed singing onstage by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • Lee Rocker, stand up bassist for rockabilly band Stray Cats, photographed by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • 80's neo-rockabilly legend Brian Setzer photographed in Germany by photographer Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.
  • A shirtless Lee Rocker, upright bassist for 80's neo-rockabilly band Stray Cats, photographed by Manfred Becker. Ponyboy magazine NY.

YOUNG, RAW AND WILD! We are thrilled at Ponyboy to feature the release of Stray Cats: Live at Rockpalast, a double CD and DVD release from music label Made in Germany. Available July 7th in the U.S., this incredible release features footage/recordings from concerts in Germany, in both 1981 & 1983. We are also in awe of the terrific imagery provided by photographer Manfred Becker. So we thought we would ask Ponyboy pal Dylan Patterson, longtime Stray Cats fan and drummer of band Reckless Ones, to write our review!

 

STRAY CATS

ROCKPALAST

“I was fifteen the first time I heard the Cats, and I was hooked! I finally knew what music tripped my trigger. I was just about to get my driver’s license, and I bought a ’65 Ford and drove around singing every word of Built for Speed. I truly felt like Brian Setzer was singing about my life.

Eight years later I’m playing in Reckless Ones, a neo-rockabilly band, whose style was influenced heavily by the Stray Cats. Setzer lives in Minneapolis, as do I, and we also have mutual friends. I’ve been lucky enough to chat with him on several occasions. He’s truly a great guy, and still a total badass!

This DVD brings the wildest (and best) era of the Cats alive. The ’81 Cologne show has always been a huge band favorite, and I can’t get enough of Slim Jim going apeshit on the sound engineer, screaming “Can I get some fucking bass??!!” Raw attitude! My favorite songs from this performance include Storm the Embassy, Ubangi Stomp, Somethin’ Else and Gonna Ball.

Now I hadn’t seen much of the ’83 show before, so most of it was a total surprise to me – and a real treat! The vibe of this show is a bit more relaxed, and the tempo a bit slower.  But in my opinion it’s still in the golden era. They jump off stage and engage bystanders within reach, dancing and bopping to their own music. The crowd shots are really amazing, showing off the rockabillies and teds, peppered throughout the sea of Germans. Favorites from this show are Lonely Summer Nights, Runaway Boys and Stray Cat Strut.  Buy this now!”

DYLAN PATTERSON