Updated August 31, 2008
Madrid concert at La Riviera was madness; it was packed to the ceilings. Sold out! One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen was before the show; Slim Jim and I shared a car from the hotel to concert and were amazed by the thousands of rockers, Billies and Betties that were descending on the venue. They looked great. Fantastic show. I think it was my personal best playing of the tour so far. At one point someone in the crowd yelled out "18 Miles to Memphis,” so Brian looked over at me and we played it instead of “Blast Off.”
On Thursday, August 21, we all got on a plane and flew from Madrid to Rome and the on to Ancona, Italy. For some reason it took about 11 hours to do this. It took less time to go from Los Angeles to London! Had a night off so had dinner at a great Italian restaurant and polished off a good amount of vino. Looking forward to the festival on Friday.
Lee
It’s August 19 and we’re in San Pedro del Pinitar, Spain. The opening show of the tour in Bilbao was fantastic, with a great crowd at an indoor venue. The sound is always a little bit tighter and better indoors. We did a really strong show and then came back out and did an encore of "I Fought the Law" and "C'mon Everybody." We went back to the dressing rooms and the audience just kept on screaming, and after about 10 minutes, Brian, Jim and I figured we’ve got to give them more. We went back out and played "Baby Blue Eyes," and then finished with "Please Don't Touch.”
The passion and energy from that crowd was unbelievable; what a great start to the tour.
On August 17, I hit the rails and headed up to Zaragoza. The gig was that night at a huge outdoor place connected with the European expo. We had about 7,000 rockers in the crowd so it went off! Security surrounding the expo was tight. As a mater of fact it was easier getting into the country than the venue. My fingers are a bit bloody from playing so hard on these first two concerts and I'm glad I got a "recovery" day to give it a chance to heal.
Yesterday (August 18) Jim and I trained it to the south of Spain and got a call from the band manager that the next day’s show has been moved to a different venue due to electrical problems. It seems that someone was electrocuted setting up the stage. We heard the guy will recover but the venue has been condemned/closed and locked up by the city. I hope that he will be alright. The concert will go on in the new place a few miles down the road on Tuesday, August 19. I'll write again in a couple of days. It’s good to have the Stray Cats out prowling Europe again.
Lee Rocker
Lee
Rocker Timeline
We have just posted an unofficial timeline of everything that Lee has
recorded, where he has played (and with whom), and just about every little
thing that Lee has done during the past years. While it may not be 100
percent (and some shows mentioned here may have been postponed or cancelled),
it's a collaborative effort by fans everywhere. Thanks to Jon Pascual
Del Valle and a host of fans all across the world who helped piece this
together). We're sure this timeline will be expanded and edited as time
goes by.
View
the PDF of the timeline here
Lee
Rocker on Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour (3/22/08)
Lee Rocker will be the special guest of Michael Johnathon's Woodsongs
Old-Time Radio Hour (airing on more thn 400 stations in the US and abroad)
beginning March 22nd. It will also air on XM 15 "The Village"
on 4/13 9 PM PT. Listen in for conversation and live music from Lee and
his band as they present songs from his recent Alligator release, Black
Cat Bone, in a stripped down setting.
You
can also obtain a podcast of the entire hour here,
or web cast here
I'd like to announce that the summer of 2008 will kick off the Stray Cats Farewell Tour. We are starting in Europe where things really began for us almost 30 years ago. We will update this Web site with concert information as dates get added and confirmed. Brian and Jim and I are lifelong friends, we were little kids when we first met, and we've had a lot of great times together. The Stray Cats were and still are the best in the world at what we do, so do not miss these concerts. On a personal note I want to reassure my fans and friends that I have no intention of slowing down my schedule of writing and releasing new albums and touring. My goal is to slap my bass and sing my songs till the day I drop and that I hope will be a long, long time from now. See you on the road..."
Lee Rocker
LEE ROCKER HOSTS "RUMBLE & TWANG" ON XM SATELLITE RADIO!
According to XM's X-County program director Jesse Scott, "We are proud to welcome Lee to the XM family. Lee's vision of rockabilly with an Americana twist is a marvelous addition to 'The Slip Stream Special.' The show acknowledges the fertile ground of all the musical styles that helped create rockabilly, mixing R&B and country to create something new."
And Rocker couldn't agree more,
saying, "'Rumble and Twang' is a labor of love for me, and it's something
that in a way, I've always done. Being a musician is all about sharing
music and telling stories. Having my own radio show gives me another chance
to share the American music that rumbles, twangs, echoes, and slaps."
Click
here
for a sneak preview, and information on how to subscribe to XM Satelite
Radio
Visit www.rumbleandtwang.com for more information
Want to keep up to date on what's going on in the world of Lee Rocker. Sign up below to receive periodical newsletters with the latest list of shows, news and other tidbits. Don't worry, we won't share your email address with anyone or bombard you constantly, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
| Join Lee Rocker's Mailing List |
Speaking of Amoeba, Lee's October performance there was webcast live around the world and the footage is now available for viewing on Amoeba’s website. Hear Lee talking about the Cats, Elvis, Rockabilly, his bass and kicking out three songs (“Black Cat Bone,” “Crazy When She Drinks” and “Rebel)
December 31, 2007; Anthology, San Diego, Calif.
Lee Rocker slated to play Texas Rockabilly Revival on May 17, 2008!
In the meantime, photos of the performance are available here.
Lee Rocker featured in the latest issue of Rockabilly. The issue is now available in Hot Topic, Borders, Hastings, and other stores, or order directly at www.rockabillymagazine.com
All of the pre ordered autographed cd's have been shipped and will be arriving soon. Please be patient, Lee has been on tour with the Stray Cats this summer and has had a large number of CDs to personally sign.
After much ado, Lee Rocker's latest effort, "Black Cat Bone," is now available! With musical muscle from his road-tested band (guitarists Brophy Dale and Buzz Campbell, and drummer Jimmy Sage) "Black Cat Bone" is an amazing collection of 10 Rocker originals (with one co-written with guitarist Brophy Dale), one song by guitarist Buzz Campbell, and reinvented covers from Bob Dylan ("One More Night") and Leon Payne ("Lost Highway," made famous by Hank Williams). The CD's scorching rockabilly, roadhouse romps and straight-ahead, old-school rock `n' roll, create by far the strongest set of songs of Rocker's solo career.
"Hard-rocking
tunes, twang-rich guitars and doghouse bass....top-notch performances,
terrific vocals and songwriting" -- Billboard
"Lee Rocker makes music as vital, as exciting, and as propulsive
as a shiny new sports coupe." - Blues Revue
Track Listing:
1) "Gone"
2) "Crazy When She Drinks"
3) "One More Night"
4) "Black Cat Bone"
5) "Lost Highway"
6) "Rebel"
7) "Sold Us Down The River"
8) "What I Don't Know"
9) "String Bass, Guitar and A Drum"
10) "The Wall of Death"
11) "Sometimes You Win"
12) "The Highway Is My Home"
13) "Free Bass"
Visit online store
Lee performing at the 2007 Hootennany Festival. Click thumb for larger
view
Blue Suede News' spring issue features Lee in a cover story. Available on newsstands or at www.bluesuedenews.com
Debbie, Hillary and Lee
Read Lee's reflections on one of America's
legendary guitar players --- Carl Perkins