Gotta Have The Rumble – Brian Setzer’s Exciting New Album!

In this My Guitar Lair “news flash,” I’ll tell you everything you want to know about Gotta Have The Rumble, which is Brian Setzer’s new album. So keep on reading to get the low-down on what you can expect.

Be sure to check out Brian’s animated video for “Checkered Flag,” the first song on his new album! You can view it right from this article; just scroll down.

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It’s Finally Done And Was Worth The Wait!

Gotta Have The Rumble is Brian Setzer’s new solo album, which comes after a seven-year wait! Brian is the undisputed present-day king of rockabilly guitar.

It will be released on Surfdog Records on August 27 on CD and in the streaming/digital download format. In addition, there is a vinyl release planned for sometime in the near future (probably early December 2021); the exact date is to be announced.

It’s been a long time coming since the release of his solo album “Rockabilly Riot! All original”, which he recorded in 2014. This album was also on Surfdog and recorded at RCA Studio in New York City.

Brian is one of the highest-rated rockabilly players today. Amazing high-speed licks just seem to effortlessly fly off his guitar neck and make you want to listen to them again and again!

In addition, he uses “big band” chord voicing that draws attention to the time he spent studying guitar and playing in school Jazz bands.

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Track Listing

Here are the 11 tunes on Gotta Have The Rumble.

Checkered Flag 
(Brian Setzer and James McDonnell)
Smash Up On Highway One 
(Brian Setzer and Mike Himelstein)
Stack My Money 
(Brian Setzer and Mike Himelstein)
The Wrong Side Of The Tracks
(Brian Setzer and Mike Himelstein
Drip Drop
(Brian Setzer)
The Cat With 9 Wives
(Brian Setzer and Mike Himelstein)
Turn You On, Turn Me On
(Brian Setzer)
Rockabilly Riot
(Brian Setzer and Mike Himelstein)
Off Your Rocker
(Brian Setzer and Stephen “Dibbs” Preston)
One Bad Habit
(Brian Setzer and Mike Himelstein)
Rockabilly Banjo
(Brian Setzer and Stephen “Dibbs” Preston)

Recorded in Minneapolis and Nashville

Produced by Julian Raymond

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The Publicity Video For The Album

Here is the animated video released by Surfdog records, which was made to market the upcoming album. “Checkered Flag,” the first song on the new album, is just enough to wet your rockabilly appetite!

I really love the tremolo and slap-back echo mix he used on this tune. The animation is very cool and exactly what you would expect from Brian. Check it out!

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So, What’s “The Rumble” All About?

The rumble is about his love for motorcycles and hot rods, which have been a part of Brian’s life since he was 15 years old. He loves the adrenaline rush he gets by going fast.

According to Brian, the “rumble” also refers to two other things, one musical and the other medical.

Brian likes to stand quite close to his vintage Fender Bassman amps to get his trademark sound, which causes his guitar to “rumble.”

Unfortunately, the loud sound exposure has caused what Brian calls a rumble in his ears because he has developed a hearing loss with tinnitus (ringing). Fortunately, Brian’s tinnitus has improved with a decrease in noise level exposure.

If you play loud or listen to loud music, it’s important to wear ear protection at all times. Tinnitus can be treated but not cured, and the hearing loss, which causes the ringing, is permanent.

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Brian’s Gear

Brian’s gear has been relatively consistent over the years and typically includes the following setup.

• Gretsch guitars – Brian’s favorite is a 1959 Gretsch 6120 with FilterTron PAF humbucking pickups. He also has two Gretsch Brian Setzer Signature guitar models that he has used onstage. These are the “Hot Rod” and the “Nashville” models.
• Amplifiers – Two 1963 Fender Bassman head with matching 2×12 Fender cabinets, hooked up to his effects in a stereo configuration. He has used both Oxford 12L6 12-inch speakers and Celestion V30s in the cabinets.
• Effects – Brian likes the Roland RE-301 Space Echo for his “slapback” effect. He has also used a Boss DM-2 Analog Delay and even an Electro Harmonix Memory Man. His slapback echo is typically set to between 60 to 120 milliseconds.

Gretsch Brian Setzer Signature Guitars

G6120T-HR Brian Setzer Signature Hot Rod Guitar:

• Laminated maple body with a gloss finish
• 1959 Trestle Bracing
• 2.5-inch body depth
• Maple gloss neck with vintage “V” shape
• 24.6″ neck scale length
• 9.5″-12″ compound radius neck
• 22 fret rosewood fingerboard with medium jumbo frets
• 1.6875″ nut width
• Red side dots
• TV Jones® Brian Setzer Signature Filter’Tron™ bridge and neck pickups
• Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with pinned rosewood base
• Bigsby® B6C tailpiece
• Gotoh® locking tuners
• G-Arrow control knob
• Nickel hardware
• Colors: Candy Blue Burst, Candy Magenta, Extreme Coolant Green Sparkle, Lime Gold, or Magenta Sparkle

