Stray Cats fans recently received the bad news that the rockabilly trio had to cancel the first two dates of their 2025 fall U.S. tour because frontman Brian Setzer has been dealing with a “serious illness.” On the bright side, the band released two brand-new songs on Friday, October 24, that were intended to coincide with the launch of the trek.
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The tunes are a new original, “Stampede,” and a cover of late rockabilly legend Eddie Conchran’s 1959 song “Teenage Heaven.” The tracks are the first new studio recordings The Stray Cats have released since their 2019 album, 40.
[RELATED: Stray Cats Forced to Cancel First Two US Tour Dates Over Brian Setzer’s “Serious Illness”]
“Stampede” and “Teenage Heaven” were both produced by The Stray Cats, and mixed by respected studio engineer Chris Lord-Alge. The tracks were recorded at The Terrarium studio in Minneapolis and Laguna Sound in Laguna Beach, California.
Setzer co-wrote “Stampede” with Peter B. Antonio, Wally Zober, and Bert Salmirs. The revved-up “Stampede” is a rockabilly tune features Bo Diddley and surf-rock influences. “Teenage Heaven” was co-written by Cochran and Jerry Capehart.
Both tracks are available now as digital downloads and via streaming services.
Stray Cats’ Members Comment About the New Songs
All three Stray Cats members—Setzer, drummer Slim Jim Phantom, and bassist Lee Rocker—issued statements about the new tracks.
“Jim and I cut both songs in Minneapolis at Terrarium Studios,” Setzer said. “‘Stampede’ was an instrumental that I wrote lyrics for. I basically copied the guitar part, which was pretty ahead of its time to begin with, and ‘Teenage Heaven’ is one of the few Eddie Cochran songs that has not been covered to death.”
Phantom added, “The recording of ‘Stampede’ was a gas! We went to a studio in Minneapolis and I stayed with Brian—I had my own room this time, not three to a bed! The playing came very easy and I tried to come up with a drum part that conjured up the idea of a jailbreak. We’re doing a Bo Diddley Tom Tom beat that switches into a swing rhythm with a little punk rock for good luck.”
Slim Jim also commented about “Teenage Heaven.”
“[That song] is a natural for The Stray Cats—it has always been one we wanted to do but hadn’t,” the drummer shared. “Sir Mick Jagger suggested we do that one in 1980. It took a little while, but we listened to Mick! Eddie Cochran was the best rock star ever and has always been a big influence. He looked great, he played great, he sang great. He was way ahead of the curve with studio technique and left behind an unbelievably big catalog.”
Rocker, meanwhile, said, “‘Stampede’ has the drive and intensity that brings me back to our first album. It’s got a direct line to ‘Runaway Boys’ and ‘Rumble in Brighton.’ ‘Teenage Heaven’ is a classic Eddie Cochran song that we put our Stay Cats magic on. The Cats are back and better than ever.”
About The Stray Cats’ Planned Fall Tour
The Stray Cats’ fall tour was supposed to kick off on Saturday, October 25, in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. That show and a concert the next night in Rockford, Illinois, were canceled because of Setzer’s illness. The band’s next scheduled gig is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 28, at The Louisville Palace in Louisville, Kentucky. As of Monday afternoon, the show hadn’t been canceled.
The trek is plotted out through a November 23 concert in Wheatland, California.
Earlier this year, Setzer announced that he was dealing with an autoimmune disease that affected his hands and made it impossible for him to play guitar. By April, Brian seemed to have recovered fully, and announced that he was excited to tour again with The Stray Cats. That month, he posted a message and video on his social media pages revealing that he’d regained much of his guitar-playing ability.
In a statement announcing the cancellation of the tour kickoff show, Setzer wrote, “I’ve been looking forward so much to being on stage with my band mates again and playing for all of our amazing fans, and I’m gutted.”
(Photo by Russ Harrington)
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