http://www.modbee.com/scene/story/840776.html
Isaak and Setzer Rock Ironstone
An effervescent Chris Isaak shares the Ironstone bill with Brian Setzer for a match made in rock — and hair gel — heaven
By Lisa Millegan
lmillegan@modbee.com
Chris Isaak and Brian Setzer share a love of retro pop music and fashion.
The two stars, known for their slicked-up hairstyles and snappy suits, pair up Sunday for a performance at the Ironstone Vineyards amphitheater in Murphys.
Isaak, a 53-year-old native of Stockton, is best known for his 1991 hit, "Wicked Game," featured in the David Lynch film "Wild at Heart," and 1995's "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing."
Setzer, 50, first came to fame in the 1980s when his band The Stray Cats scored the hits "Rock this Town" and "Stray Cat Strut." In 1998, his Brian Setzer Orchestra had a hit with a cover of an old jazz song, "Jump, Jive and Wail," after it was featured in a Gap commercial. His Murphys show, performed with his band the Nashvillains, is his only California engagement this summer.
Isaak talked about the show and his recent projects in an e-mail interview with The Bee:
Q: What can we expect from your concert?
A: I gotta say, this is a show that I am really looking forward to. Brian Setzer is just such a great singer, and when it comes to guitar playing —yikes. He gave me one of his fancy guitars years ago, but it must be broke cause when I play it, I don't sound like him! We are both bringing our bands and I expect we will be getting together to jam. I have been listening to Brian since the Stray Cats days, and I am ready and willing to jump in and screw up any song he chooses! I gotta say, I have had my band together for more than 20 years and we are having a ball!
Q: What does the show look like?
A: This tour, we went crazy with the stage set — we got a 30-foot tall 1950s-looking TV screen for a backdrop and a white sparkle tuck-and-roll upholstered bandstand. Our set is kind of a cross between a hot rod, a state fair and somebody's 1950s living room on steroids! And, of course, we dress up in stage clothes that Liberace passed on because they were too flashy. I have one suit that I'm gonna wear that weighs more than 35 pounds! It's covered with mirrors, so bring your sunglasses.
Q: Are you both sticking to new material? Old? Mix of both?
A: On this, I will only speak for myself, but I am going to be doing songs off the new record and, of course, I want to play whatever people came to hear. I throw in "Wicked Game" and "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" and pretty much everything that I figure people wanna hear. We do ballads, but we also make sure to do a bunch of dance tunes. I got a Texas drummer so I gotta use him or he gets carbon on his spark plugs. If we don't play something that you came to hear, for God's sake yell it out. We aren't shy. I wrote it, so chances are, I can play it!
Q: Tell me about your new album, "Mr. Lucky."
A: My last three albums have been a live recording from Australia, a Christmas album and a greatest hits. They all had some new songs on them, but I was really ready to get in and make a studio album with all new songs. I had been putting aside songs for this album for a while and I think it worked out great. To me, the big thrill isn't that people buy a record, it's if they still play it after a couple of months. This record has a nice mix of ballads and rock, of upbeat, happy songs and ballads. It's good for a long drive — I know, I listened to it on my trips to Stockton to see my folks and I never fell asleep!
Q: What's Brian Setzer like when he's not on stage?
A: He is just a funny guy without a big head about his fame. Every time I talk to him, he is much more interested in talking about guitars or cars than about himself.
Q: How's "The Chris Isaak Hour" on the Biography Channel going? Who has been your favorite guest so far?
A: I never know what our schedule is, I leave that to the management, but I had a ball doing the show. Why wouldn't I? I got to play with a different star every week and they were all great and all so different. One week, I'm playing with Glen Campbell and getting a guitar lesson, and the next week, Cat Stevens is letting me sing backup to his new song. Stevie Nicks came on and did a song on the show that she had never done before. I love that she came on the show and instead of playing it safe, she does something way outside of the box. Maybe that is why she is such a legend. (See episodes at www.biography.com/ chris-isaak-hour)
Q: Are any of your Stockton family and friends coming to the Murphys show?
A: My guest list is full! I'm buying tickets for my own show, but I'm going to have a ball. My folks are coming, my friends are coming, and I'm going to pull out all the stops. You gotta show off for your friends, right? Well, this is my chance. I am so proud of this band, they really are a pack of great musicians, and then there I am right in the middle to raise hell! Murphys is really a great venue, so pretty and, of course, so close to home!
WHAT: Chris Isaak & Brian Setzer
WHEN: 7 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Ironstone Vineyards, 1894 Six Mile Road, Murphys
TICKETS: $45-$225 (two-for-one special for lawn tickets)
CALL: 800-745-3000
ONLINE: www.ironstonevineyards.com