G6120TFM-BSNV Brian Setzer Nashville Signature Guitar

• Laminated flame maple (front and back) body with a gloss finish
• 1959 Trestle Bracing
• 2.75″  body depth
• Maple gloss neck with vintage “V” shape
• 24.6″ neck scale length
• 12″ radius neck
• 22 fret ebony fingerboard with medium jumbo frets
• 1.6875″ nut width
• Pearloid Neo-Classic™ “Thumbnail” position inlays
• Red side dots
• TV Jones® Brian Setzer Signature Filter’Tron™ bridge and neck pickups
• Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with pinned rosewood base
• Bigsby® B6G Vibrato Tailpiece with Gretsch® Logo
• Dice control knobs
• Nickel hardware
• Colors: Orange Stain, Black Laquer, and ’59 Smoke Orange

Vintage Guitars

Brian has a number of vintage guitars, mostly made by Gretsch (from Wikipedia)

Gretsch Vintage Guitars

• Gretsch Model 6130 Round Up – 1955
• Gretsch Model 6128 Black Duo Jet – 1958
• Gretsch Model 6136 White Falcon – 1957
• Gretsch Model 6129 Silver Jet – No Pickguard – 1957
• Gretsch Model 6129 Silver Jet – White Pickguard – 1957
• Gretsch Model 6136 White Falcon – 1957
• Gretsch Model 6129 Silver Jet – Black Pickguard – 1958
• Gretsch Model 6120 “Stray Cat” – 1959
• Gretsch Model 6120 Chet Atkins – 1959
• Gretsch Model 6119 “Christmas Custom” – 1959
• Gretsch Model 6119 Blue Sparkle Jet – 1959
• Gretsch Model 6120 – 1960
• Gretsch Model 6119 – 1960

Miscellaneous Vintage Guitars

• D’Angelico Excel – 1938
• D’Angelico New Yorker – 1940
• Martin Model D-28 Acoustic – 1956
• Fender Stratocaster Turquoise – 1957
• Guild Bluesbird – 1959
• Gibson Firebird V – 1964
• Bigsby Custom – 2003

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Brian Setzer Discography

Here are the recordings Brian has done as a solo effort, with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, and with The Stray Cats. It does not include his multiple guest appearances (from Wikipedia).

Solo Albums

• The Knife Feels Like Justice (EMI, 1986)
• Live Nude Guitars (EMI, 1988)
• Rockin’ by Myself (1993)
• Ignition! (Surfdog, 2001)
• Nitro Burnin’ Funny Daddy (Surfdog, 2003)
• Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records (Surfdog, 2005)
• 13 (Surfdog, 2006)
• Red Hot & Live (Surfdog, 2007)
• Setzer Goes Instru-Mental! (Surfdog, 2011)
• Rockabilly Riot! Live from the Planet (Surfdog, 2012)
• Rockabilly Riot! All Original (Surfdog, 2014)

The Brian Setzer Orchestra

• The Brian Setzer Orchestra (Hollywood, 1994)
• Guitar Slinger (Interscope, 1996)
• The Dirty Boogie (Interscope, 1998)
• Vavoom! (Interscope, 2000)
• Jumpin’ East of Java (Toy’s Factory, 2001)
• Boogie Woogie Christmas (Surfdog, 2002)
• Dig That Crazy Christmas (Surfdog, 2005)
• Wolfgang’s Big Night Out (Surfdog, 2007)
• Songs from Lonely Avenue (Surfdog, 2009)
• Christmas Comes Alive (Surfdog, 2010)
• Rockin’ Rudolph (Surfdog, 2015)

The Stray Cats

• Stray Cats (1981)
• Gonna Ball (1981)
• Built for Speed (1982)
• Rant n’ Rave with the Stray Cats (1983)
• Rock Therapy (1986)
• Blast Off! (1989)
• Let’s Go Faster! (1990)
• The Best of the Stray Cats: Rock This Town (1990)
• Choo Choo Hot Fish (1992)
• Original Cool (1993)
• Rumble in Brixton (2004)
• 40 (2019)

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Final Thoughts On Gotta Have The Rumble

Brian Setzer’s new album has been a long time coming, but Setzer fans will finally get treated to another dose of high-octane rockabilly, the way only Brian can dish it out!

If you’re into vinyl, then you will have to wait a bit longer, but you can probably expect to see it in stores or online sometime in early December 2021. In the meantime, you can stream it to your heart’s content beginning August 27th.

I personally can’t wait and have been impatiently counting the days to its release. Until then, I’ll keep playing my favorite Setzer albums to mellow out my apprehension. But, if you’re like me, then you’ll have to get it immediately!

As a final note, I simply can’t believe that Brain Setzer or The Stray Cats have not been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as of this writing. For more info on the Hall Of Fame, see Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame – The Killer Guitar Players!

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Tell Me What You Think 

Would you mind letting me know what’s on your mind in the comment section or if I can help you with anything?

• Have you heard of Brian Setzer?
• What do you think of his guitar playing?
• Do you like rockabilly music?
• Are you planning on listening to the Brian Setzer Gotta Have The Rumble album when it comes out?

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