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‘THE LUCK OF THE DRAW’ The Stray Cats album recalls ‘greatest tour’ By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
S
lim Jim Phantom considers the Stray Cats lucky. The rockabilly band that famously includes him, guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer and upright bassist Lee Rocker was founded in 1979. Therefore, they spent last year celebrating its 40th anniversary. One more year, and the 40th anniversary celebration would have been squashed due to COVID-19. “It was the luck of the draw,” Phantom says. “Last summer, we were able to do our greatest tour we ever did. One year later on the calendar, and it wouldn’t have happened.” That tour was captured on the 23-track “Rocked This Town: From LA to London,” which hit stores in September on Surfdog Records. The collection was produced by the band and mixed by Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Arctic Monkeys). The album’s career-spanning track
listing features the Stray Cats’ greatest hits as well as several new songs from last year’s “40,” the band’s first new album in 26 years. The tour and the subsequent album went well because, Phantom says bluntly, “We have nothing to prove at this point.” “The audience is getting bigger all the time. It’s younger people and our original fans. We’re gaining new, younger people all the time. “The new kids, they are thrilled that they can come see us. The original fans weren’t sure they would see us again. Everyone was into it from the minute we started. The only thing I could concentrate on was keeping up with the other two.” The Stray Cats’ latest album, “40,” hit No. 3 on the Billboard charts and No. 1 on the rock charts. “When someone from the office calls and says, ‘The record’s No. 3,’ everyone is on cloud nine. It means a lot,” he says. “That was more inspiration to go and have a gas and play as good as we can
every night.” Phantom says the band wasn’t going to tour this year, so COVID-19 didn’t affect its plans. Phantom was going to accompany his wife, Eagles of Death Metal bassist Jennie Vee, on her Australian tour. While in Australia, Phantom planned to produce a rockabilly album by Jimmy Barnes. “We went on tour with him in the middle part of the ’80s and we just became friends,” Phantom says. “We always stayed in touch with him for 35 years.” Vee and Phantom have kept busy recording music together, while she has been pushing her own clothing line. Phantom is an avid baseball and Strat-o-Matic fan who hosts “Rockabilly RaveUp” on Little Steven’s Underground Garage, SiriusXM 5 p.m. Sundays. “I started doing Patreon and podcasts, too,” he added. “It’s an extension of the radio show. Jennie edits it with me. It’s
my favorite thing to do. It’s a nice way to fill the day. It’s not the same as going out on tour, but we’re finding ways to kill time.”
Slim Jim Phantom
slimjimphantom.com twitter.com/officialslimjim
Jennie Vee
thejennievee.com
MUSIC AS THERAPY
Singer Austin Walashek shares heartbreak through song By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
A
ustin Walashek’s friends have called him the “male Taylor Swift.” His penchant for writing about broken hearts and broken relationships has earned him that nickname. He’s furthering the cause with his band’s single, “Rose.” “I write a lot about my past girlfriends and relationships,” he says. “It’s about getting closure on one of my girlfriends and accepting we’re not together. I thought she was the one, and it took a really long time to accept we’re not going to get back together. “The whole song starts off by saying, ‘40 miles down the interstate, 100 miles an hour.’ Literally, she lives 40 miles away. It’s within a reachable distance, but I’m never going to get there.”
Walashek and Wild Giants will play that song and a slew of others 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, November 27, at Amped Coffeehouse in Anthem. A 2-year-old alt-rock/blues band, Wild Giants features Walashek on vocals with a rotating group of musicians. “It’s basically a solo project and then I hire musicians to play along with me,” he says. “But 90% of the time it’s the same two or three guys. We play a lot of blues rock-style songs and alternative rock, a lot of ’90s rock. “I really like doing songs that people wouldn’t expect us to do. I remember once one of the baristas here said we should play ‘Bennie and the Jets’ by Elton John. I said we weren’t going to do that. As the set was progressing, though, it kept sticking in my head. I thought, ‘Screw it. I’ll try it.’ It’s been a staple in our set since then.” Walashek enjoys challenging himself
in terms of original and cover songs. He grew up listening to ’90s rock and grunge. His father’s favorite band is the Eagles. So Walashek counts the Foo Fighters and the Eagles among his favorites. “I also love Jimi Hendrix,” he says. “He’s one of the best blues players we ever had. I know a lot of people don’t really classify him as blues, but if you listen to his non-mainstream songs, they’re very bluesy. “I also like the Black Keys. They’re very blues rock.” As far as Arizona bands, Walashek enjoys Damn the Weather, which he discovered while booking acts for Amped. Born in San Diego, but raised in New River, the Boulder Creek High School graduate says he plays his songs for his best friend, who figures out they’re mostly about exes.
“He knows my whole life story,” Walashek says with a laugh. “I try to be cryptic. My songs are so personal. This is my way of going through therapy. When I’m writing such personal songs—when the songs aren’t very positive—I don’t want to tell the listener who they’re about. I don’t trash talk.” Still, he can’t shake the Swift comparison. “I never thought about it like that,” he says. “But it’s true.”
Wild Giants
7 to 9 p.m. Friday, November 27 Amped Coffee Company, 3434 W. Anthem Way, Suite 102, Anthem 480.462.6733, ampedcoffeeco.com facebook.com/wildgiantsmusic wildgiantsmusic.com
